Two-days of talks, panels and masterclasses from the people making animation, games, comics, film and VFX.

Built for the next generation of creative professionals in the South East anyone and everyone how loves this kinda thing.

ANIMATION . GAMES . DESIGN . COMICS . FILM . VFX .

WHAT IS CRASH?

Crash is a festival built for people with a passion for the creative industries and the professionals already in them.

We bring world-class speakers from games studios, animation houses, VFX companies, comic publishers and design agencies to Kent. For two days, you get direct access to the people doing the work, their careers, their process, their advice.

Started in Ashford in 2025. Now in Canterbury.

13–14 August 2026 · The Malthouse · Canterbury

2025 speakers

In 2025, our speakers included professionals from ILM, Sony Pictures Animation, Splash Damage and many more.

industrial Light & Magic

A behind-the-scenes photo of Star Wars film production, showing stormtroopers, camera crew, and a green screen set with a detailed spaceship set piece in a studio.

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) the pioneering visual effects known for revolutionising cinematic special effects. ILM creates groundbreaking visual magic for major film franchises while continually advancing industry-leading technology.

A collage of different scenes featuring artistic illustrations and photographs. The left side shows a hand with black ink smudges in front of a golden symbol and the year 1940. The middle features a stylized drawing of a monkey and a man in a tuxedo. The right side depicts a dark scene with a skull and a woman with short hair and hoop earrings, illuminated by a warm light.

LaurEnce Campbell

British artist whose career spans from Caliber Comics to Marvel, working on Punisher Max, Deadpool, and Stephen King adaptations. Also contributed to Dark Horse's BPRD and creator-owned projects with AWA and Image.

Nikolaos Finizio

Poster for the movie 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' showing Miles Morales upside down, surrounded by various Spider-Man characters from different universes, with cityscape background and the movie title at the bottom.

Award-winning animator behind "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," earning ANNIE and VES awards for his exceptional FX work. Collaborator with Sony, Netflix, and Riot Games; guest teacher at Gobelins Paris.

Splash Damage

A man with curly red hair, glasses, and a beard smiling with crossed arms, standing in front of a blue marina background with boats and a large orange potted plant nearby.

Connor Potts is the Lead Narrative Designer at Splash Damage, previously Lead Writer at Flavourworks and Video Games professional at Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Has worked on Driver: San Francisco, Pottermore, The London Heist VR (PlayStation’s first Narrative VR game) and many more.

See the full 2025 lineup

Who is it for?

Students · Animators · Game Developers · Illustrators · Comic Artists · Educators · Industry Professionals · Anyone curious about creative careers

The Venue

Crash 2026 is at The Malthouse — a 384-seat professional venue at The King's School Canterbury, with full technical facilities and a track record of hosting world-class events.

For more info see The Malthouse