ARC FESTIVAL 2026! So… we all know the drill here. UK comics has very little in the way of infrastructure. It relies on volunteers, activists and those willing to give up their time to make things happen for other people. It’s a self-supporting community that would be all the poorer without those levels of advocacy and championing holding the whole thing together. Which brings us to this weekend’s ARC Festival and a triumphant two days of celebrating contemporary comics in Peckham, South-East London, from a small team who did incredible work in pulling this very special weekend off.
The Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ table on the Sunday with Manon Wright, Zen K., Dominique Duong, Andy Oliver, Rein Lee and Skai Campbell
We are at a point in time where we’re seeing a rich resurgence in comics events in the UK after the pandemic took down so many established favourites. But if there’s been a space that needed to be filled it was one for the kind of work seen at ARC – experimental, boundary-pushing, truly alt and grassroots comics. We’ve not had anything resembling that since we lost ELCAF and, while ARC very much had its own distinct voice, this was a welcome return for the kind of event that could make a bold statement about all the things the form can be, not simply what it traditionally has been.
Yu-Ching Chiu at ARC
From our perspective here at BF it was lovely to be able to bring ten incredibly talented creators (five different ones each day) to ARC on the Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ table. On day one you would have met Abs Bailey, Daisy Crouch, Shri Gunasekara, Tal Brosh and Zhenyi Zheng. On day two we had Dominique Duong, Manon Wright, Rein Lee, Skai Campbell and Zen K. Very much an underlining of the very different approaches to the medium that our Six to Watch creators embody and a delight to see them not just interacting with potential new readerships but also getting to know each other.
The Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ table on the Saturday with Tal Brosh, Shri Gunasekara, Abs Bailey, Daisy Crouch and Zhenyi Zheng
From the tactile, pop-up comics of A. T. Pratt to the Eastern European focussed anthologies of Sputnikat, from the up-and-coming student voices of the Camberwell Comics Club through to the many international creators who took the opportunity to put review copies of their books into my hands, my own resulting ARC haul was an impressive one indeed. And, no doubt, you’ll see some of it getting some attention at BF soon.
Andy with Olivia Sullivan at ARC
ARC wasn’t just about the fair, though. It was also a weekend of exhibitions, workshops, after-party and panels. And it was a triumph on every level. One that not even another summer heatwave could put a dent in (thanks due to the free water and super-chilled exhibitor room for those feeling the heat over the two days). Huge thanks to Miranda, Tom, Peter and Lando on the organising front, and all the many, many people involved in the satellite events. This was a very special festival indeed.
Let’s hope it’s just the beginning.
Check out all our pre-festival review and interview coverage here
Short report by Andy Oliver
Poster by Lando
