The Canalla! Children's and Youth Book Festival has successfully concluded its first edition in Vic, drawing approximately 16,000 attendees over three days from 23 to 25 October 2026. The event has been praised for its positive impact on the local literary and cultural landscape.
Vic, a city known for its rich literary heritage, hosted the festival, which featured a commercial fair, over 60 cultural activities, exhibitions, professional workshops, and educational initiatives across various venues. The festival's organisers expressed satisfaction with the turnout, indicating that Canalla! has firmly established itself in a city with a strong tradition of literature, reading, and illustration.
Festival highlights
One of the festival's main attractions was its commercial fair, located on the bustling streets of Bisbat and Montcada. The fair showcased 47 publishing houses, nine local bookstores, and 27 illustrators. Attendees had the opportunity to discover new publications, classic literature, illustrated albums, youth narratives, comics, and more, while also engaging with 49 authors during signing sessions.
Visitor surveys revealed a high satisfaction rate, with an average score of 8.39 out of 10. The fair's offerings, activities, and exhibitions received ratings exceeding 8.5. Notably, 94% of respondents expressed their intention to return for future editions of the festival.
Visitor demographics
Of the attendees surveyed, 54% were from Vic, while 23% came from the surrounding Osona region. The remaining 23% hailed from other parts of Catalonia, including 13% from the province of Barcelona, 5% from Girona, 3% from Lleida, and 2% from Tarragona. This indicates that nearly half of the surveyed audience travelled from outside Vic, demonstrating the festival's appeal beyond the city limits. The average spending per visitor was approximately €62.40, with a demographic breakdown showing an average age of 43.3 years, comprising 52% women and 48% men.
Professional engagement
The festival also featured a strong professional component, with 665 participants registered for workshops dedicated to children's literature and illustration, all of which were fully booked. These sessions brought together editors, booksellers, authors, illustrators, librarians, educators, and other industry professionals, enhancing the festival's sectoral focus.
The cultural programme included more than 60 activities and the participation of 45 artists, offering storytelling, music, theatre, workshops, literary meetings, and illustration activities for various age groups. Notable guests included German author and illustrator Susanne Strasser, who received a warm welcome, alongside prominent Spanish authors like Maite Carranza and Miquel Desclot, as well as illustrators such as Anna Font and Mercè Galí.
Educational initiatives
The educational aspect of the festival was significant, involving around 1,500 students from local schools. Projects like Rap & Poetry and Animalons, animalades! aimed to engage children and young people actively in literature, reinforcing Canalla!'s commitment to educational outreach beyond the festival's three-day celebration.
Future of Canalla!
While the overall feedback was overwhelmingly positive, organisers acknowledged areas for improvement for future editions, including logistical aspects and the organisation of fair spaces. A key challenge will be to strengthen connections with adolescent and youth audiences, developing proposals that better align with their interests and encourage active participation.
Plans for the next edition, scheduled for 22 to 24 October 2027, include the introduction of the Canalla! City of Vic Awards, aimed at recognising and promoting children's and youth literature published in Catalan. Further details will be announced later. The upcoming festival will also feature an exhibition dedicated to three influential Catalan illustrators: Cesc, Pilarin Bayés, and Roser Capdevila, building on this year's successful exhibition at ACVIC.
A collaborative effort
Canalla! is the result of a collaborative effort involving various departments of the Vic City Council, cultural institutions, educational centres, bookstores, universities, professional associations, and agents from the book and illustration sectors. This collective approach has allowed the festival to connect culture, education, creativity, commerce, and the community from its inception.
The project has garnered support from the Vic Booksellers Association and collaborations with institutions such as the Catalan Literature Institution, the Booksellers Guild of Catalonia, the Association of Editors in the Catalan Language, and the Ministry of Culture under the “Reading is a Right” programme, among others.
