The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival is a free event showcasing comics, Japanese anime and various other forms of comic-related art and illustrations.
It’s a free event that takes place at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown in May each year.
COMIC EVENT AT THE PNE
If you like comics, another great event you’ll want to check out is the Vancouver Comic & Toy Show which happens at the PNE Forum earlier in the spring. In 2023 it takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of April 1st & 2nd in 2023. For full details visit the canadiancomics.net website.
The Comic Arts Festival at the Roundhouse
In 2022 the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival took place on the Saturday and Sunday of May 21st and 22nd (which was on the Victoria Day Long Weekend). The event ran from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm both days. In 2023 the event happens on May 20th and 21st.
At the event there are dozens of tables full of art, cards, posters, books, comics, and other items related to comics, anime and popular culture. There are also workshops, panel discussions, author book-signing opportunities and lots of people.
The festival started in 2012. Since that time it has grown into a fair-sized event. In 2019, the last year it took place before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event featured over 250 exhibitors and more than 11,500 people attended. 2022 was likely just as busy, if not more so.
During the peak years of the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, the festival took place in a virtual format where activities and things to see happened online. In 2022, the festival returned as a live, in-person event.
Other Information
To learn more about the event visit the vancaf.org website.
For information about the venue, see our article about the Roundhouse Community Centre.
Other events that you might be interested in at other times of the year include the following:
- Fan Expo Vancouver – a Comic-Con-style convention showcasing superheroes, comics and Japanese anime (usually in February).
- Vancouver Comic & Toy Show – a trade show about superheroes, comic books and related art and toys (usually in February, but sometimes in a different month instead).
- Vancouver Halloween Expo – a trade show with a bit of an anime theme (in October).
- Sakura Days Japan Fair – a spring festival that celebrates cherry blossom season and Japanese culture (at VanDusen Garden in early April). At the event there are usually at least a few people dressed in Japanese anime costumes.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Lower Mainland Festivals and Events
- Vancouver’s May Calendar of Events
- Free Vancouver Events in May
- Vancouver on the Victoria Day Long Weekend
