Overview
- After a mass author boycott, the 2026 Angoulême comics festival was canceled and replaced by a free, decentralized Grand Off running January 29 to February 1.
- Organizers of the Grand Off plan roughly 200 events across about 60 venues, with artists noting greater proximity to the public and acknowledging attendance will be below the festival’s usual 200,000 visitors.
- 9e Art+ and the historic Association FIBD say they will file suit in the Angoulême court within days, alleging unfair competition and parasitism by the ADBDA.
- The ADBDA has opened an open call to select a new organizer for a redesigned event from 2027, with applications due March 12 and a mandate to represent public funders, authors, and publishers.
- Criticism of 9e Art+—including rising costs, commercial drift, and the ‘Chloé’ sexual-violence affair—galvanized a largely women-led mobilization, while local institutions rallied to deliver the Grand Off as a values-driven alternative.