After five days of fun and energy, Lucca Comics & Games Diamond Edition has drawn to a close. Moreover, the 2027 dates were announced. Get the details and images here.
Lucca Comics & Games welcomed 345,000 visitors to the city over five days of energy and shared passions. The event featured over 900 guests from around the world and 800 exhibitors. There were more than 1,500 events and 14 exhibitions as part of the programme. On its 60th anniversary, Lucca Comics & Games reaffirms its position as one of the world’s largest community events dedicated to pop culture. Its heritage of stories, values and dreams – the Legacy of Lucca Comics & Games – has been handed over to new generations. This has meant embracing change and transformation. At the same time, it has safeguarded its five defining values: Community, Inclusion, Discovery, Respect, Gratitude.
Next year, the event will take place from Thursday 28 October to Monday 1 November 2027.
HIGHLIGHTS
The “Yellow Kid – Master of Comics” award honored Sensei Go Nagai for revolutionizing the global visual imagination and leaving an indelible mark on generations. The 2026 edition included a tribute to Go Nagai, the Japanese author whose creations revolutionized manga and anime. He also indelibly marked the collective imagination of an entire generation. The “Yellow Kid – Master of Comics” award was given to Sensei Go Nagai for revolutionizing the global visual imagination and making a lasting impact on generations.
A visionary master, capable of shattering conventions, taboos, and stereotypes with brazen courage, he has explored the deepest and darkest recesses of the human soul through an unmistakable style. One in which dynamism merges with a powerful, baroque, and grotesque expressiveness. An extraordinary bridge between cultures, he has gifted us a version of the *Divine Comedy* translated into the universal language of comics, uniting Eastern tradition with the deep-seated roots of Western storytelling.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Lucca Comics & Games is actively planning for the future. During the festival, they signed an agreement to establish the Foundation that will create Lucca’s International Comics Museum. The signatories were the Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli. The President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, and the Mayor of Lucca, Mario Pardini. The museum will open its doors to celebrate comics, illustration, gaming, animation, multimedia, and interactive works. It will also celebrate every form of pop culture in the world.
The Legacy of Lucca Comics & Games continues through two projects. The first is the exhibition Lucca Legacy: a Comics & Games story. The second is the video game Luke & Clea – A Quest for Legacy. These were created to ensure the spirit of the event doesn’t end today. Instead, it stays with its audience 365 days a year.
LUCCA LEGACY: A COMICS AND GAMES STORY AND LUKE & CLEA: A QUEST FOR LEGACY
Staged at Palazzo Guinigi, the exhibition Lucca Legacy: A Comics and Games Story will remain open to the public until 24 September 2027. The second floor of the historic Lucca palace becomes a permanent cultural platform designed to evolve over time. As in legacy games, visitors can contribute to the exhibition and leave their mark. The exhibition came to life through collaboration with Milan’s POLI.design and the scientific guidance of DISEGS – the Department of Socio-Economic, Management and Statistical Studies at “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara. It features contributions from the Bono Collection at Florence’s National Central Library. Supported by the Municipality of Lucca and backed by cultural partner Rai Teche, the exhibition tells the festival’s story as a dynamic entity. Visitors, or VisitAutori, are urged to jump in and actively reshape the narrative. Thus, it becomes an interactive experience rather than just an archive.
Luke & Clea – A Quest for Legacy is a 16-bit pixel game that captures the event’s history while also looking to its future: 2026 is only the beginning; a new level will unlock each year during the festival. Based on an idea by Emanuele Vietina, Francesco Bonturi, and Sergio Algozzino, and directed and designed by Manuel Macchia (Game Director and Game Design). The game has already won over gamers and fans. It entered the Top 100 most downloaded games on iOS and Android less than a week after launch and brought the festival’s imaginative world into the online store charts.
Lucca Comics & Games 2027 takes place from Thursday 28 October to Monday 1 November 2027.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
