TL;DR MIFA (June 21–27) is the only world-class tech event in Annecy — a professional animation/XR/AI market requiring paid accreditation (€420–€600) that fills every hotel in the city. NuméricA (free, ~April) is the best option for a casual visitor with digital curiosity. Outside those two anchors, Annecy has a growing startup community but no major developer conference circuit. [1] [8]
Events at a glance
| Event | When | Scale | Audience | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIFA + Animation Festival | Jun 21–27, 2026 | 975 companies, 7 000 m² | Animation / XR / games pros | €420–€600 accred. |
| NuméricA | ~Apr (annual) | ~30 exhibitors, 8 speakers | Public / all ages | Free |
| Annecy Web | ~Jun (annual) | ~200 attendees | Digital marketing pros | ~€100 |
| French Tech Alpes – Annecy | Monthly | 100+ startups | Founders, developers | Free |
| Annecy DevTalks | Irregular | 54 members | Developers | Free |
MIFA 2026 — the dominant event
MIFA (Marché International du Film d’Animation) runs June 23–26, 2026, embedded within the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 21–27). It is the world’s largest animation industry market: 975 exhibiting companies, 7 000 m² of exhibition space, tens of thousands of professionals. [1] [5]
Tech-specific programming in 2026: [2]
- Mifa IA — Dedicated programme on AI in animation: technological challenges, creative implications, ethical and environmental dimensions. Launches June 22.
- XR & Games hub — 100 m²+ dedicated area for VR/AR/XR demos, key video game and XR companies. [3]
- Gaming Conferences — Sessions on development, distribution, funding, and the animation/games crossover. [6]
- Mifa Cross IP — IP adaptation across games, VR/AR, publishing, and webtoons. [2]
- New venue — 2026 marks the opening of the Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation, a purpose-built facility. [2]
Ubisoft Annecy (AAA studio, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Star Wars: Outlaws) is a permanent presence in the XR & Games space. MIFA also attracts global industry including a dedicated Canada pavilion. [16]
Accreditation pricing (all excl. VAT): [4]
| Tier | Period | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Early bird | Feb 9 – Feb 26, 2026 | €420 |
| Regular | Feb 27 – Apr 28, 2026 | €509 |
| Late | From Apr 29, 2026 | €600 |
Student accreditation and online-only tiers exist at lower rates; specific prices are on the accreditation page. No day-pass option is documented. [4]
⚠ Trip-planning note: The Animation Festival week drives hotel occupancy to near 100% weeks in advance, with significant price surcharges. If the trip overlaps June 21–27, book accommodation months ahead.
NuméricA — free public digital festival
NuméricA is a free, all-ages digital festival organised by Turbine Sciences with City of Annecy support. [7] The 5th edition ran April 18, 2026 (10 am–6 pm) at Bonlieu, central Annecy; extended partner programming ran April 13–17. [8]
2026 programming: [8]
- ~30 regional digital-sector exhibitors
- 8 expert speakers: AI, social media/influencers, cybersecurity, digital ecology
- Ubisoft Annecy gaming zone: retrogaming stations, AI photo booth, online tournaments
- Digital art exhibition (ran March 27 – April 18)
Next edition: ~April 2027. Already past for 2026, but the most accessible tech event in the city for a non-professional visitor—no registration, no fee.
Annecy Web — digital marketing conference
Annecy Web is an annual one-day digital marketing conference held in early June at Hôtel Beauregard in Sevrier (lakeside, 5 km from Annecy centre). [9] The 2025 edition (June 5) drew ~200 attendees; themes covered AI tools, SEO, e-commerce, social media, and UX. [10]
2026 edition: No confirmed date as of June 3, 2026. If it follows prior years it would fall in early June—possibly already past. Audience is digital marketing and web professionals, not developers or IT engineers.
Community scene
French Tech Alpes – Annecy runs the local startup ecosystem (100+ startups): monthly Startup Café networking events, bi-monthly office hours at local incubators, The Place to Pitch annual competition, plus ad-hoc events (Women in Tech, partner workshops). [11] [12] [13] Free to attend.
Annecy DevTalks is a nascent developer meetup (54 members). One documented event in March 2025 at Novotel Atria; schedule irregular. [14] Worth watching for anyone spending multiple days in the city.
Campus Numérique In The Alps is primarily a developer training centre (7 000 m², programmes in DevOps/Docker/K8s, AI, cybersecurity) anchoring 40+ partner companies. Not a public events venue, but the physical hub for Annecy’s tech workforce. [15]
Bottom line for a weekend visit
| Timing | What’s happening | Action |
|---|---|---|
| June 21–27 | MIFA + Animation Festival at full capacity | Book hotels months ahead; professional accred. required for MIFA |
| ~April | NuméricA — free, public, no pre-registration needed | Walk in, no cost |
| ~June | Annecy Web (digital marketing) — if confirmed | Register online if relevant to your work |
| Any time | French Tech Alpes networking, Annecy DevTalks | Check ftalps.com or Meetup for schedule |
Annecy is not a general IT-conference city — the scene is animation/XR-centric (MIFA), community-level (French Tech Alpes), or public-digital (NuméricA). For a broad developer conference experience, Lyon (~140 km) or Grenoble (~50 km) offer denser calendars.