The Phoenix comic and David Fickling Books (DFB) today announced dates for their biggest ever PHOENIX FEST, with the event to take place in Oxford over the weekend of 25th–26th April 2026. Thousands of tickets will be made available for the 2-day mammoth celebration of comic storytelling, with the event coming hot on the heels of The Phoenix Comic Book Imprint announced earlier this year, part of the companies’ unique collaborative mission to bring the funniest and most exciting comics to readers and new audiences.

What is Phoenix Fest?

Phoenix Fest, the leading annual family comics festival in the UK, was first launched in 2023 to bring together comic fans with the creators behind The Phoenix comic weekly subscription magazine, the UK’s fastest growing, much-loved and ground-breaking comic for children with nearly 30,000 subscribers. The Phoenix comic is home of award-winning, multi-million-copy bestselling Bunny Vs Monkey by Jamie Smart, which has been at the forefront of the expansion of the children’s comic market, and Neill Cameron’s bestselling, instant classic Donut Squad, and has ignited a love of reading and drawing for millions of children, creating a rich community of young creatives.

Previous Phoenix Fest events have sold out in minutes, with the 2025 festival selling out in just 4 minutes with 1,500 tickets sold, and thousands of digital tickets sold alongside. Over 6,000 tickets will be available for the 2026 festival giving families even greater opportunity to come together for a weekend of fun and community with interactive shows, live draw-a-longs, and meet the artist sessions.

About Phoenix Fest

Talking about Phoenix Fest 2026, Tom Fickling, Editor-in-Chief, The Phoenix comic and Deputy Chair, David Fickling Books says,“Phoenix Fest is a celebration of all things Phoenix and the only children’s comic focused festival in the UK. It’s a chance for Phoenix readers to see and meet some of their favourite comic creators, like legends Jamie Smart and Neill Cameron. Each week hundreds of pieces of fan-art flood into Phoenix HQ so we know first-hand how comics spark imagination, creativity and a love of reading and drawing. It feels fitting that, as we head into the 2026 Year of Reading, Phoenix Fest 26 will be the biggest and best yet with two days of workshops and shows all focused on inspiring kids to get reading, writing and drawing!”

Phoenix Fest 2026 will take place in venues across Oxford, including The Sheldonian Theatre and major venues across Oxford University. Tickets will go on sale in January 2026 when the full programme will be revealed. Families can sign up for more information now by visiting www.phoenixfest.co.uk

Liz Cross, Publishing and Managing Director, David Fickling Books, says, “We’ve seen such a phenomenal reception from readers to our Phoenix Comic Books imprint since its launch at the start of this year, so all of us at DFB are thrilled to be partnering further with The Phoenix”