Festival of Illustration and Comics of the Pays d'Ancenis

A festival rooted in the Pays d'Ancenis since 2012

The adventure began in 2011 within the St Thomas d'Aquin Private Vocational High School in Ancenis, when the association Illustr'Loire was founded with the ambition of bringing together the talents of students and adults around an innovative educational project. In October 2012, Illustr'Loire organized the very first Festival of Illustration and Comics in Ancenis, with the illustrator Brucero as guest of honor. Two more editions followed, in October 2014 and October 2016, before the association was dissolved following the departure of the teaching team behind the project.

The rebirth with Ancenis BD

Convinced that the event could continue in another form, Yann Le Brun, founder and former teacher at the high school, created a new association in April 2018 called Ancenis BD. The festival was reborn under the name "Festival de l'Illustration et de la BD du Pays d'Ancenis" on the last weekend of March 2019, with Patrick Prugne as guest of honor. Since then, the event has taken place every year at the same time, establishing itself as a must-attend event for the 9th art in the Loire-Atlantique department.

A rich and diverse program

Each year, the festival brings together about forty authors, illustrators, and cartoonists as well as about thirty exhibitors (publishers, booksellers, artisans). The program includes:

• Signing sessions with the authors present throughout the weekend
• Exhibitions showcasing the worlds of the guests of honor and the works from the amateur drawing contest "Rêves de planètes"
• Workshops and demonstrations of drawing for all audiences
• A cosplay contest that livens up both days of the festival
• The BD Prize of the Pays d'Ancenis, awarded in partnership with the Biblio'fil library network
• A drawing contest open to all with a theme renewed each year
• A charity auction for the benefit of local associations such as Les P'tits Doudous of the Ancenis hospital

Progressive diversification

Initially focused on comics and illustration, the festival diversified starting in 2022 with the addition of a manga section, then in 2023 with the addition of a comics section, welcoming over 50 authors. This opening allows it to reach an ever-wider audience, from fans of Franco-Belgian comics to enthusiasts of manga and comics.

Year-round activities

Beyond the festival weekend, the Ancenis BD association and the Biblio'fil library network organize activities throughout the year in the libraries of the Pays d'Ancenis: author meetings, "Let's Talk Comics" reading clubs, traveling exhibitions, and drawing workshops. The BD Prize of the Pays d'Ancenis is prepared in advance during these regular events.