My city, Coimbra—Portugal, once again established itself as one of the main hubs of visual culture with the 4th edition of the Comic Festival. It took place last weekend (April 24, 25, and 26) with a more comprehensive program than previous editions, featuring new areas dedicated to pop culture, comic books, and illustration.
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Once again, the Convento de São Francisco cultural center hosted this edition, incorporating the former church of the Convento de São Francisco—thus expanding the exhibition space. The event’s production and programming were handled by GuessTheChoice, while the Coimbra City Council oversaw the organization.
The program was varied and designed for different audiences: exhibitions and book launches, author signing sessions, drawing workshops, a board game area, cosplay contests, film screenings, and a videogame area.
With the participation of more than 60 national and international authors and illustrators, the festival has established itself as a strategic hub for creative collaboration. Notable Portuguese guests included Daniel Maia (who designed the poster), André Carrilho, Luís Louro, Ricardo Cabral, Osvaldo Medina, Raquel Costa, Joana Rosa, João Mascarenhas, Filipe Abranches, André Carrilho, Carina Correia, Duarte and Henrique Gandum, and Kachisou, among others. International artists: Ángel de la Calle, Marcello Quintanilha, Pierre-François Radice, and Anna Poszepczyńska.
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The festival poster was designed by Daniel Maia, a comic book author, illustrator, editor, educator, and researcher with over 30 years of experience in the field. Throughout his career, he has won a dozen Portuguese comic book awards and also gained international recognition by winning Marvel Comics’ global talent search, ChesterQuest (2009). Among his works are titles such as CoBrA: Operation Goa, O Infante Portugal in Universos Reunidos, The Boy in the Bot vol. 1, and Apparition Metempsychosis: Book One.
The Artists’ Alley area continued to be a major highlight, with dozens of artists showcasing their work and talent, as well as a space dedicated to publishers featuring comic books and literature—both the latest releases and great classics—and merchandising stores offering a wide variety of pop culture products featuring characters and titles known to all.
Cosplay was the big highlight of this 4th edition, marking the first time in Portugal that a qualifier was held for one of the largest international competitions, the Cosplay Central Crown Championships.
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This qualifier selected the cosplayer who will represent Portugal in the grand final in May at MCM London. In addition to this qualifier, the event also featured the traditional contest open to anyone who wanted to participate and was attended by some of the country’s top cosplayers, who were available for meet-and-greets, panels, and workshops.
Several exhibitions added further points of interest, such as “Butterfly Chronicles” by João Mascarenhas, “Dystopias and Metamorphoses: The Illustrated Classics” by André Carrilho, “Rattlesnake” by João Amaral, and “Kachisou: Between Comics and Illustration,” by manga artist Kachisou, who was present at the festival.
In an area dedicated to gaming featuring consoles, virtual reality, PC gaming, and retrogaming, gaming fans tried out titles such as “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Lorcana Winterspell,” “Azul Duel,” and “Scrabble,” with demonstrations, panels, and tournaments.
The Coimbra BD Comic Festival is much more than just an event on the city’s cultural calendar; it’s the place where the community comes together. Here, comic book creators and fans come together amid watercolors, video game controllers, conversations about art, books, exhibitions, and cinema. By blending illustration with the world of gaming, the festival brings the city to life and shows the world that Coimbra is, in its own right, a must-visit destination for anyone who loves comics and pop culture.
This community is looking for evidence that the festival actually exists. So, here are the links that verify the authenticity of my post:
Organizer: Coimbra City Council
Production and Programming: GuessTheChoice
Event social media: Instagram
