Unveilling of the Program for the 15th Edition of the Montreal Comic Arts Festival
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) is proud to announce the programming for its 15th edition, taking place from May 15 to 17, 2026, on Saint-Denis Street, which will be pedestrianized for the occasion between Gilford and Roy.
Presented in collaboration with the SDC Rue Saint-Denis and Télé-Québec, The 15th edition of MCAF offers a packed lineup of over 60 completely free activities under the theme ALIVE! A record number f over 350 artists and 190 exhibitors are expected to gather under its tents.
Quebec Comic Arts in the Spotlight
For this anniversary edition, the Festival team wanted to highlight Quebec comics. This will be an opportunity to reflect on how far local comics have come and to celebrate the creators behind them. Many of them will be featured in the program, such as Arizona O’Neill, Jay Odjick, Jimmy Suzan and Shaghayegh Moazzami.
At the heart of this celebration, visitors can also explore the exhibition Confluence: The World(s) of Contemporary Comics from Quebec which explores the influences that have shaped it through the works of 24 prominent comic book artists. Guided tours led by curator François Vigneault are scheduled.
The exhibition, produced by MCAF with support from the CALQ and SODEC, will first be presented as part of the Quebec spotlight at the 20th edition of the BDFIL Festival in Lausanne from April 7 to May 10, 2026. The Montreal edition is presented with support from Copibec and the Planète BD bookstore.
A Completely Free Program
Télé-Québec’s La Fab à dessin presents drawn Interviews, offering insights into the inspiration and creative process of artists such as Boulet, Derek Laufman and Sophie Escabasse. Drawn conversations will also provide an opportunity to explore themes shared by two comic book creators, such as Mythologie & Heritage with Hugo Canuto and Aish Anwar.
Panels, presented by La Presse, always spark lively discussions among comic book creators. The program will include, among other things, Grief, Sorrow, and Healing: Keeping the Memories Alive with Vivi Doodle, Arizona O’Neill and Alex Nem; Superheroes Forever: Messing with the Archetype with Michael Cho, Jay Odjick and Sweeney Boo or Short & Sweet: The Power of Anthologies with Michael DeForge, Shea Proulx and Joe Ollmann.
There will also be several creative workshops for all ages. Visitors can create zines with Georgina Chadderton, learn to draw frogs with Paige Walsh or cats with Art by Tuna or take part in sessions where music and comics intersect, courtesy of Jeunesses Musicales Canada.
This year, the Caisse Desjardins du Plateau–Mont-Royal will host live drawing animations, such as a character battle between Andreas Schuster and ADHDinos and an improvised comic strip created by Tri Vuong and Peter Ricq, as well as a live reading by the duo Elizabeth Pich and Jonathan Kunz, known for the series War and Peas.
MCAF will present a retrospective of Festival posters from the past 15 years, an exhibition by Julie Rocheleau at Quai des Brumes, and Du sang sur la neige, an exhibition based on the documentary graphic novel of the same name by Jacques Poirier and Christian Quesnel.
Télé-Québec’s Creation tent will host free drawing, as well as creative and coloring activities inspired by the series Guiby super bébé and MTL MAN.
And as always, MCAF will be the perfect opportunity for fans to meet their favorite creators during hundreds of hours of signings, featuring guests like Aniss El Haouri, Danilo Beyruth, E.M. Carroll, Marjolaine Perreten or Maria Scrivan alongside self-published artists who will run their own tables all weekend.
Bringing Together the Professional Community
On Thursday, as part of the Festival, MCAF is offering a free professional program. A delegation of industry professionals from Europe and Canada will be invited to a roundtable discussion on the current landscape of Quebec comics. Comic book creators will be invited to a master class with Boulet, presented by Copibec, as well as a discussion on the state of the North American industry. Montreal librarians will take advantage of the Festival to discuss comics and discover the finalists for the Bédélys Québec and Youth Québec awards during roundtable discussions. Finally, the day will conclude with the opening night and Bédélys awards ceremony, which will be held at Ausgang Plaza this year.
School Programming
Once again this year, MCAF will host the BD POP! online school day, thanks to librarians from the CSSDM, CSSMB, and CSSPI, as well as École en réseau. On Friday, May 15, four free activities will be offered in French to all schools in Quebec for students from preschool through high school.
May, Comic Arts Month
For the past ten years, MCAF has been delighted to partner with the Bibliothèques de Montréal to celebrate comics across the island throughout the month of May! For this year’s event, the theme of the library activities will be “the night.” Here are a few activities to look forward to:
- Exhibition of the finalists for the 27th Bédélys Awards at Esplanade Tranquille, featuring a wide selection of comics available for free browsing
- Crossover Comics Book Club at Mix’Heure
- Exhibition and vernissage of Ben Tardif at Paperole
- Exhibition by Michel Hellman Là où on se retrouve, where we all gather – récits illustrés de Peter-McGill at the Sanaaq Center
- Reading Gathering to celebrate the 15th anniversary of MCAF at La Fontaine Park
Find even more activities by checking out MCAF’s Comic Arts Calendar.
A Spring Season Favorite
From Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 17, Rue Saint-Denis will also be ALIVE! With the support of the SDC Rue Saint-Denis and its merchant members, the Montreal Comic Arts Festival will close this legendary street for 1.2 km, much to the delight of the public. For this 15th edition, more than 100,000 people are expected to come celebrate comics and the talent of the artists.
Easily accessible via the Laurier, Mont-Royal, and Sherbrooke metro stations, the Festival encourages visitors to use public transit and bicycles. Please note that the REV will be rerouted via Henri-Julien Street from May 13 to 18 for safety reasons.ted to celebrate comics and the talent of their creators.
About MCAF
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) is an organisation dedicated to promoting comic books. Every year, it organises the Festival of the same name, where artists, publishers, curious minds and comic books enthusiasts gather to celebrate the 9th art. This unmissable comic book event attracted over 90,000 people in 2025, with more than 22,000 books sold.
The 15ᵗʰ edition of MCAF, presented in collaboration with SDC Rue Saint-Denis and Télé-Québec, will take place from May 15 to 17, 2026, pedestrianised section of Saint-Denis Street, between Gilford and Roy. A record number of over 190 exhibitors and 350 comic book creators from here and abroad are expected to attend, and the event will feature a completely free program.
For more information, visit fbdm-mcaf.ca/en | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
The 15th Montreal Comic Arts Festival is presented in collaboration with the SDC Rue Saint-Denis and Télé-Québec.
The Festival would like to thank its major partners for their valuable collaboration: SODEC, Ministère du Tourisme, Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Service de la culture de la Ville de Montréal, Conseil des arts de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, Plateau–Mont-Royal borough, Caisse Desjardins du Plateau-Mont-Royal, La Presse, Librairie Planète BD and Copibec.
