Welcome to the fascinating world of cartoons, visit our exhibitions or try your luck in a cartoon competition.
Celebrated children’s author Marc de Bel, once known for twenty years as “Teacher Marc,” spent years jotting down funny, quirky sentences from compositions written by students. These childlike, delightfully naïve slips of the pen form the basis of this new book. Teacher Marc turned them into a single cheerful story, full of surprises and humor.
Fifteen Flemish cartoonists added witty, humorous illustrations. The result is a book that brings together the language of children and the images they evoke in adults.
Leon De Borger, Yves De Ridder, Christophe Denys, Nikola Hendrickx, Jelle Janssens, Pieter Lefevere, Stefaan Provijn, Iris Van Robays, Tess Van Deynse, Trui Vanden Berghe, Wouter Van Ghysegem, Norbert van Yperzeele, Luc Vernimmen, Geert Verscheure, and Stefaan Veys.
04 | 04 | 2026 > 15 | 06 | 2026
Iris Van Robays (31) brings together a selection of her most beloved Kwinkslagerijen and standalone cartoons. GNIFFEL invites you into her world of wordplay, small absurdities and gentle wonder. Expect sparkle, double meanings and—hopefully here and there—an unexpected laugh, ranging from a subtle snigger to uninhibited belly laughter.
05 | 04 | 2026 > 20 | 04 | 2026
“On a beautiful day, when the weather was bad for a change …”
A cheerful story by Marc de Bel – or rather: by the children who once sat in his classroom. Fifteen Flemish cartoonists drew inspiration from the story and added witty, humorous illustrations. The result is a book that brings together the language of children and the images it evokes in adults.
25 | 04 | 2026 > 01 | 06 | 2026
Kruishoutem celebrates Heritage Day 2026 with a generous dose of heritage fun. The Hultheim Local History Society and the ECC take visitors back to the days when the egg market, hatcheries, and auctions made the town buzz with activity and attracted traders from far and wide.
We announce international cartoon contests on our contest pages. Check it regularly so you don’t miss any deadline to submit your cartoons.
11.04.2026
Check the cartoon contest with deadline in april
07.04.2026
The Flemish Heritage Day 2026 will carry the theme “Haha Humor.” FARO drew inspiration from the European Cartoon Center. That day you will find a lot of cartoon exhibitions and activities in Flanders.
22.03.2026
Cartoonfestival Knokke from the 21 th of March till 3rd of May in CC Scharpoord
01.03.2026
Cartoons by Chris Joole till the 10th of May in Theater Vooruit in Boechout.
13.12.2025
Discover the winning cartoons of the Brain Sneezing cartoon festival
When he was preparing to move from his house to a new apartment, the former Prime Minister of Belgium Jean-Luc Dehaene called us with a simple question: would the ECC be interested in the original cartoons and caricatures from his private collection? Of course we accepted the offer.
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The rules for the next edition of the Euro-kartoenale will be available in the Summer of 2026. In the meanwhile you can practice your skills by participating in some of the other contests.
Every Sunday from 10-12 and 14-17 you can visit the ECC as an individual with free entrance
Winterbreak: the European Cartoon Center is closed between the 22nd of December till the 22nd of January.
As we want to promote cartoons as an art form to the general public and find it important that everyone has the possibility to see cartoons, you can visit the ECC on Sunday by the 'Pay what you wish'-principal. You decide what your visit to the exhibition is worth and according your own budget. This way of working is only possible because the European Cartoon Center is a non-profit organization that operates 100% on volunteers.
Keep in mind that your voluntary contribution makes it possible to make cartoon art accessible to all.
For groups there are different paid formulas:
Looking for an original group activity? During your visit, you will gain insight in our mission and how the ECC is working. Of course we will also give an introduction to our exhibitions, where visual language steal the show. A visit lasts approximately 2 hours and is available every day for groups of 10 or more.
The cartoon center is also a unique experience for schools. The program is tailored to the age of your class group.
Kruishoutem is located between Ghent and Kortrijk, just about 30 minutes from the French border. On the E17, take exit 6 and drive towards the center of Kruishoutem. You can park at the back of the European Cartoon Center or in the center of the town. Alongside the town hall runs a path that brings you to the René D’huyvetterstraat (a 5-minute walk).
The most accessible train stations are located in Oudenaarde, Deinze, and Waregem. With the public bus of ‘De Lijn’, you can also reach Kruishoutem by bus from these stations on Sundays. Get off at the Nieuw Plein bus stop. From there, it's a 5-minute walk to the ECC
