Your Guide to the Best Animation Conferences in the World
ANIMATION CONFERENCES
2026-2027
Travel, Learn, & Network as an Animator or an Animation Industry Professional
The Best Animation Conferences & Festivals
Welcome to the Best Animation Conferences in 2026 and 2027, a guide to which festivals and animation conventions you should attend virtually or in person (if you have both money and time). Like previous conference lists here on Oddtoe, this year’s guide keeps two things in mind: a great festival culture for attendees and a top-notch professional experience for animators, animation agents, and animation industry folks looking to network with the elite decision-makers.
The best animation conferences come from all over the globe and span the entire calendar year.
However, you’ll notice two clusters. Europe dominates. And April and October are always conference- and festival-heavy. When I see the animators and best animation shorts in their respective festival agendas, I mention them in the conference profiles. Some of the greats are back promoting their movies, characters, and sometimes studios. In this 2026 – 2027 guide, I’ll also mention — where relevant — how generative AI animation is treated in the festival.
With that said, here are my picks for the animation conferences and festivals of the year. »
My Top 4
What are the Best Animation Conferences in the World?
Best All-Around
Annecy, France
Best Festival Feel
Stuttgart, Germany
Best Tech Education
Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Best Dealmaking
Cannes, France
May 2026
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)
May 6th to the 10th, 2026 — Stuttgart, Germany (Onsite and virtual)
Founded in 1982, ITFS as it is known is Germany’s premier animation conference and festival. It always delivers a great experience. See what ITFS has in store for us in its 2026 festival (click).
Like some of the other festivals on this list, Stuttgart‘s offering has now expanded its definitions of animated film. Since 2023, ITFS has offered film screenings, exhibitions, lectures, workshop talks, master classes, and VR events, in addition to a few animated live performances.
I love the game center and especially the communal Open Air cinema in the heart of the conference city. There’s nothing like having the full backing of your host city for the animated arts. And Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film sure gets it with its jumbotron cinema set outside in a city square for daily screenings of kids’ films and more adult animation in the evenings. So cool.
The 2026 conference focus is silhouette animation, marking the 100th anniversary of Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the oldest surviving animated feature film (1926).
Pictoplasm Berlin
May 7th to the 10th, 2026 — Berlin, Germany (onsite and virtually)
Let’s go to Germany for the spring and head to the capital for an art experience that only Berlin can deliver.
Crossing the Atlantic for our next animation conference, finally, the States puts up an offering — and judging by its artist invite list for 2026 — Pictoplasma Berlin is quite an offering.
Take a look at the speaker list: Conor Kehelly, Jun Ioneda, & Melissa Mathieson (+ more.) I like the vibe of the conference curation. The artists are front and center on the website and in the programming. And the animated shorts and featured films that are screening this year are fantastically ‘out there’ and unlike the safe, vanilla screenings showing at some other festivals.
As Pictoplasma themselves say, the animations are “full of psychedelic eye candy, virtual popcorn, and ingenious storytelling.” Love it.
It’s not too late to submit your character-driven animation to the 2027 edition of the festival!
June 2026
Annecy Festival
June 21st to the 27th, 2026 — Annecy, France (onsite and virtually)
No surprise. My top pick for the best animation conference in the world is the Annecy Festival. Or the Festival d’Annecy. Or the more wordy Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market.
This is the conference every lover of animation should attend at least once in his or her lifetime. Why? It’s the world’s largest event dedicated to animation. It’s in a lovely part of France. It’s where the next generation of animators gets their break. And it’s an experience like no other. When animation is placed on such a pedestal, as only the French can do, you can only be swept away.
The Annecy Festival has been going on for 60 years. The 2026 edition will have it all: massive screenings of top-tier animation, workshops, and the Mifa, one the world’s best places to do business both in person and virtually. If you’ve only got one event, put this animation conference on your schedule.
SEPTEMBER 2026
Pictoplasma NYC
September 17th & 18th, 2026 — New York City, U.S.A. (onsite and virtual)
Like it’s sister conference in Berlin, Pictoplasma NYC is a stand-out on this list. The artist-led feel to these Pictoplasms, along with quirky curation of imagery that the festival puts out makes me what to hit both the Berlin and the original Big Apple conferences.
This conference focuses in on characters and character design. So who comes? Toy makers, animators, advertising executives, and cutting-edge graphic designers.
This year’s event is held in the SVA Theatre in Manhattan. And is hosted by the School for the Visual Arts.
In Motion London 2026
September 18th and 19th, 2026 — London, England (onsite and virtual)
The In Motion festivals are always well-curated, and this year, they are back in London. A unique feature of In Motion London 2026 is its focus on animation and motion design. But what I like about this particular conference (and its sister one in Eindhoven below) is the platform it gives individual artists.
I’m personally interested in hearing and seeing what Laurie Rowan is doing — beautiful stuff. And there’s a studio called Buck that has also caught my eye.
As an animator who doesn’t fear the use of generative AI in animation, I want to hear what these artists are saying about the future of animation.
Ottawa International Animation Festival
September 23rd to the 27th, 2026 — Ottawa, Canada (onsite and virtual)
And now for Canada’s premier animation conference and festival: the Ottawa International Animation Festival. This is a heavy-hitter in world animation. So stretch your travel budget or at the very least log on. This festival has been going on since 1974. It’s always a showcase for the style of animation coming to our screens. Plus, Canadian animators always ‘punch above their weight’ on the world stage.
Standouts at past festivals include:
- Kid Koala ‘Let’s Go’ (Sylvie Trouvé, Dale Hayward)
- I Took a Lethal Dose of Herbs (Yvette Granata, United States)
- Knit’s Island (dirs. Quentin L’helgoualc’h, Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, France)
Don’t forget to hobnob when you’re in Ottawa! CMF, Nickelodeon, Studio Smokescreen, and Warner Brothers Discovery are supporting last year’s Art + Biz conference; expect that type of exposure. So get your portfolio and your personality in tip-top shape.
For more information, check out this year’s festival schedule.
October 2026
MIPJUNIOR 2026
October 10th & 11th, 2026 — Cannes, France (onsite and virtual)
Brush up on your French, practice your pitch and your handshake, and head to the South of France where the Who’s Who of the animation industry go to make deals. The first of the two ‘MIP” conferences runs for three days in October. MIPJUNIOR, as the conference name suggests, is known for its festival screenings of children’s programming, including kids’ animation.
Go for the screenings but stay for the co-production market. Walt Disney, Jim Henson Productions, and Gaumont are just a few of the major studios that will be there.
This conference and its big brother, MIPCOM, mean serious business. If you have an animation project to pitch and you have the ability to be in Cannes, you should make the journey. If you’re a fan of sunny beaches, animated shorts, and frenzied media executives on their mobile phones, you should make the trip, too.
MIPCOM Cannes 2026
October 12th to the 15th, 2026 — Cannes, France (onsite and virtual)
France again shows its strength on the animation conference circuit. MIPCOM is quite simply where you want to be, whether to strike a business deal for your animated property or gain a foothold in the TV industry.
The heart of the conference is the Co-Production Market. The market has a 1000-square-meter theater and a huge networking space. This is where co-production partnerships are explored, and financing deals are often done. What animation gets seen around the world is often talked about in what is known as the Seaview Producers Hub.
A few standouts from this upcoming conference: the MIP AI Exchange which bills itself as a meeting of AI, production, and IP. Check out the sessions directory — the industry names and creative topics alone will make you book your flight!
View Conference 2026
October 12th to the 16th, 2026 — Torino, Italy (onsite and virtual)
Ok. This is animation conference is something. Looking at the speakers’ list in the past, it made my Top 4 list two times in the past 5 years. Henry Selnick headlined in 2023. Joaquim Dos Santos, Director of Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, was there. Netflix Animation, Paramount Animation. Sony. You get the picture.
Hearing from these top names is one thing. The View Conference also delivers on other fronts, too. There are seminars on Procreate, Unreal Engine, on VFX. Workshops on Storytelling, and concept art.
In 2026, this is the current speaker list, and it’s growing.
What’s not to like about View?
As a serious animator, the View Conference is a must-attend once in your life. Wedge it between the MIP conferences in Cannes. (Or do as I plan to do, and attend virtually in my pajamas.)
November 2026
Manchester Animation Festival
November 8th to the 12th, 2026 — Manchester, England (onsite and virtual)
I haven’t talked about awards, but if seeing yourself on the red carpet, especially at the Oscars, is important, then you’ll want to be aware of the Manchester Animation Festival. MAF (as it’s known) has recently become an Academy Award-qualifying festival. Win here, and you’re in the running for a golden statue at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ premier award ceremony.
This is the UK’s largest animation conference. It gets a cadre of high-level companies in attendance, including Aardman Animations, Blue Zoo, ILM, Locksmith Animation, Passion Pictures, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
A simple look at this animation conference’s winners’ list and you can see the quality from the UK-based animators.
Adobe Max
November 10th to the 12th, 2026 — Miami, Florida, U.S.A. (onsite and virtual)
This is a big animation conference if you’re an After Effects user. And Adobe puts on quite an event! With conference tracks for 3D, illustration, motion design, and, of course, AI, Adobe Max has a lot of content for any animator. Workshops form the basis of the conference, and expert talks from artists and agency heads make this conference different from all the other conferences on this list.
There are new speakers every year. The Adobe clan is well-represented. But a few top notch animators working in motion graphics are already on the speaking roster.
In 2026, I’m interested in seeing if Adobe’s AI (Firefly and Sensei) make it deeper into After Effects.
If you’re looking for the next big technique or technical breakthrough in the animation industry, this conference is a probable place to learn about it first.
December 2026
SIGGRAPH ASIA 2026
December 3rd to the 6th, 2026 — Kuala Lumpur (in-person & virtual)
SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 is in Malaysia for the first time. What I like about this conference is its focus: it is not solely on animation. But it is geared toward those who are “excited by research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education, and emerging technologies.”
The reason for attending is simple: What gets presented here this year are the technical innovations you’ll be experimenting with next year. So get a leg-up and put yourself in a seat (or a virtual environment) for the 3-day conference.
This conference has the widest spread of offerings — take a look at the submissions categories and you’ll get a sense of the topics, courses, and films you’ll see at Asia’s best computer graphics and technology festival.
February 2027
Anima — The Brussels International Animation Film Festival
February/March, 2027 (to be announced) — Brussels, Belgium (in-person & virtual)
Happy New Year! 2027 kicks off in Brussels. Anima is in its 46th year, an impressive feat for an animation conference. But you can see why. The level of talent in Belgium and who this festival attracts internationally is second to none. No live-action animation, though. Anima focuses on animation created frame by frame, which can be traditional animated cartoons, stop-motion puppetry, or hand-animated plasticine models.
Anima is one of the few animation conferences in the world that is qualified to nominate its winning candidates for the Oscar® for best animated short film.
April 2027
The Art Department Eindhoven 2027
April, 2027? (Dates to be confirmed) — Eindhoven, Netherlands (onsite and virtually)
Let’s stay in the Benelux region for this creative conference: The Art Department conference celebrates concept art, design and craftsmanship in the film, animation, and games industries.
Artist talks are my favourite, and the Art Department has had a wide array of artists types: creature FX artists (Gustav Hoegen), whimsical illustrators (Beatrice Blue), art directors (Dani Dietz), and film directors (Mascha Halberstad), just to name a few.
This really is a festival — experience the outdoor expos, the art market, and workshops, along with the fabulous screenings of the best animation. The 2026 version of this festival merged the Berlin conference into the Dutch version.
Expect an even bigger festival in 2027.
Cardiff Animation Festival 2027
April, 2027? (Dates to be confirmed) — Cardiff, Wales (onsite and virtual)
While not the biggest animation conference on this list, the Cardiff Animation Festival (CAF) is one of the best curated. The style of curation and the character design in the selected animations and illustrations made me take notice and enticed me to see what CAF is all about.
The list of the animated shorts in the festival puts it on this guide of the best animation conferences. Have a look and know that if you can’t make it to Cardiff in April, you should check out the animators and their submitted works. I can see many of them featuring again and again at other festivals, making CAF a certain tastemaker for up-and-coming animators and those with a distinctive style of visual storytelling
In 2026 & 2027, What Other Animation Conferences Are You Interested In?
As you can see, lots of movements on the conference calendar.
Annecy got bumped off its traditional early-June slot by the G7 Summit and now runs 21–27 June 2026, while Cardiff (23–26 April) has drawn a line in the sand by banning generative-AI films from its 2026 competition. SIGGRAPH Asia heads to Kuala Lumpur for the first time on 1–4 December, expanding the conference’s Asian footprint into a new market. And Adobe MAX has packed up its Los Angeles base for the Miami Beach Convention Center, 10–12 November.
Am I missing a better animation convention, conference, or festival than the ones above? Contact me and let me know. I’ll look to update the animation conference list throughout the year. Are you an animator? Check out Oddtoe’s list of the best animation agents while you’re here!
Has this content raised or lowered your IQ? Either way, follow us on social media & subscribe to our newsletter.