NCSFest is the brainchild of Steve McGarry, the syndicated cartoonist and story artist who serves as President of the NCS Foundation, the charitable and educational arm of the National Cartoonists Society. To help fulfill his vision of putting the NCS at the heart of a free cartoon arts festival to rival the great European events, he enlisted the aid of Julie Tait,Director of the fastest-growing festival in the UK, the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival. With the aid of an incredibly strong team and an army of volunteers – as well as the expertise of Mathieu Diez, the Director of French festival Lyon BD – and the full support of the city of Huntington Beach, NCSFest was born.
The festival will be held over the weekend of May 17-19, 2019. Hundreds of the world’s most celebrated creators are expected to attend the three-day event, participating in seminars, exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions and signing sessions, the vast majority of which will be free to the public.
