Cartoons on the Bay 2026

The festival celebrates in Pescara with Lifetime Achievement Awards for Kirk Wise and Don Daglow, the Digital Award for Pera Toons, exhibitions dedicated to Tolkien, Corto Maltese, and Dylan Dog, the Cartoons on the Bay Village, and performances by Carl Brave, Cristina D’Avena, and Ema Stokholma.

The animation world is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Cartoons on the Bay. The International Animation and Transmedia Festival – promoted by Rai and organized by Rai Com under the artistic direction of Adriano Monti Buzzetti, in collaboration with the Abruzzo Region and the Municipality of Pescara – is blowing out its thirty candles from May 27 to 30 in the Abruzzese city.

The event kicks off at the Aurum, which will host the professional, cinema, and school programs, as well as in the heart of the city (Piazza Salotto and Corso Umberto I), where the public program will take place and the activities of the Cartoons on the Bay Village will unfold. A total of 325 works have been submitted to the Pulcinella Awards 2026 across seven categories (Preschool TV Show, Upper Preschool TV Show, Kids TV Show, Youth TV Show, Interactive Animation, Short Film, Feature Film) by artists and studios coming from 53 countries around the world.

This 30th-anniversary edition of Cartoons on the Bay will present the Pulcinella Career Award to director Kirk Wise, widely known to the general public for directing Disney masterpieces like Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, as well as to video game creator Don Daglow, a master of simulation and role-playing video games.

Pera Toons will be honored with the Pulcinella Digital Award, while the online gaming platform Roblox will receive the Pulcinella Immersive Award. The Studio of the Year recognition goes to Cartobaleno, the International Studio of the Year to the Belgian Peyo Company, the Pulcinella Diversity Award to the video game Bye Sweet Carole by Chris Darril, and the Pulcinella Transmedia Award to Pokémon.

Belgium will be the guest country for the 2026 edition, and the Festival will dedicate special panels and screenings to it. Director Alessandro Rak will receive the fifth edition of the Sergio Bonelli Award, organized in collaboration with Sergio Bonelli Editore. The festival will also host prominent figures from the world of illustration and animation, including Magic: The Gathering illustrators Domenico Cava and Katerina Ladon, comic artist and writer Barbara Baraldi, and author/screenwriter Pierdomenico Baccalario.

Cartoons has organized three main exhibitions in Pescara. The first is “Beyond Middle-earth: Tolkien Visions” by Angelo Montanini, curated by Emanuele Vietina in collaboration with Lucca Comics. The second is “Corto Maltese, an Infinite Sea”, dedicated to Hugo Pratt’s legendary adventurer sailor and curated by Patrizia Zanotti and Marco Steiner. Both of these will be set up in the halls of the Aurum. The third exhibition, displayed along Corso Umberto I, is “Forty Years of Dreams and Nightmares with Dylan Dog”, created in collaboration with Sergio Bonelli Editore.

To celebrate this thirty-year milestone, the official festival poster has been designed by Francesca Ghermandi, depicting a mermaid wearing a Pulcinella hat and mask as she emerges from the waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Primary and secondary school students will also be key protagonists of Cartoons on the Bay. The morning meetings at the Aurum will alternate between entertainment, games, and educational outreach. These sessions will be brought to life by popular TV and radio personalities, from Armando Traverso and the puppet Krud to the trio Dodò, Laura, and Andrea from “L’albero azzurro”, alongside film and TV voice actor Fabrizio Vidale.

Pescara takes center stage with the Cartoons on the Bay Village, set up this year in Piazza Salotto. It will allow audiences of all ages to experience games and activities from 10:00 AM until midnight, and to meet special guests from the animation industry.

To complete the program, two major evening entertainment events are scheduled. Performing on the stage in Piazza della Rinascita (Piazza Salotto) at 9:00 PM will be Carl Brave with an acoustic live set, followed by a DJ set from Ema Stokholma on Friday, May 29. The following night, Saturday, May 30, features Cristina D’Avena feat. Gem Boy, followed by a DJ set by Claudio Cannizzaro. All events feature free admission.

The main partners for Cartoons on the Bay are RaiPlay, Rai Kids, Rai Radio2, and Rai Radio Kids.

Rai Kids is bringing a comprehensive presence to the festival that blends educational outreach, entertainment, and professional networking, featuring previews, a live show, a workshop, an exhibition corner at the Aurum, and an institutional panel.

RaiPlay is offering an exclusive lineup entirely dedicated to the event, with content tied to the main themes of this edition, available at [https://www.raiplay.it/cartoonsonthebay]

Rai Radio Kids, No Name Radio, and Radio Tutta Italiana will also be on-site in Pescara. In addition to the Radio Kids shows included in the schools’ program, the Specialized Digital Radio and Podcast Directorate will be present with playlists from No Name Radio and Radio Tutta Italiana, which will accompany the public throughout the Village and along the Corso.