Lucca Comics & Games

Lucca Comics & Games is the largest comics and gaming festival in Europe by ticket sales and one of the biggest fan conventions in the world. The organizers reported more than 280,000 tickets sold in 2025, alongside 730 exhibitors, over 900 guests and around 1,500 events, all in a walled Tuscan city of roughly 90,000 residents. The 2026 edition, running Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1, is the festival's 60th anniversary and carries the theme "Legacy."

What makes Lucca unlike almost any other convention is that there is no single convention hall. The festival takes over the historic center: Piazza Napoleone hosts the large comics pavilion under one big tent, Piazza del Giglio is home to collecting, art galleries and artist stands, and a record ten single-theme pavilions fill the squares and the city walls. Exhibitions are staged inside real historic buildings, such as the Lucky Luke 80th-anniversary show at Palazzo Guinigi, so browsing original art means walking through genuine Renaissance architecture rather than a convention-center hallway.

The 2026 programme leans into the anniversary. Final Fantasy VII producer Yoshinori Kitase is Guest of Honour, Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta) appears on October 29 and 30, and composer Yoko Kanno of Cowboy Bebop makes her first Italian appearance on October 31 and November 1. The comics side includes Frank Miller, Paco Roca and Tillie Walden, and a Japanese sports-manga exhibition traces the genre from Rocky Joe through Captain Tsubasa and Slam Dunk to Haikyu!! and Blue Lock.

For tabletop fans, Lucca Games is a long-running part of the festival and has handed out some of the hobby's best-known awards over the years, including Best of Show to Twilight Struggle in 2011 and Best Card Game to 7 Wonders in 2010. Daily cosplay, publishers' stands and open play areas make it a serious stop for gamers as well as comics readers.

For a geek traveler, the citywide format is the draw. Lucca is still encircled by its original walls, wide enough to walk or cycle along, and the festival's atmosphere is less "convention" and more "the whole town has become a festival." Tuscany's food and countryside are an easy add-on for anyone extending the trip.

Practical notes: Lucca is reached by train, with Pisa and its international airport the most convenient gateway. Entry requires both a valid ticket and its bracelet. Daily tickets run from €26.50 to €34.50 online, and a five-day pass is €95, with onsite prices matching online prices. Book accommodation early, because the city's hotel stock is small compared with the crowds, and wear comfortable shoes for the cobblestones.