About the Festival

The Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival was first held in 2004. 

Supported by the Professional Cartoonists Organisation (PCO) and the Cartoonists Club, the Festival has brought many visitors to the town with great support and affection from within the cartoonist community for many years. It has been a symbiotic relationship with the town, involving the local community and attracting visitors and participants from Europe, Australia and the USA.

Wilbur Dawbarn, an editorial cartoonist for The West Australian. A past Walkley Award winner for best cartoon. Seen here at the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival in 2018.

"It's lovely to speak to people, show the cartoon, have them laugh ideally - it's a bit different. It's also great fun to hang out with the other cartoonists, we always have a good time when we get together."

Wilbur Dawbarn, Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival 2018.

Cartoonists enjoy and cherish the opportunity to interact with the public and experience instant reactions to their work, something they can rarely do. Whilst it is a shop window for their skills, it also promotes the profession.

The public seldom sees cartoonists drawing up-close or have affordable opportunities to buy original cartoons and have caricatures drawn. Still, Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival creates that connection, providing interactive and informative side events and cartoon exhibitions that continue to delight a broad audience.