Brussel cements its status as the capital of ninth art

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BD Comic Strip Festival Tour & Taxis (Gare Maritime & Shed 1 ? 1bis) visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy - 2022

The BD Comic Strip Festival in Brussels has been declared a resounding success.

More than 60,000 people flocked to the city#s Tour & Taxis’ Gare Maritime to immerse themselves in a world of comics.

The public came out in force to take part in the meetings, events, signings and exhibitions.

They were also able to buy the comics that had won the coveted Atomium Prizes.

From 6 to 8 September, Brussels was decked out in the colours of the ninth art with the BD Comic Strip Festival.

Animations, signings, meetings, exhibitions and giant balloons were on the programme for this year’s edition.

The BD Comic Strip Festival featured over 75 exhibition stands, nearly 200 authors and illustrators, over 300 book signings, 14 conversations with authors and 8 exhibitions.

Visitors to Tour & Taxis’ Gare Maritime were treated to a host of activities organised by the publishing houses present.

The most adventurous visitors explored other horizons thanks to the foreign cultural representations that set up shop in the International Pavilion.

The youngest visitors marvelled at the giant balloons scattered around the festival site and enjoyed workshops and fun games to immerse themselves in the worlds of their favourite heroes.

And that’s not all.

Many visitors were able to chat with the authors of the moment at exclusive encounters and get their comics signed at one of the many signing sessions offered by publishers throughout the weekend.

Guided tours transported comic strip fans into the worlds of the great heroes of the ninth art. In the exhibition section, alternative comics were given pride of place with an exhibition devoted to the world of Gwénola Carrère’s ‘Extra Végétalia’. 64_pages, the print magazine born in Ixelles, celebrated its 10th anniversary by showcasing some fifty drawings by young authors.

 

A tribute exhibition to the great Dino Attanasio, the doyen of Belgian comics, offered the public an opportunity to discover or rediscover his masterful oeuvre.

The works of Belgian artist Cécile Bertrand and Polish artists were also showcased during the festival. Last but not least, the Comics Art Museum was on hand to present its ‘Jazz & Comics’ exhibition.