Cartoon Festival Planners Gather in London

London-based comic creators will be gathering again next week (Tuesday 7th July) to discuss ideas for next year's planned London International Cartoon Festival.

This is the first of what are now bi-monthly Festival meetings at the Cartoonist Pub and, as well as discussing the Cartoon Festival, the meetings are social gatherings with business networking opportunities. A regular group of attendees is developing now, giving the meeting a real 'club' feel about it.

Plans for the Festival itself are gathering pace, says organiser Simon Ellinas.

"A lot has been discussed, a lot of plans have been made and a lot of people have been seen. There's a groundswell of support building up from cartoonists all the way through to official organisations such as Visit London, Visit Britain and The Cartoon Museum.

All of these venerable institutions are lending the power of their publicity departments to ensure that no corner of the universe will be unaware of the London International Cartoon Festival," he continues. "Camden Council are keen to get involved in any charitable angle we can incorporate and we can just about hear doors squeaking open in the office of Boris Johnson whose assistants have promised us access - we just have to be patient!"

The actual content of the Festival is still being devised and revised all the time and a website is developing into a nice place to visit for updates and various bits and pieces of cartoon-related news.

• The next London International Cartoon Festival meeting is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 7th July at The Cartoonist Pub, Little New Street, off Shoe Lane, London EC4A 3JB. Web: www.londoncartoonfestival.com Blog: londoncartoonfestival.com/blog