Montreal – A free retrospective lecture will be held on July 20, 2026 at the York Amphitheatre on the Concordia University campus to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Fantasia Festival and to recognize illustrator Donald Caron’s long‑standing work on the event’s posters.
The lecture, open to the public, will focus on Caron’s poster designs that have marked the festival’s visual identity since 1997. Organisers said the talk will trace the evolution of his artwork over the three decades of the festival, offering insight into the creative process behind the iconic images that have accompanied Fantasia’s program each year.
Fantasia Festival, now in its thirtieth year, has highlighted Caron’s contributions as a central part of its branding strategy. The festival’s founders launched the event in 1997, the same year Caron began producing its promotional posters. Over the ensuing years his illustrations have become synonymous with the festival’s reputation for genre cinema and avant‑garde programming.
The York Amphitheatre, a venue on Concordia’s downtown campus, was selected for its capacity to host a large audience while providing a setting suitable for visual presentations. The free nature of the event reflects the festival’s aim to make its history accessible to both longtime fans and newcomers interested in the intersection of illustration and film culture. Attendees can expect a chronological showcase of Caron’s work, accompanied by commentary on the artistic choices that have defined Fantasia’s public image since its inception.
The lecture marks a rare public acknowledgment of an individual artist’s role in shaping a major cultural event’s brand. By spotlighting Caron’s three‑decade partnership with Fantasia, the festival underscores the importance of visual storytelling in promoting its diverse programming and in cementing its place in Montreal’s cultural landscape.