Festival of plays

NB: this article relates to the festivals not only devoted to the video games, for the festivals of video games, to consult the institution category, event and reward of the video game

The Festival S of Jeu X are a relatively recent creation, they date from the end of the Années 1960 for GenCon in the United States and the two greater festivals in France were created respectively in 1986 and 1987. In 2006, the greatest festival in the world is the living room of Essen in Germany.

These events can be specialized with a certain category of plays (convention of roleplays, convention of plays of address, convention of the plays for childhood, etc) or be on the contrary very diversified and taking again all the existing subcategories of the play.

Characteristics of the great festivals of plays

These festivals are generally presented in the form of living rooms in interior or outside gathering various speakers:

Editors, generally presenting their last innovations to the public
Creative of plays, sometimes car-published, also presenting their plays
Game libraries, generally local
Organizations of ludic animation, present often in several festivals
Jurys of attribution of one or more price
local Shops or shops of editors
Shop of plays of occasion
Gone to barter or exchanges of plays between private individuals

One finds in these festivals various activities:

prototype Tests of plays, presented by their authors
Dedications by authors or illustrators
Spaces of plays, often in self-service
Contest and championships
festive Animations, such as plays podium
professional Meetings authors, editors or actors of the world of the plays

The festivals are thus meeting places and profitable exchanges between amateurs of plays, editors, illustrators, distributers, specialists in animation, etc Contrairement to the traditional Festival S, the participants are not spectators but actors since they come before very playing.

Most of the time these festivals generate at their sides of the festivals “off”: tables of plays in the coffees or places of lodging.

List festivals

North America

The United States

GenCon Indy for Geneva Indianapolis Convention.
GenCon SoCal for Geneva Convention South California.

Europe

Germany

the living room International Spieltage, more simply called Spiel, with Essen, every years, four in October days.

Belgium

In Ludo Veritas with Namur, two conventions each year.
the International Appointment (IRV), with Liege, every year. Organized by association Objective Plays
the Fantastique.Convention of the Plays (annual) even years with Brussels and odd years with Mons during the Festival Trolls and Legends.

France

Festivals with national and international notoriety

international ludic Festival of Parthenay (FLIP), in the city of the same name in the Two-Sevres, every years, twelve in July days, two in November days; created in 1986.
International festival of the plays (FIJ), in the town of Cannes (the Alpes-Maritimes), every years, six in February days; created in 1987.
Living room of the culture and the mathematical plays with Paris.

Festivals with more local notoriety

Anjou… Plays!, with Angers (Maine-et-Loire) or in its agglomeration (Trélazé), every year, two or three in April days; be called Anjou… Plays! since 2005.
Salon Ventured, with Angers (Maine-et-Loire) or in its agglomeration (Avrillé or the Bridge-of-C), every year, two or three in November days. Its name of the room Lino Ventura holds where the living room was held the first time. The sixteenth edition in 2006 (created in 1991?).
Festival of the plays of Saint-Herblain (Loire-Atlantique).
Festival of the plays of Vauréal (Val-d'Oise).
Festival of the play of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).
Panazol plays, Festival of plays of Panazol (High-Vienna).
Living room of the play and the toy of Ugine (Savoy).
24:00 of the play of Champs-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne).
24:00 of the play of Theix (Morbihan).

The United Kingdom

ManorCon, annual convention in June or July to the university of Birmingham, took place each year since 1983, date of its first edition.

Sweden

GothCon, convention annual at the time of Easter to Gothembourg, took place each year since 1977, date of its first edition.

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