Animation is taking over Ottawa, and it is bringing five decades of creative chaos along for the ride. The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) returns from 23 to 27 September 2026, marking its 50th anniversary with five days of screenings, workshops, industry insights and plenty of festival fun.
Since its launch in 1976, OIAF has grown into one of the world’s leading animation events, bringing artists, producers, students and animation fans together under one colourful roof or, this year, several of them.
The festival will turn venues across the city into animation hotspots, including ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Club Saw, Strathcona Park, the National Arts Centre and the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Film fans can dive into a packed line-up of short competitions, while budding animators can get hands-on at All Ages @ OIAF workshops. For those curious about what happens behind the pixels, Animation Exposé, a public-facing annual event and showcase held during the OIAF that offers behind-the-scenes looks at how animated films and shows are made, offers a peek behind the scenes, with industry-focused insights adding another layer to the festival mix.
And when the screenings wind down, the celebrations are only getting started, with parties and social events keeping the festival energy rolling.
From frames and films to workshops and wild ideas, OIAF 2026 is set to make its golden anniversary a full-blown animation celebration. Fifty years in, the festival is still drawing, creating and pushing the medium forward one frame at a time.
