Le Rayon Vert Comic Festival
Comic and Imaginary Worlds Festival in Thionville
About Le Rayon Vert
Comics at the Heart of Thionville
The Le Rayon Vert Comic Festival was born from the passion of the teams at the Centre Saint Michel in Thionville for comics and imaginary universes. Since its creation, the festival has grown and attracted an ever-larger audience, making Thionville a must-visit event for comic book lovers in Lorraine and the Grand Est region.
Authors Meeting the Public
Each edition hosts dozens of comic authors, illustrators, scriptwriters, and colorists who come to sign their works and interact with readers. The festival highlights both established authors and emerging young talents, offering a valuable showcase for the diversity of French-language comic creation.
Exhibitions and Thematic Universes
Each edition of Le Rayon Vert revolves around a specific theme related to imaginary worlds. The 2025 edition explored the universe of cyberpunk, while previous editions have covered fantasy, science fiction, and other genres. Original exhibitions of illustrations and original artwork are presented in the festival spaces, immersing visitors in the heart of imaginary worlds.
Activities for All Ages
Le Rayon Vert offers a rich program of activities: drawing and comic creation workshops for children and adults, illustration technique demonstrations, conferences on the history of comics, animated film screenings, and drawing contests. Board games and free reading areas complete the offerings for families.
A Free and Open Festival for All
Admission to the festival is completely free, in line with the organizers' desire to make culture accessible to as many people as possible. This free admission contributes to the popular success of the event, which attracts thousands of visitors of all ages and backgrounds each year.
A New Venue for 2026
The 2026 edition of Le Rayon Vert marks an important step in the festival's history with a move to the courtyard of the Château de Volkrange, offering a heritage and bucolic setting to welcome authors and the public. This new venue will allow the festival to expand in a larger and more open space.
Le Rayon Vert — edition 2026
The 14th edition of the Festival BD Le Rayon Vert was held on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, 2026 in the courtyard of the Château de Volkrange in Thionville. This edition was themed around fear and anxiety, bringing together some forty comic strip authors and illustrators for signing sessions, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and a cosplay contest — all with free admission.
14th Edition — May 2 and 3, 2026, new location in Volkrange
For its 2026 edition, the Festival BD Le Rayon Vert made a significant move: after several years at Centre Saint Michel, the event took over the courtyard of Château de Volkrange (Domaine Bompard, rue du Donjon), a few minutes from the center of Thionville. This heritage and bucolic setting offered a larger space to welcome authors and the public over two days.
2026 Theme: Fear and Anxiety
Each edition of Le Rayon Vert revolves around a theme related to imaginary worlds. For 2026, the organizing team (Centre Saint Michel) chose to explore fear and anxiety in comic strips and imaginary literatures — horror, fantasy, graphic thrills. The theme guided the selection of invited authors, conferences, and several satellite activities.
Around forty authors for signing sessions
As every year, the festival brought together around forty authors of comic strips, illustrators, scriptwriters, and colorists, from all backgrounds (Franco-Belgian, comics, manga, graphic novel). Among the announced guests: Stéphane Créty, Frédéric Pham Chuong, Rurik Sallé (Neige de Sang), Jérémie Gasparutto (Le Chemin derrière la maison), Anne Masse, as well as members of the Phylactères association. Signing sessions were held on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.
Conferences, quizzes, and activities
The 2026 program notably featured a conference « La peur au pays du soleil levant » (Fear in the Land of the Rising Sun) led by Rurik Sallé on Saturday at 3 PM, a presentation on « L'horreur dans les comics » (Horror in Comics) on Sunday at 3 PM, and two horror film quizzes (Saturday and Sunday). The traditional cosplay contest concluded the event on Sunday at 2 PM.
A free and family-friendly festival
As since its creation, admission was entirely free, in accordance with Centre Saint Michel's desire to make comic book culture accessible to all. Children's workshops, exhibitions, free reading areas, and on-site catering completed the offer for families.
Programme Le Rayon Vert 2026
Saturday, May 2, 2026 — 12 PM to 11:59 PM
- 12 PM — Festival opening · public reception
- 2 PM - 6:30 PM — Signing sessions with the forty invited authors
- 3 PM — Conference « La peur au pays du soleil levant » (Fear in the Land of the Rising Sun) with Rurik Sallé (author of Neige de Sang)
- 4 PM — Horror film quiz with prizes to win
- Children's workshops, exhibitions, reading area, on-site catering throughout the day
Sunday, May 3, 2026 — 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM
- 9:30 AM — Festival opening
- 10 AM - 6:30 PM — Signing sessions (continued)
- 1 PM — Horror film quiz (2nd session)
- 2 PM — Cosplay contest on the theme of the imaginary
- 3 PM — Conference « L'horreur dans les comics » (Horror in Comics) with a selection of recommended readings
- Children's workshops, exhibitions, performances, on-site catering throughout the day
Invited Authors (excerpt, ~40 total)
- Stéphane Créty · Franco-Belgian comic strip artist
- Frédéric Pham Chuong · scriptwriter and artist
- Rurik Sallé · author of Neige de Sang
- Jérémie Gasparutto · author of Le Chemin derrière la maison
- Anne Masse · author and illustrator
- Members of the Phylactères association
- And about thirty other authors (full program on festivalbd-rayonvert.fr)
Program from official sources: festivalbd-rayonvert.fr, mdcu-comics.fr, supermiro.fr.
Highlights Le Rayon Vert 2026
- 14th edition of the festival, first edition in the courtyard of Château de Volkrange
- 2026 Theme: fear and anxiety in comics and imaginary worlds
- Around forty authors for signing sessions (Franco-Belgian comics, comics, manga, graphic novel)
- Thematic conferences with Rurik Sallé and on horror in comics
- Traditional cosplay contest on Sunday afternoon
- Free admission, activities for the whole family
Prices Le Rayon Vert 2026
Practical information — Le Rayon Vert
Access
Thionville is located 30 km north of Metz, near the Luxembourgish and German borders.
- By Car: From Metz, take the A31 towards Luxembourg, exit Thionville (approx. 30 minutes). Free parking nearby.
- By Train: Thionville station on the Metz-Luxembourg TER line (15 minutes from Metz).
Venue
2025: Centre Saint Michel, Thionville.
2026: Courtyard of Château de Volkrange, Thionville.
Hours
Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Prices
Free admission.
Contact
Centre Saint Michel
Website: www.festivalbd-rayonvert.fr
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Where does it take place — Le Rayon Vert
Cour du Château de Volkrange
Domaine Bompard, rue du Donjon, 57100 Thionville, 57100 Thionville