Tickets are Now Available for NCSFest: May 17-19 in Huntington Beach, CA

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Cartoonists Society announces that tickets are now available for the first-ever NCSFest in Huntington Beach, CA. The festival dates are May 17-19, 2019. More than 100 cartoonists from around the world participating in both free and ticketed events. Information about every event and all of the cartoonists and comic artists attending can be found at NCSFest.com. Tickets and passes can be ordered here: https://ncsfest.com/tickets/

Ticket passes allow fans to register for exclusive workshops and seminars held at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach throughout the festival. Award-winning cartoonists and comic artists will be on-site speaking about their craft – with many available for personal "meet-and-greets" and memorabilia signings. There are single-day passes ($15-20 each), or full weekend bundle ($50).

A selection of award-winning cartoonists conducting ticketed workshops, signings and talks include:

•     Charlie Adlard – The Walking Dead
•     Daniel Clowes - Ghost World
•     Sergio Aragonés, Tom Richmond, Luke McGarry – Mad Magazine
•     Cathy Guisewite - Cathy
•     Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez – Love and Rockets
•     Patrick McDonnell - Mutts
•     Pénélope Bagieu - Brazen
•     Robb Armstrong – JumpStart
•     Bill Morrison – The Simpsons
•     David Silverman – Director of The Simpsons Movie and co-Director of Monsters, Inc.

"We are thrilled that the National Cartoonist Society chose Huntington Beach as the location for the first NCSFest," states Huntington Beach Mayor Erik Peterson. "We are internationally known as 'Surf City USA,' and are widely regarded as a haven for artists, celebrating a variety of creativity ranging from street art to crafting. This is an exciting event that we expect to develop into an annual tradition and celebration for our community, as well as those who will experience the event in our beach community from around the globe."

The majority of events during NCSFest are FREE and open to the public – no tickets or passes required except where noted. Free events will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19 throughout Huntington Beach: on the Huntington Beach Pier, on Main Street and on 5th & PCH, at the Huntington Beach Library (Main Street branch) and at the Huntington Beach Arts Center.

Some of the free events include:
"Artists Alley" on Huntington Beach's historic Main Street. The marketplace features more than a hundred artists displaying and selling their work, doing signings and caricatures alongside booths devoted to publishers, bookshops, and international organizations.

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity presents "U Draw, We Draw," a colorful and inspiring world of drawing and where families can drop in and draw alongside a wide range of artists throughout the weekend. A unique chance to explore, play and develop their creative skills.

All along Main Street and 5th & PCH the Windows on Comic Art Trail features original comic art in the windows of a number of local Huntington Beach businesses. An important part of NCSFest's aim to involve the local community and take over Downtown for the weekend with all things comic art, the trail will open on May 6th and run until May 24th.

In association with the Orange County School of the Arts, the iconic Huntington Beach Pier will become the "Comic Pier." A performance will allow the public to see live drawing by the talented art students alongside acclaimed cartoonists. The students will also perform in the finale of NCSFest, celebrating the work of "The Walking Dead" artist Charlie Adlard, with a Pacific Coast Zombie Walk on the main stage at the Pier.

Acclaimed exhibitions coming from France such as "Héro(ïn)es" and "French Comics Framed" will be presented downtown and in the Huntington Beach Arts Center.

NCSFest Director Steve McGarry, who also serves as President of the National Cartoonists Society Foundation, the charitable and educational arm of the NCS, states "No other event in the world has brought together such a stellar array of award-winning, widely-read cartoonists and comics creators. We are showcasing superstars from the worlds of comic books, comic strips, editorial cartoons and feature films. We know that the thousands of fans who will attend NCSFest will leave with memories that last a lifetime… or at least until NCSFest 2020!

There will be activities for everyone and every age at the inaugural NCSFest, May 17-19 in Huntington Beach. Please visit NCSFest.com for more information and https://ncsfest.com/tickets/ to purchase passes for the exclusive events.

NCSFest is a partnership between NCS, The Lakes International Comic Art Festival in the UK Lyon BD Festival in France, Visit Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach Arts Center, City of Huntington Beach, Orange County School of the Arts, and INNOCEAN USA.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY
The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists. It was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops. They found that they enjoyed each other's company and decided to get together on a regular basis.
Today, the NCS membership roster includes over 500 of the world's major cartoonists, working in many branches of the profession, including newspaper comic strips and panels, comic books, editorial cartoons, animation, gag cartoons, greeting cards, advertising, magazine and book illustration and more.
Membership is limited to established professional cartoonists, with a few exceptions of outstanding persons in affiliated fields. The NCS is not a guild or union, although we have joined forces from time to time to fight for member's rights, and we regularly use our talents to help worthwhile causes.

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SOURCE NCSFest