Lucca Comics & Games 2026

Lucca Comics & Games is Europe's largest festival of comics, games and pop culture, and in 2026 it celebrates its 60th edition. From 28 October to 1 November 2026, the medieval walled city of Lucca in Tuscany becomes one huge venue: exhibition halls in historic palaces, publisher pavilions in the squares, signing tables, concerts, cosplay and talks with some of the most influential artists in comics, manga and video games.

The theme of the anniversary edition is "Legacy", a look back at six decades of stories and the people who made them. The programme was presented at the Uffizi in Florence, and the festival has the patronage of the European Commission.

About Lucca Comics & Games

The festival began in 1966 as a small international comics salon and grew, edition by edition, into an event that now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each autumn. It is organised by Lucca Crea, a company owned by the city. What makes Lucca Comics unusual is its setting: instead of a convention centre, the festival spreads across the streets, ramparts and buildings of the old town, so a day's visit means walking from a manga pavilion to a Renaissance palace hosting an original art exhibition.

The official poster for 2026 is a "meta-poster" by Italian illustrator Claudio Castellini, known for his work on Marvel and DC titles and on Dylan Dog. A variant cover was drawn by ten-year-old Louise Stéphant, a nod to the next generation of readers.

What to Expect

• Comics and manga guests: Go Nagai, creator of Mazinger Z and Devilman; Tōru Fujisawa of Great Teacher Onizuka; Frank Miller; Jonathan Hickman; Peach Momoko; Paco Roca; Seth; Boum; and Chang Sheng
• Games guests: Yoshinori Kitase of Final Fantasy as Guest of Honour, and Hideki Kamiya, director of Bayonetta and Ōkami (29–30 October)
• Music: composer Yōko Kanno, known for Cowboy Bebop, on 31 October and 1 November
• Exhibitions: Masterstrokes, a Castellini retrospective at the Fondazione Banca del Monte; a floor of Palazzo Guinigi dedicated to the festival's legacy, designed with POLI.design; Lucky Luke at 80; and Time Capsule by Tillie Walden
• Games and collectibles: the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, the first POP MART presence at the festival and a Bandai card games pavilion
• Movie Area: previews, screenings and panels from film and streaming studios

2026 Programme

The festival runs for five days, Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, which includes the Italian public holiday on 1 November. Each area has its own timetable: publisher pavilions and exhibitions open in the morning and close in the evening, while signings and talks need a separate free booking or a queue ticket, often released on the festival app. Guest appearances are listed day by day on the official site, and some, such as Kamiya and Kanno, are only in Lucca on certain dates, so check the schedule before choosing your ticket.

For illustrators, the exhibitions are the heart of the programme. Original pages, sketches and process work are shown in palaces around the old town, and many are free to enter with a festival ticket. The self-publishing and artists' areas are a good place to meet emerging Italian and international creators and to buy prints and zines directly from them.

Who Is It For?

• Comic artists and illustrators who want to see original art and meet professionals
• Manga and anime fans, with major Japanese guests in the anniversary year
• Game designers and players interested in video, board and card games
• Students looking for inspiration, portfolio contacts and publishers
• Families: younger children enter free with an adult

Tickets

Tickets are sold online through TicketOne, the festival's official ticketing partner. There are daily tickets and 2-day and 3-day passes, and a premium "Level Up" pass covering all five days with extra services, priced at €592.50. Children born on or after 1 January 2017 enter free with a paying adult. To keep the old town safe, entries are capped at 80,000 per day, and the busiest days, usually the weekend and the holiday, can sell out, so book early.

A Lucca Comics ticket gives access to the paid areas: pavilions and most exhibitions. Many street events, shops and squares inside the walls can be visited without one.

Tips for Illustrators and Comic Artists

If you draw comics or illustrate for a living, Lucca is as much a work trip as a fan event. Italian publishers such as Sergio Bonelli Editore, Panini and BAO Publishing have large stands, and some hold portfolio reviews during the festival; the times and booking rules are announced on their own channels shortly before the opening, so follow the publishers you are interested in. Bring a small printed portfolio, ten to fifteen of your strongest pages, and business cards or postcards with a link to your online work.

The festival also runs its own talent programmes, such as the Lucca Project Contest for unpublished comic projects, and the self-publishing spaces where new creators sell their books. Walking these areas is the fastest way to see what young European cartoonists are doing right now.

Finally, give yourself time for the exhibitions. Seeing original pages up close, with the corrections, pencil lines and white-out visible, teaches more about the craft than any tutorial. Plan at least half a day for them, ideally on a weekday morning, when the palaces are quieter.

Things to Know

• Getting there: Lucca is about 20 minutes by train from Pisa and 80 minutes from Florence; trains and shuttle buses are very busy during the festival, so allow extra time.
• Accommodation: hotels in Lucca fill up a year ahead; many visitors stay in Pisa, Viareggio or Florence and commute.
• Wristbands: you exchange your ticket for a wristband; keep it on for the whole day.
• Weather: late October in Tuscany can be rainy, and queues are outdoors, so bring a raincoat.
• Cosplay: costumes are welcome, but check the rules on props and replica weapons before you travel.

Attend Lucca Comics & Games 2026

Planning a visit?

Visit Lucca Comics & Games

The full guest list, maps, timetables and ticket links are on the official Lucca Comics & Games website.

Looking for more to see? Browse all events, festivals and exhibitions on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 19, 2026