The world's largest animation festival takes place in Annecy
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is no ordinary cultural event. Founded in 1960, it has become over the decades the global benchmark in its field, quite simply the largest animation festival on the planet. Its attendance speaks for itself.
- 18,200 accredited attendees at the 2025 edition
- 118 countries represented
- a spectacular rise, up from 900 participants in 1983
2026, a historic anniversary edition
The year 2026 marks a turning point. The festival's 50th edition coincides with the opening of the brand-new Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation, set on the Haras site in the heart of the city. The event opens with the eagerly awaited Minions & Monsters by Pierre Coffin, in a world premiere. Note that the edition is held exceptionally from 21 to 27 June, pushed back by two weeks because of the G7 summit hosted in Haute-Savoie.
The world's leading studios have confirmed their presence.
- Pixar
- Netflix
- Illumination
- Laika
- Disney Animation
- Warner Bros. Animation
Annecy is not just a showcase, it is the beating heart of the global animation industry.
Practical information
- Dates: 21 to 27 June 2026 (50th edition)
- Venue: Annecy, with the opening of the Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation at the Haras
- Opening film: Minions & Monsters by Pierre Coffin
- Programme and accreditation: on the festival's official website
An economic accelerator for the whole region
The event's impact on the region is just as spectacular. According to the studies carried out for the 2025 edition, the direct economic benefits reach record levels.
- 32.6 million euros in direct benefits in 2025
- a 43% increase over three years, compared with 22.8 million in 2022
- 13.64 euros generated for the local economy for every euro of public funding
For Annecy's hoteliers, restaurateurs, shopkeepers and service providers, the festival is not a simple cultural event, it is an accelerator of rare power, concentrated into a single week.
Annecy shines all year round
And beyond the festival week, Annecy shines all year round. A town of water, mountains and art de vivre, it regularly ranks among the most attractive French towns to live in. Its exceptional quality of life, its dynamic job market driven in part by a booming animation sector, and its incomparable natural setting make it a destination of choice for those who want to combine professional ambition with everyday well-being.
Annecy, the city you come to for a festival and stay in for life
There are towns you discover by chance, and others you tame slowly, year after year, until the day you realise you can no longer do without them. Annecy is one of those.
They first came drawn by a shared passion, animated films. Every June, they would set off for Haute-Savoie, light-hearted, eyes wide open on this world event that the whole world envied them. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was their ritual, their enchanted parenthesis. But over the editions, something unexpected happened, it was Annecy itself that won them over.
The mornings by the lake, the reflection of the mountains in water of an unreal blue, the old-town lanes where the cafés slowly come to life while the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors from around the world. It was no longer simply a festival they were waiting for. It was a town. A way of life.
The idea took root slowly, like those projects that ripen in the quiet of knowing conversations. And then, last year, they took the plunge. Their dream apartment in Annecy became reality. This year, for the first time, they will live the Festival from 21 to 27 June 2026 not as passing visitors, but as fully-fledged Annéciens. A pride they wanted to share with us, and which touches us deeply.
When a passion becomes an art de vivre
This couple's story perfectly illustrates what makes Annecy singular, the ability to turn visitors into devotees, and devotees into residents.
At BARNES Mont-Blanc in Annecy, we support life projects like theirs every day. Buyers who first discovered Annecy over a weekend, a festival, a hike or a winter escape, and who end up deciding that nowhere else do they feel so at home. Our mission is to understand these stories before they are even fully written, to identify the property that will carry them forward, and to guide every step with the rigour and discretion these life decisions deserve.
The art de vivre in Annecy cannot be reduced to an address. It is lived day to day, between lake and mountains, between culture and nature, between the buzz of a world festival and the gentleness of summer mornings on the quays. It is this rare alchemy that we exist to nurture, supporting those who dream of settling on the shores of the lake. Discover our selection of luxury properties for sale in Annecy.
