The incredible story of the Grand Parc d'Andilly and the Hameau du Père Noël, as magical as the places. Who would have bet, 30 years ago, that this rural territory in Haute-Savoieat the gates of Geneva, would become a mecca for tourism, thanks to a remarkable associative momentum.
In Andilly, two parks, four worlds, and Santa Claus is never far away
Le Petit Pays is two parks and four worlds: the Santa's Hamlet at Mont-Sion, in the commune of Saint-Blaiseand the Grand parc d’Andilly becoming in turn the theater of the Great Medievals for five days in the spring, a 12-hectare park with games, shows and animals in the summer, which is adorned with Christmas colors fall comes.
In short, a region revolving around Santa's Areopagus, expanding over the years from the limitless imagination of its creators, including the mayor of Andilly and president of the Le Petit Pays association, Vincent Humbert.
Because this model generates 7 million euros in turnover, employing 14 permanent and 160 seasonal workers to 413,000 annual visitorsis always managed by an association subject to taxation.
At the origins of the creation of Santa Claus’ Hamlet and the Grand Parc d’Andilly
The story begins in 1994, when Vincent Humbert became president of the festival committee with the desire to organize a festival in the three villages making up Andilly. Saint-Symphorien then hosts the patronal festival in August, Charly a first medieval festival in 1996 and Jussy a Santa Claus festival.
The last two, victims of their success, require a colossal amount of assembly and dismantling work. The festival committee then chooses to find a permanent site and improve the facilities each year. “We were able to buy a small piece of property between the three villages. We started by rehabilitating a building, then erecting stands by recovering tiles and beams”remembers the president. The mayonnaise sets, the whole thing really gains momentum from 2008.
“Before I became mayor, it was complicated, admits Vincent Humbert, keen to avoid any conflict of interest and clearly outspoken. We didn't have the permits, the zoning didn't allow it, we had to have sanitation, fire safety, electricity. Before 2010, we only used generators.”
It all depends on the strength of volunteeringon a few very dedicated permanent staff and external service providers who share the same philosophy. “We are using everyone's goodwill by creating a unique economic dynamic and adventure that allows us to depend less on Geneva and allow many people to benefit from it with a large social solidarity component.”
Days are reserved for children with serious illnesses and the park sometimes opens its doors to stands run by associations.
At the Grand Parc d’Andilly, new attractions every year
The aim is not capitalist, insists the volunteer president. The profits are reinjected each year into new attractions (between 1 and 5 million euros of annual investments) to provide the public with what they are looking for. This fall he can discover it all new Kingdom of the Nutcrackers. A building largely made of wood, 25 meters long and 12 meters deep, with two towers, one square and one round, characteristic with its scale tiles and chiseled channels. Built in nine months, it required two years of work upstream. “A gem costing at least 2 million euros excluding tax, subsidized to the tune of 1 million euros by the Department and 350,000 euros by the Region.”
The association works with companies from here and elsewhere, “that she knows as much as they know us”. The Slovenian company Petro made all the fake stones, a Valle d'Aosta company worked on the masonry, a Jura tinsmith worked the copper, a Swiss company provided sounds and smells. Everything else is provided by locals: electricity, framework (Lode and Tradibois), public works (Bracher and Berthet).
The strength of attractions lies in the magic which emerges through a keen sense of detail. The decoration is provided both by a former coachbuilder, François Gevaux, skilled with his hands, and by Vincent Humbert, who hunts for objects everywhere and travels the world to visit parks, palaces and castles, in search of inspiration . “I take photos of the sidewalk, the tarmac, the gate, the rainwater downspout”he jokes.
In his head, he is already preparing the following three or four attractions, currently being designed with the architects, with a view to submitting permits. Thus, the houses of Father Chalande, Father Christmas of the Savoy region, of Befana, the Italian witch who distributes gifts, snowmen, and of Grandpa and Grandma Noël could well rise from the ground in the years to come.
Soon an underground car park and cable transport near Santa Claus' Hamlet?
In Mont-Sion, the association bought for 2.6 million euros The Key to the Fieldsa restaurant adjoining the Santa's houseto do a snack bar and tea roomand whose floor, formerly used as a hotel, could accommodate seasonal workers. The front of the building has already been transformed into parking lott. A way for the park to increase its capacity, justify the payment by its proximity to Santa's house and repay its investment.
For the future, the association is discussing with State services the expansion of its existing car parks or the creation of underground car parks, in line with the spirit of zero net artificialization of land (Zan), and no longer requiring snow removal in winter. The question of transport between the two sites, separated from 1.2 kilometersalso occupies the mind of Vincent Humbert, who would see a cable connectionalso constituting one more ride, topped with solar panels, and a more virtuous layout, reducing the number of cars on the road. Then there is the question of hotels, to respond to visitors' requests.
At Mont-Sion, the association is considering other small changes: a different organization of the entrance and a transformation of the current shop into a cook's house, in memory of the Rey family who owned La Clé des champs. “Another something a little crazy crazy”smiles Vincent Humbert.
“Not taken seriously enough with our Santa Claus”
Andilly became the eighth largest amusement park in Francewelcoming 25% Swiss, 45% Haut-Savoyards, the rest coming from Savoie and especially from the south. The model generates four-season activity, “including autumn, the hardest season to develop during which we fill hotels and restaurants in a mess”. And which is a hit when the snow isn't there.
Enough to make more than one person salivate. Vincent Humbert would dream of a partnership with the ski resorts surroundings. “Unfortunately, today, we are not taken seriously enough with our Santa Claus. We are appreciated, but we still don’t believe in it enough”deplores the president, while brandishing a figure: more than 20 million euros in economic return from the park to the territory.
