Helsinki Comics Festival in Itäkeskus on September 19–20, 2026
Collaboration and Internationality Emphasised in the Festival Programme
During the weekend of September 19–20, 2026, Helsinki Comics Festival will take place, this time at Cultural Centre Stoa and Itäkeskus Library. The festival theme “Together” highlights cooperation and collective practices, and the programme includes interviews with prominent guest artists and collectives, panel discussions, lectures, workshops, reading groups, competitions, a mobile game taking place in a cross-world between the virtual and real map of Itäkeskus, and a traditional sales market. Admission is free!
The festival programme will naturally feature numerous interviews with renowned Finnish and international comics creators. There will also be several panel discussions emphasising teamwork and collaboration, aligned with this year’s “Together” theme.
One English-language panel is dedicated to Ukrainian wartime comics. Comics artists from the Latvian Kuš publishing house, which is unveiling myths about the Nordic countries in the Mythbústers anthology, will also discuss their work. Finnish comics artists from Kutikuti collective will talk about their new anthology, Vyöry, in Finnish. The Central Finland Comics Society KESS and Pokuto (Northern Publishing Association) will discuss their activities in Finnish. In the English-language panel, indie publishers – Slovenia’s Stripburger, Germany’s Pure Fruit, and Sweden’s CBK – will share insights into indie comics publishing in English.
Organisers and participating artists of the Sarjakuva 2026 project, taking place this year all around France, will share their experiences in a panel in Finnish. The Finnish Comics Artists’ Association, Sarjakuvantekijät ry, is celebrating its 30th anniversary, which will be commemorated in a dedicated panel in Finnish. Attendees interested in deeper insights into comics sales can attend lectures on the Norwegian comics market or on artist and freelancer tax issues. For the second time, the festival programme will also feature the fun “Comics of My Life” panel in Finnish, where comics professionals will showcase and guess each other’s favourites.
As has been tradition for many years, alongside Helsinki Comics Festival, there will be the self-publishers’ Zine Fest with its own sales booths. During the event, the winners of this year’s Most Heavenly Zine and Most Heavenly Web Comics contests will be announced. This year, Zine Fest participants will also have their own zine-swapping event and meetup.
Festival visitors don’t need to sit patiently the whole time – they can also unleash their creativity in various drawing workshops or at Itäkeskus Library’s manga pin-making workshop! Ivan Kypibida and Yulia Vus will teach comics creation in English and Ukrainian. There will be a dedicated workshop for making comics strips, and Tuuli Hypén will guide how to create mini-comics. In the fun and child-friendly “School of Birds” comics workshop, participants will collaboratively create a bird-themed collaborative artwork. An LGBTQ+ themed comics workshop will be held for queer adults, and there are also several life drawing workshops. The people guiding the Finnish-language workshops can also give you guidance in English.
Visitors can participate in different reading groups: Itäkeskus Library will host a manga reading group, and the Itis Comics Reading Circle will discuss Junji Ito’s Uzumaki series and Beth Hetland’s Tender.
At the traditional Caricature Machine, you can get a drawing of yourself created by a comics artist for a small fee. Festival participants can also bring their own work for evaluation at the portfolio clinic, which requires booking in advance. Comics knowledge enthusiasts can compete in a Kahoot game organised by Itäkeskus Library. Moving around the Itis and Stoa area, visitors can also take part in the comics-themed, browser-based Epic Scape game with their smartphone.
If the crowds become overwhelming, there will be a Silent Room available at Stoa on Saturday, where visitors can recharge in peace.
More information and interview requests
Athanasía Aarniosuo
Artistic Director
athanasia.aarniosuo@sarjakuvaseura.fi
Ella Tahkolahti
Producer
info@sarjakuvafestivaalit.fi
The festival weekend is September 18–20, 2026. Cultural Centre Stoa will be open to the public on Friday from 9:30 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 10:30 am to 7 pm, and Sunday from 10:30 am to 6 pm. The event is free and open to all. The venue is wheelchair accessible. We follow principles of safer space at the event.