ARF! Il festival del fumetto

The Pelanda of the cultural pole of the Mattatoio and the Città dell'Altra Economia await you for the 11th edition of ARF! Festival, the great event dedicated to Comics and Ninth Art.

Three days of Stories, Signs & Drawings for a total immersion in comics with exhibitions, talks, concerts, masterclasses with the stars of comics, lectio magistralis with the great masters, international guests as publishers, independent authors and personalities from the world of Cinema, Music, Arts and Culture and, new this year, the Best Nine with 9 comic books by 9 authors from 9 publishing houses, selected with the first 24 plates on display and meetings with the authors. 

The stage of Testaccio Estate in the Campo Boario hosts two big concerts: Piotta, in a free live show between music, visuals and the story of his 25-year career, scheduled for Friday, 23 May, followed on 24 May by Davide Toffolo, author of the festival's official poster, performing with the Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti, both among the protagonists of the festival's Sala Talk.

Among the event's traditional sections are the Self area, dedicated to independent publishing, with more than 70 realities; the Artist Alley, to meet the excellences of the international scene, signing sketches and live dedications; the Job ARF!, the format for the meeting between publishers and aspiring professionals, who can show their portfolios to publishers.The little ones can enjoy the festival and express their creativity with ARF! Kids, the area dedicated to children's imagery with workshops, meetings, readings and tailored activities.

The festival's rich programme includes seven exclusive exhibitions: Davide Toffolo's Starman, Tony Sandoval's Creature d'ombra e tempesta, Jon McNaught's Dentro e Fuori Scena and other solo exhibitions by tattoo artist and cartoonist Nicoz Balboa and SantaMatita,  Bartoli Prize of ARF! - CDM 2024, the exhibition/game by the Trincea Ibiza collective and, in the spaces of the Cervantes Institute's Sala Dalì in Piazza Navona, Ahora y para siempre HEROÍNAS by Belén Ortega and Mirka Andolfo.

Also back are the Masterclasses, the comics lessons open to everybody, in collaboration with the best-specialised schools and academies and four big names in the sector, and the Open Days, featuring the students. 

ARF! Festival is realised with the contribution of Roma Capitale - Assessorato alla Cultura and promoted by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo. Partners: ATAC, PressUp, Koh-I-Noor, Bakeca.it, Testaccio Estate. Media partners: Gli Audaci, Letture Metropolitane, Mega Nerd.