Nouvelles Galeries Annecy, 2025 Canadian Christmas
Client
Citynove / Les Nouvelles Galeries Annecy
When
Where
November 11, 2025 to January 3, 2026, with a 5-day inauguration
Industry
Retail, department store
Touchpoints
The Great Hall, the outdoor forecourt, the Studio, East Square, the Nouvelles Galeries Promenade
Audience
General public, focus on families
Expertise
Creative concept · Art direction · Visual identity · Brand Scenography · Production Direction · Partner Management · Budget Control
Scope
Canadian Christmas concept, visual identity, indoor and outdoor immersive scenography, lighting, branding, full sourcing (workshops, entertainment, food chalets), photo exhibition, 5-day inauguration, end-to-end production, on-site show calling for over a month
The brief
Design a premium, transportive and immersive Christmas experience centered on Canada.
The concept
A Canadian snowstorm rolls into Annecy and pushes the town to seek refuge inside Nouvelles Galeries, where the city vanishes and Québec begins. A narrative pretext that anchors both the scenography and the programming.
Key Moments
The simultaneous unveiling of the scenography, the lighting installation and the experiential journey, which switches the whole universe on in one go.
A 5-day inauguration, with a circus troupe from Quebec, a choir, a marching band, a singer, a folk trio and a mascot, saturating the space with Canadian energy.
The launch of the Studio, a new event venue within Nouvelles Galeries Annecy, activated throughout the whole operation.
The axe-throwing sessions, from mid-November to late December, the unexpected (and highly shareable) signature of the edition.
The workshops and animations that shape December, giving people a reason to come back rather than just walk past.
Sensory Signature
Smell: maple syrup, mulled wine, poutine, a gourmet signature carried by the chalets during the inauguration festival.
Sound: live music programming throughout the inauguration week.
Taste: maple candy handed out every weekend in December, plus biscuit workshops for parents and children.
Sight: a spectacular lighting installation that became an essential visual landmark in Annecy throughout the holiday season.
Mastery
Creative concept, art direction and visual identity for the whole operation. Immersive indoor and outdoor scenography, lighting, branding. Full sourcing across workshops, entertainment and food chalets. End-to-end production, 5-day inauguration, photo exhibition, and on-site show calling for over a month.
Operational complexity
Holding a premium level across nearly two months of live operation, without dips in quality or energy. Orchestrating five physical touchpoints with different codes, from the Great Hall to the forecourt to the Studio. Rolling out a 5-day inauguration with artists flown in from Québec, then sustaining a programme through to January 3 without losing freshness.
Results
A customer base won over by the countless considered touches deployed throughout the operation. And a lighting installation now embedded in the town’s visual memory.
Antonin Pouey
