Mocca Fest 2025 Recap: A Celebration of Indie Comics

The Society of Illustrators hosted its 23rd annual convention, the MoCCA Arts Festival, which was a delight. The fest was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th St in Manhattan. I attended the fest with my friend Don Pooler on Saturday, 3/15 as we traversed throughout the space to converse and purchase art from various artists that were on the floor. 

What I enjoy about MoCCA Fest is that it’s a convention that celebrates art and artists. It’s not influenced purely by commercial means and is centered on supporting illustrators and artists of varying styles and prestige. What sets MoCCA apart from the usual slew of conventions that you find is that it’s personable and genuine. Attendees show up not because of a brand, they show up to support their favorite artists or have a newly discovered appreciation for artists that they’ve never seen before. Attendees could test upcoming illustration programs from Adobe and other developers at various booths.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with artists and creators, fostering a deeper appreciation for the craft that comic creators, cartoonists, fine artists, and illustrators bring to life. This interaction emphasized the sense of community among established artists, aspiring creators, and art lovers, leaving a lasting impression of admiration and hope that artists remain significant, especially beyond the companies they work for. Among the many artists present were Ari Richter, Carlo Quispe of Uranus Comix, Shawn Cheng, Ding Pao Yen, Chen Pei-Hsiu, Peter Rostovsky, Johnny Dombroski, Natalie Andrewson, and many others.

If there is any takeaway from attending MoCCA ‘2025, it’s that it’s centered on artists, for artists and lovers of the arts and comics medium. These days, it can be easy to become cynical about certain conventions and festival spaces, especially within the comic book space, but this festival was a sight for sore eyes, showing that there is still a genuine celebration for artists and solely artists. Sure there are some sponsors, but it’s not as heavily bogged down by consumer influence as other conventions and spaces.  If you love art, illustration, DIY, and comics, MoCCA is a place to be.