OIAF 2026: 50 Years of Animation in Ottawa

Five days of screenings, talks, and parties across downtown Ottawa

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

North America’s oldest and largest animation festival marks its 50th year with competition screenings, industry talks, an exhibitor fair, and nightly parties spread across six downtown Ottawa venues.

🎬 Competition screenings 👨‍👩‍👧 All Ages Day 🏭 Animation Exposé 🎉 Nightly parties

💡 Started in 1976, OIAF has grown into the second-largest animation festival in the world, drawing over 30,000 artists, producers, students, and fans to Ottawa every fall.

Why Go Schedule Tickets & Passes Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Festival Is Worth the Trip

OIAF isn’t just old for an animation festival — it’s old, period. Launched in 1976 by the Canadian Film Institute, it predates most of the animation industry as we know it, and it has grown into the second-largest animation festival on the planet, trailing only Annecy in France. For 2026, that history gets a spotlight: this is the festival’s 50th anniversary edition, and the programming team is treating it like it.

What makes OIAF distinct from a typical film festival is how thoroughly it commits to community over spectacle. Out of roughly 2,400 submissions received each year, the jury narrows things down to about 100 competition finalists, screened alongside 40-50 out-of-competition films in a program that ranges from student shorts to international features. The 2026 jury includes cartoonist and Giller-nominated graphic novelist Seth (who also designed this year’s poster), Vancouver-based artist Barry Doupé, and animator Lillian Chan, whose credits span Kid Koala’s Space Cadet to Disney XD commercial work.

The festival sprawls across six venues within walking distance of each other in downtown Ottawa — ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Club SAW, Strathcona Park, the National Arts Centre, and the Ottawa Art Gallery — which means the five days feel less like sitting in one theatre and more like a walkable animation crawl through the city. Add in nightly parties, an industry-facing conference (TAC) for professionals, and a dedicated All Ages Day for families, and OIAF manages to serve everyone from casual film fans to working studio animators without diluting either experience.

🗓️ Five-Day Overview

The full program launches in August, but here’s the shape of the week based on the festival’s day-pass structure.

🎟️ Tickets & Passes

There’s a format for every level of commitment, from a single screening to the full five-day industry experience.

📋 Essentials at a Glance

🚗 Getting There & Parking

All six OIAF venues sit within a compact downtown Ottawa footprint, centred around the ByWard Market and the National Arts Centre — walkable between screenings once you’re in the core.

By transit: Rideau Station on the O-Train Confederation Line is a short walk from Arts Court and the ByWard Market venues.

Driving: Downtown paid lots and street parking serve the ByWard Market area; expect higher demand during evening parties.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🎫 Passholders don’t need to pre-book tickets — passes scan at the door like a ticket. But reserving a free ticket in advance for Animation Exposé talks helps guarantee a seat.

🎓 Bring student ID if eligible. Canadian post-secondary students get $20–30 off most passes, and the Teen Saturday Pass is free with a valid high school ID.

🚫 Some events don’t sell tickets at all. TAC sessions, parties, the Animators’ Picnic, and the Awards Ceremony are pass-only — no individual ticket option.

🧺 Save room for the Animators’ Picnic. It runs Friday noon–4 PM and is a laid-back way to meet filmmakers between screenings.

🗺️ Plan your route between venues. With six locations in play, checking the schedule ahead of time for which venue each screening is in saves cross-town scrambling.

Support the Festival 🎨

OIAF is run by the Canadian Film Institute, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating and advancing the art of film and animation in Canada. Fifty years of programming don’t happen without community support.

❓ Common Questions