Lyon BD Festival

2023 event

The comic book season stretches from May to August so there’s always plenty going on! To start with, let’s take a closer look at 6 exhibitions to check out as you explore the city. The Goethe Institut is getting the ball rolling in early May with the latest comics from Malwine Strauss and Max Baitinger in which each author shares their vision of the world, wavering between absurdity, fear and hope (5 May-31 August). From 30 May to 24 June, Fnac Bellecour will be exhibiting previously-unseen drawings by Emmanuel Lemaire, sketched during his journey through Indonesia. In the Parc de la Tête d'Or zoo, follow the comic-book adventures of Deborah, a trainee vet, as she discovers extinct and endangered species (1 to 30 June). The Italian Cultural Institute will be paying tribute to the Italian writer Italo Calvino by exhibiting more than sixty illustrated panels from 8 to 30 June. Francheville media library will be hosting a major retrospective on the work of Alfred, a major figure in the comic book world. Finally, the Maison de l’Architecture will be exhibiting works by 5 artists selected via the 2022 call for projects on the theme of “Living together”.

The weekend of 9 to 11 June will be the highlight of this season. Between “museum visits” for “museum drawing” sessions, and bookshop tours featuring over twenty stores that have joined forces to celebrate comic books by hosting your favourite authors, you might not even get the chance to finish your latest comic! Keep your diary clear on Saturday 10 June at 3 p.m. for the "Dessine-moi une impro" (i.e., draw me an improv) show at Théâtre Comédie Odéon. You’ll see how 4 actors, 2 artists and a presenter find their feet on stage in a 100%-improvised show.
A number of masterclasses and Q&As are scheduled: Friday at 11 a.m. with Alfred, 2 p.m. with Stéphanie Le Cam at Lyon city hall, then Saturday at Théâtre Comédie Odéon to retrace the works of Alberto Breccia.

Collège Graphique, Lyon’s new comic book stronghold (and the festival’s H.Q.), will be THE place to be on Sunday 11 for the Battle BD, BD Bagarre, youth workshop, and pop-up bookshop events.

What about pro days? They will exceptionally be held in autumn 2023.

Lyon, city of bubbles

The Lyon BD comic book festival was first organised in Lyon back in 2006. Firstly up on the Croix-Rousse plateau for just a few insiders. Like pioneers Olivier and Jérôme Jouvray, Lyon-based comic book authors who attended this event from day 1. Olivier Jouvray is well known as a founding member of La Revue Dessinée. And Jérôme draws and creates - as a team with his brother (storyline) and his wife, Anne-Claire (colouring) - the successful series Lincoln, which now counts 8 volumes and has sold 200,000 copies.

Over the years, bubbles have taken over the whole city and the festival has built its fanbase. Today, this event, which is recognised all across France, welcomes around 300 authors and some 80,000 visitors. From Lyon Opera House to Place Bellecour, from Théâtre des Célestins to Musée des Confluences, exhibitions, workshops, Q&As, and events will fill these two days dedicated to comic books. 

Number 1 in Europe

Since January 2023, Collège Graphique has been Lyon’s new comic book stronghold. Set up in Collège Truffaut’s former gymnasium in the 1st district, the 500m² site now hosts artists in residence, non-profit organisations, and collectives working to spread “comic book culture” all year round. It is now the leading European centre focused on the 9th art aiming, among other initiatives, to organise workshops, Q&As, exhibitions, etc. to bring together local residents and artists.

The In & Off BD Festival

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Pénélope Bagieu, Riad Sattouf, Zep, Mathieu Sapin, Frank Pé, Florence Cestac, Benjamin Flao and many other big names were in Lyon for the comic book festival. Every year, the festival serves up fresh surprises and invites major figures from the world of comic books to Lyon to exhibit their work.

On top of the 2023 event featuring a season of comic book events from May to August, Lyon BD Festival generally also includes an In version: two consecutive days where die-hard fans and curious amateurs get to meet their favourite authors, publishers and specialist bookshops. Then over the whole of June the Festival Off takes over, putting on workshops, shows, screenings, events, Q&As and exhibitions all across the city to celebrate comic books.