May 20 – 21 from 10am – 5pm
Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2W3
Celebrate the talent and creator-owned spirit in comics and graphic novel publishing at one of the largest comic book festivals in Canada! The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Yaletown on May 20 and 21 will be THE place to be to meet your favourite comic book creator, take in a panel discussion, and pick up an autographed book or two. Launched in 2012, the festival includes an exhibitor and vendor fair featuring hundreds of talented creators from all over North America.
“VanCAF is always such a thrill as we get to share with our communities the breadth and depth of comics to a wider audience,” says festival director Jarrett Evan Samson. “This year marks our return to a full exhibitor slate and I’m so excited to welcome back so many amazing creators from around the world and those close to home like artist Valen Onstine, the creator of our 2023 Land Acknowledgment comic, and the incredible Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas who will launch his new Haida manga, JAJ, at our opening night event.”
Featured guest authors at the 2023 festival include Ho Che Anderson (Godhead), Emily Carrington (Our Little Secret), Aisha Franz (Work-Life Balance), Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), Mike Holmes (Our Own World), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County), Cole Pauls (Kwändür), and Dan Santat (A First Time for Everything). These authors and many others will participate in author talks, panel discussions, and book signings throughout the two days of the festival.

New executive director Fernanda Viveiros who took over the role earlier in the year is expecting a great turnout. “After several years of online and hybrid festivals, fans and creators are especially keen to attend VanCAF in person and share their enthusiasm for comics and graphic novels in a venue that supports their community. It’s inspiring to go from room to room and see the level of talent showcased – you’ll find everything from zines and art prints to self-created and small-press comics to traditionally published graphic novels.”
VanCAF 2023 will kick off on Friday, May 19th at 7 pm with All that JAJ, a special pre-festival event with esteemed BC author and illustrator Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. Michael will launch his new book, JAJ: A Haida Manga and participate in a discussion with Dr. Nicola Levell, an associate professor in UBC’s Department of Anthropology. A book signing managed by Iron Dog Books will take place after the discussion. The free event takes place in the Performance Centre in the Roundhouse but attendees must register via Eventbrite.

The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival acknowledges that our work takes place on the stolen ancestral and traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.