Le Sens du Jeu Festival

Le Sens du Jeu: The gaming festival the Yonne region was waiting for

Sens, a city of art and history at the gateway to Burgundy, has long been known for its Gothic cathedral, its medieval treasure, and the SaYONNE'ara Manga Days. Since November 2025, it can now boast its very own festival dedicated to gaming: Le Sens du Jeu, organized by the Sens Ludique association with the support of the City of Sens, the local library, and gaming groups from the Sens area.

Founded in October 2019 by Ludivine Guillet and Simon Fournel—the former a game shop manager, the latter a youth worker at the Sens community center—Sens Ludique has been energizing the local gaming scene year-round: hosting monthly game nights across the region, participating in Christmas markets and local festivals, renting out games, and organizing the legendary 24h du Jeu in Saint-Clément. The Le Sens du Jeu festival is the natural culmination of this momentum: bringing the entire gaming community of the Yonne and beyond together in one place for a weekend in November.

A weekend, a thousand ways to play

Hosted at the Salle des Fêtes, 58 rue René Binet in Sens, the festival offers a dense and varied program designed for every type of player—from the curious novice to the seasoned expert, and from 6-year-olds to retirees.

The heart of the festival features board game tables hosted continuously by a team of enthusiastic volunteers. Hundreds of titles are available: timeless classics, recent hits, and rare gems you won't find anywhere else. The hosts guide visitors through their discoveries, explain the rules, and organize spontaneous games.

The ProtoZone is one of the most anticipated highlights: game designers and creators come in person to have their unpublished prototypes tested, gather feedback from players, and refine their creations. It is a rare opportunity to be among the first to discover a future hit and chat directly with the people who designed the game mechanics.

Spaces for every gaming universe

Beyond classic board games, the festival opens its doors wide to the entire gaming culture:

• Role-playing and miniature games: The L'Odyssée de l'Imaginaire association hosts sessions accessible to both beginners and experienced players in fantasy, science fiction, or historical settings.
• Escape rooms: Students from the Lycée Sainte Colombe in Sens offer unique escape rooms, blending ingenuity and fun.
• Kids' area: A dedicated space, under parental supervision, allows the youngest (from 3-4 years old) to discover board games at their own pace with age-appropriate titles.
• Tournaments: A competition area hosts tournaments for popular games, with prizes for the best players.
• Trading Card Game (TCG) area: Organized by La Crique aux Jeux, it brings together fans of Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana, Pokémon, Riftbound, and other trading card games for tournaments and trading.
• Gaming flea market: A second-hand game market allows you to sell or buy titles at reduced prices, perfect for refreshing your collection without breaking the bank.

Exhibitors, designers, and surprises every three hours

Several exhibitors and game merchants are present on-site: La Crique aux Jeux, Ludipassion, Au bonheur des momes, and independent creators like Loïc Podogorska offer their catalogs, with the chance to buy the latest releases or leave with a favorite recommended by an enthusiast.

The publisher IELLO, one of the most recognized gaming publishers in France, is a festival partner, a sign of the institutional recognition the event quickly gained from its very first edition. On average, every three hours, a raffle with games to be won punctuates the weekend and keeps the general mood high.

A festival rooted in the city of Sens

Sens is ideally positioned to host such an event: easily accessible from Paris (less than an hour via the A6 or by train), well-connected to Auxerre, Troyes, and Fontainebleau, it benefits from an active community and a young, family-oriented population. The Salle des Fêtes, spacious and central, provides a warm setting for an event that aims to become the essential gaming destination for the Yonne and the greater Paris area.

Catering is provided on-site (sandwiches, hot dogs, drinks), and the friendly atmosphere that prevails throughout the weekend is unanimously praised by participants. Volunteering is the backbone of the organization: each edition mobilizes numerous volunteers, recruited via the association's networks, who help make this festival a warm and well-oiled event from the start.