One of the globe’s most outstanding events in the world of comics is the Angoulême International Comics Festival, with Barcelona’s comic scene playing a special part this year during the event from 20 January to 2 February. The city will be the guest city in the UNESCO pavilion, along with Quebec.

The exhibition “Barcelona en vinyetes”, curated by the comic critic, editor and scriptwriter Antoni Guiral, will provide the main thread for the programme. The display offers a visual journey around some scenes in the city, such as Gaudí’s buildings and the streets of the Gòtic neighbourhood. These spots, often playing a key role, have been represented by local and international authors in genres ranging from humour to police stories, from the literary genre of costumbrismo to social comics.

The exhibition highlights Barcelona’s connection with the world of illustrated stories, underlining its condition as the cradle for comic work in the Spanish state and the centre of national and international production. Using a historical perspective, it remembers the satirical magazines of the early 20^th century through to more recent works.

Debates, workshops and competitions

Besides the exhibition, Barcelona will be presenting a varied programme of activities that include debates about the influence of comics in the city, creative workshops for people of all ages and even a live drawing contest between artists from Catalonia and Quebec. The authors Jordi Lafebre, Sandra Cardona, Nadia Hafid, Marc Torices, Pep Brocal and Sara Soler will be present at the festival to share their experiences with talks and interactive activities.

Started 50 years ago, the festival offers an extensive programme of activities with the presentation of new material, exhibitions, signing by authors and other events.