Belgian Comics Now: LICAF Brings the Best of Belgian Comic Art to the Lake District

Belgian Comics Now is the headline programme for this year's Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), taking place this October. This is a major new cultural partnership, launching a spectacular, multi-layered celebration of contemporary comics.

The initiative is supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI). They promote the trade and culture of French-speaking Belgium. It was curated with the Comic Art Museum in Brussels and marks a significant step up in international collaboration for LICAF.

Belgium is widely recognised as one of the world's leading producers of comic art. Its global reputation was built by legends such as Hergé, creator of Tintin, and Peyo, creator of The Smurfs. A new wave of Belgian artists is now carrying that tradition forward - and they are all heading to LICAF this autumn.

WBI has previously supported creator attendance at LICAF and backed the inaugural International Comics Exchange (ICEX) meeting in 2023. Its 2026 involvement goes further. Belgian Comics Now is built around three major strands: creator events, a landmark exhibition, and an industry rights market.

Five Major Creators Join the Main Festival Line-up

WBI is funding the attendance of five of Belgium's most exciting and diverse contemporary comic creators. Festival-goers will have the chance to see, meet, and learn from:

• Leonie Bischoff (Award-winning creator of Anaïs Nin: Sea of Lies)
• Nina Six (Celebrated for her evocative graphic novels such as Mousse, Pissenlit and La Sorcière de Londres)
• Nicolas Pitz (Acclaimed for Jusqu'Ici tout va bien, Les Vous, La Dent)
• Joanna Lorho (Renowned for her striking, poetic visual storytelling in A Travers La Nuit in)
• Mobidic (Known for lush, atmospheric fantasy and nature-driven narratives such as Roi Ours)

A Landmark Exhibition at Abbot Hall Gallery

In a major festival highlight, WBI and the CBBD are bringing a world-class exhibition of contemporary Belgian comic art to Kendal's premier art venue, the Abbot Hall Gallery.

Curated by the Belgian Comic Strip Museum, 'Landscapes of Contemporary Belgian Comics' runs across the festival weekend. It showcases an exceptional range of modern Belgian artists, including the five attending creators. Curators are creator Mobidic and publisher Nathalie Van Campenhoudt.

Driving Industry Growth

WBI is also funding five leading Belgian comic book publishers to attend LICAF:

• Casterman (Nathalie Van Campenhoudt)
• Dargaud (Valérie Beniest)
• En 3000 (Romane Armand)
• Fremok (Thierry Van Hasselt)
• L'Employé du moi (Sacha Goerg)

Across the festival weekend, these publishers will participate in a structured International Rights Market. They'll be engaging in one-to-one B2B meetings with ten prominent UK publishers to buy and sell translation and publication rights.

Motonobu Kasajima, CEO of Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI), said:
"Wallonie-Bruxelles International is proud to enhance our involvement with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival through this unprecedented partnership. Belgium has a legendary comic heritage, but 'Belgian Comics Now' is firmly focused on the present and the future. By supporting this vibrant delegation of creators and publishers, we are not only showcasing the incredible diversity of our contemporary comic talent to UK audiences, but also building tangible, long-term commercial and cultural bridges between our two publishing industries."

Isabelle Debekker, Director of the Comic Art Museum in Brussels, said:
"LICAF has become one of Europe's most exciting meeting places for comics. We are therefore thrilled to bring a strong Belgian delegation of authors and publishers to Kendal, together with an exhibition curated by Mobidic and Nathalie Van Campenhoudt that celebrates the richness and diversity of our contemporary scene. We look forward to sharing stories, creating new connections and building lasting collaborations between our comics communities."

Julie Tait, Director of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), added:
"Belgium is the historical beating heart of European comics, but its contemporary scene is incredibly innovative, diverse, and vibrant. We are absolutely thrilled that Wallonie-Bruxelles International approached us for this major partnership. By combining a stellar line-up of creators, a world-class exhibition curated by the Belgian Comic Strip Museum, and a dedicated industry rights market, 'Belgian Comics Now' is going to be an unforgettable, transformative highlight of this year's festival."

Further details on specific panel times, exhibition hours, and festival ticketing will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, visit https://licaf.co.uk/