The countdown is on for a new edition of the International Festival de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême 2025 (FIBD), one of the most important events in the world of comics worldwide. It will be held between 30 January and 2 February, and Barcelona’s comic will play a special role, as the Catalan capital, along with Quebec, is the guest of honour at this year’s UNESCO Pavilion. The invitation, which will bring the work of the city’s authors closer to a very specialised public, comes within the framework of the UNESCO Network of Cities of Literature: both Barcelona and Angoulême are part of it.

The exhibition ‘Barcelona in vinyetes’ will be the central axis of Barcelona’s presence. The exhibition proposes a visual journey through different scenes of the city, such as Gaudí’s buildings and the streets of Barri Gòtic. These locations, often with a leading role, have been represented by local and international authors in genres ranging from humour to detective stories, from costumbrismo to social comics.

The exhibition highlights Barcelona’s relationship with the world of comics, emphasising its status as the cradle of comic in Spain and a centre of national and international production. With a historical perspective, it looks back at the satirical magazines from the beginning of the 20th century to recent works.

Debates, workshops and competitions

In addition to the exhibition, Barcelona will present a varied programme of activities, including debates on the influence of comics in the city, creative workshops for all ages and even a live drawing competition between Catalan and Quebecois artists. The authors Jordi Lafebre, Sandra Cardona, Nadia Hafid, Marc Torices, Pep Brocal and Sara Soler will be present in Angoulême to share their experience in lectures and interactive activities. The selection of these artists has been a joint effort between ICUB, Consorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona, FICOMIC and Institut Ramon Llull. Given the wealth and importance of the names that make up the Barcelona comic sector, and the impossibility of being limited to half a dozen names, priority has been given to authors with works recently published in France by leading Franco-Belgian publishers, which should showcase the high quality of the comics produced in Barcelona and Catalonia.

FIBD, which was founded half a century ago (on 25 January 1974) and which in recent years has attracted around 200,000 visitors per year, offers an extensive programme of activities with presentations of new products, exhibitions, signings and other proposals. You can find all the details of the programme on the official website.

More information, here.