Turning an Urban Arts Festival into a Tourist Attraction

The Plein Champ urban arts festival in Le Mans is a major event. How can the festival’s artworks be showcased and integrated into Le Mans’s tourist experience in a sustainable way? The City of Le Mans, the Le Mans Métropole Tourism Office, and the festival wanted to turn the art trail into a true cultural itinerary—accessible to all and enriched with an educational and immersive dimension.

Interactive urban tours to explore the city in a new way

With MySmartJourney, three tours were created around the festival’s murals, exhibitions, and cultural events, two of which are already open to the public:

• Downtown (45 min on foot or by bike), featuring artworks, shops, and historic landmarks.
• Gué-de-Maulny (6 km), at the heart of the festival, between the train station, the towpath, and industrial brownfields.

Each route is accessible via an interactive map featuring additional content: artist interviews, information on the murals, partner businesses, rest stops, and more. A hybrid cultural and tourism project designed to help visitors (re)discover Le Mans through urban art.