The venerable city of Lucca, Italy, is once again preparing to transform into the global beating heart of pop culture, as Lucca Comics & Games 2025 officially begins its countdown!
Open from 29 October to 2 November, this year’s festival promises an unparalleled celebration of comics, games, animation, film, and music, with an incredible lineup of exclusives. From the highly anticipated finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things to an immersive Pokémon mega-pavilion and even an appearance from Death Stranding’s Hideo Kojima’s on his last stop of his world tour for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
Every year, Lucca Comics & Games follows a theme and at the heart of the 2025 festivities is a vibrant tribute to France, under the evocative theme ‘French Kiss’. This theme, captured beautifully in French illustrator Rébecca Dautremer’s official poster (above), delves into the kiss as a transformative narrative device. Dautremer’s artwork, featuring fantastical characters caught in moments of pre-kiss suspension, will be showcased in a dedicated exhibition at the new Palazzo Guinigi space, coinciding with the debut of her graphic novel Ruby Rose.
Further celebrating French bande dessinée (or comics for the non-French speakers), the Palais de France will host ‘HEXAGONES’, an exhibition of trailblazing artists including Moebius and Claire Bretécher, with special guests Edmond Baudoin and Florence Cestac discussing the evolution and social relevance of French comics.
Netflix will also be making a grand return to Lucca this year (it showcased Squid Game 2 in 2024) to mark the impending fifth and final season of Stranger Things. On 31 October, the festival will host an event that will offer a sneak peek into the climactic conclusion of one of TV’s most beloved series.
Other returning favourites brands to the festival include Cartoon Network, inviting attendees into ‘The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball’, and Crunchyroll’s anime pavilion brimming with sneak peeks and exclusive merchandise.
Lucca Comics & Games is, unsurprisingly, a gamers’ paradise, and this year Lucca 2025 is rolling out the red carpet for some of the industry’s biggest names. Hideo Kojima will grace the festival, showcasing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Joining him is Keiichiro Toyama, the legendary mind behind Silent Hill, offering a rare opportunity to hear about his creative journey and new studio, Bokeh Game Studio. For indie gaming fans, Luca Galante, creator of the global hit Vampire Survivors, will be at the festival where you can check out a whole host of demos and panels across the expanded video game zones.
That’s not all! From manga legend Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star) through to a stellar lineup of fantasy authors like Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson), there are plenty of special guests for attendees to see.
If all the panels are bit too much, you can always check out the expanded gaming section, packed with new board games, RPGs, and TCGs, including the European launch of the Gundam Card Game. There’s even an interactive LEGO play area and pop-up store, as well as Red Bull Unforeseen’s surreal Tetris playground.
With its unwavering commitment to community, inclusion, discovery, respect, and gratitude, Lucca Comics & Games 2025 is back once again to cement its position as a global epicentre for all forms of creative expression.
Early bird tickets for this unparalleled pop culture extravaganza are available until 25 July. Get yours here.
Find more about Lucca, event reports, reviews, exclusive interviews and more at SciFiNow
