The 2026 Angouleme Comics Festival (known as the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême in France) has been canceled after a creator boycott, withdrawal of publisher support, and the loss of public funding, according to France 24. The boycott and withdrawal of support was related to the organizers’ dismissal of a woman who reported being raped at the 2023 event and other accusations of mismanagement.
Half of the festival’s funding has come from public sources. “There can be no festival without authors, and no festival without publishers,” Angouleme mayor Xavier Bonnefont said. “Without them, and without festival-goers, there is simply no festival. And without a festival, there is no public funding. Therefore, we are asking the Comic Festival Association and the organizers to draw the conclusions that this reality imposes.”
The festival has been held every year since 1974 and draws around 200,000 attendees each year. The 2026 event was scheduled for January 29 to February 1.
Source: ICv2
