Quick Quest Brief: Lucca Comics & Games is Europe's biggest comics and games festival, and it takes over an entire walled Tuscan city. The 60th-anniversary edition runs October 28 to November 1, 2026. This guide covers the guests, the ticket system, the tabletop scene, getting there and how to survive five days of cobblestones.
A Whole City Turned Into a Convention
Most conventions happen inside a hall. Lucca Comics & Games happens inside a city. Every autumn the walled Tuscan town of Lucca, home to roughly 90,000 people, hands its piazzas, palazzos and city walls to comics, tabletop and video games, anime and cosplay. The organizers reported more than 280,000 tickets sold in 2025, with 730 exhibitors, over 900 guests and around 1,500 events. The all-time ticket record is 319,926, set in 2022.
The festival has deep roots. It began in 1965 as the Salone Internazionale dei Fumetti in Bordighera, moved to Lucca in 1966, and grew into the Lucca Comics & Games of today. This year it marks its 60th anniversary under the theme "Legacy."
📅 Event page: See full details for Lucca Comics & Games
When & Where
Lucca Comics & Games 2026 runs Wednesday, October 28 to Sunday, November 1 in Lucca's historic center. Several exhibitions open earlier, with the exhibition programme starting on October 3.
There is no single venue. Piazza Napoleone hosts the large comics pavilion under one big tent, Piazza del Giglio is home to collecting, galleries and artist stands, and a record ten single-theme pavilions fill other squares and stretches of the city walls. Exhibitions are staged in real historic buildings, such as the Lucky Luke 80th-anniversary show at Palazzo Guinigi.
Who's Coming in 2026
The anniversary programme is heavy on legends:
- Games: Final Fantasy VII producer Yoshinori Kitase is Guest of Honour, and Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta) appears on October 29 and 30.
- Music: Yoko Kanno, composer of Cowboy Bebop, makes her first Italian appearance on October 31 and November 1.
- Comics: Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City), Paco Roca (Wrinkles) and Tillie Walden, plus the 80th anniversary of Lucky Luke.
- Anime & manga: a Japanese sports-manga exhibition tracing the genre from Rocky Joe through Captain Tsubasa and Slam Dunk to Haikyu!! and Blue Lock.
Programmes change, so check the official schedule before you plan your days around a single guest.
Tickets: Prices and the Bracelet Rule
Tickets are sold by day or as multi-day passes. To get in, you need both a valid ticket and its bracelet. These are the official online prices, including presale fee and commission, and onsite prices match them:
| Ticket | Online price |
|---|---|
| Single day (Wed) | €26.50 |
| Single day (Thu) | €29.50 |
| Single day (Fri) | €33.50 |
| Single day (Sat) | €34.50 |
| Single day (Sun) | €33.50 |
| 2-day pass | €40.50 – €58.50 |
| 3-day pass | €61.50 – €78.50 |
| 4-day pass (Wed–Sat or Thu–Sun) | €83.50 |
| 5-day pass | €95.00 |
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Prices are taken from the official ticket page. Early Bird tickets were only available from June 23 to July 27, and the LEVEL UP! passes are sold out.
Two practical notes. First, the "Skip the Welcome Desk" service, which lets you collect your bracelet without a queue, is included with 3-, 4- and 5-day passes, but costs an extra €9.99 for daily tickets and 2-day passes, and only for purchases made before 10 AM on October 16, 2026. Second, tickets are also sold at the festival's ticket office until limits are reached, but weekend days sell out first, so buy ahead if you can.
A Five-Day Plan
With five days and a whole city, a loose plan beats a checklist. Use the official schedule for exact times, and treat these as rhythms rather than appointments:
- Wednesday, October 28: opening day, and the cheapest single ticket at €26.50. A good day to learn the layout: walk Piazza Napoleone, find the single-theme pavilions on the walls and squares, and visit the exhibitions before the weekend crowds arrive.
- Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30: Hideki Kamiya is scheduled for these two days, so game developers' talks and signings cluster here. Weekday crowds are lighter, which makes the pavilions easier to browse.
- Saturday, October 31: the most expensive single day (€34.50) and one of the busiest. Yoko Kanno's first appearance is this day, so expect a full city. Start early and keep your afternoon flexible.
- Sunday, November 1: Kanno's second day and the final day of the festival, which also falls on the All Saints' holiday. Do your big purchases earlier in the week if you can, and use the last day for the exhibitions you missed.
What a Five-Day Pass Really Costs
The numbers favor the long pass. Buying all five single days online adds up to €157.50 (€26.50 + €29.50 + €33.50 + €34.50 + €33.50), while the five-day pass is €95.00, a saving of €62.50, or roughly €19 per day. A four-day pass is €83.50, so the fifth day costs only €11.50 more. If you can only go on two days, the cheapest pair is Wednesday and Thursday at €40.50.
Add the "Skip the Welcome Desk" service, which is included with 3-, 4- and 5-day passes, and a long pass also saves you the bracelet-pickup queue. Food, drinks and shopping are separate, and some reviewers on TripAdvisor mention that costs add up, so set a daily budget before you arrive.
For Tabletop and RPG Fans
Lucca Games is one of the longest-running parts of the festival, and the awards it has given out read like a hobby hall of fame: Best of Show for Bang! in 2002, Best Card Game for 7 Wonders in 2010, and in 2011 RPG of the Year for Apocalypse World and Best of Show for Twilight Struggle. That heritage shows in the floor: publishers' stands, demo tables and open play areas fill the pavilions, so bring luggage space for the games you will inevitably buy.
Lucca Beyond the Festival
Lucca is worth a slow morning even with a ticket in your pocket. The city is still ringed by its Renaissance walls, a tree-lined promenade of a few kilometers that you can walk or cycle for a view over the rooftops, with the festival's pavilions spread along parts of it. In the center, the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro follows the outline of a Roman amphitheater, and the Torre Guinigi is the tower with oak trees growing on its roof. Lucca is also the birthplace of the composer Giacomo Puccini, and the local specialties include tordelli lucchesi (stuffed pasta) and buccellato, a sweet bread with raisins and anise.
Getting There & Where to Stay
Lucca is reached by train. Pisa, with its international airport, is the most convenient gateway. Lucca's hotel stock is small compared with the crowds, so book as early as you can, and look at nearby towns if the city itself is full. For an extra day of sightseeing, the Renaissance walls are wide enough to walk or cycle, and they give a great view of the rooftops.
Tips From the Cobblestones
- Wear comfortable shoes. The old town is cobbled and you will walk a lot.
- Don't skip the free programme. Plenty of cosplay parades and street events take place right in the streets, no ticket required for those.
- Pace yourself. Five days and a whole city is a marathon, not a sprint. Pick one pavilion cluster per morning.
- Mind the crowds. Weekend days, and the days around the November 1 holiday, are the busiest.
- Carry cash and a bag for loot. Many stands are small and publishers' stock goes fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is Lucca Comics & Games?
By ticket sales it is the biggest comics and games festival in Europe: more than 280,000 tickets in 2025, and a record of 319,926 in 2022.
Do I need a ticket for the whole city?
No. Many outdoor events and the streets are open, but the pavilions and exhibitions need a ticket and bracelet.
Is it only for comics fans?
No. Comics are the roots, but the festival covers tabletop and card games, video games, anime, cosplay, film and music.
What is the best day to go?
Weekend days are the busiest and sell out first. Wednesday and Thursday are the cheapest and calmest.
Do I need to speak Italian?
Most signage and programming is in Italian, but international guests and the big publishers are used to English-speaking visitors, and the official site has an English version.
Plan Your Lucca Trip
Lucca is a bucket-list trip for anyone who loves comics and games. See our Lucca event page for details, browse the full events calendar, and read our guide to the biggest anime conventions in the world to build a wider European convention run. If you are heading east afterwards, Berlin for geeks is a natural next stop.
Photo credit: Claudio Marinangeli, CC BY 2.0
About the Author
Danilo Sarcinelli
Danilo Sarcinelli is a traveler and lifelong geek who loves Magic: The Gathering, D&D, Harry Potter, Disney, Star Wars, Dragon Ball, and Zelda. He explores the world to map out the most epic locations, conventions, and landmarks for fellow fans.
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