Date
15-17 April 2026
Location(s)
Time
10:00 - 18:00
Tickets
FAQ
Timetable
Fest and conference dedicated to design and craftsmanship in film, animation and games.
In 2026, The Art Department returns to the iconic Klokgebouw, celebrating 20 years of Playgrounds with a packed program full of artist talks, workshops, demos, screenings, live sketching sessions, portfolio reviews, expos and opportunities to connect with the industry and so much more! A true playground for the creative industry.
To mark this milestone, we are going bigger than ever with three days of festival magic:
📅 15 April: In-Depth Day | A full day of extensive talks, masterclasses and screenings of Playgrounds International Film Festival
📅 16 + 17 April: The Art Department | Main Event
20 YEARS OF PLAYGROUNDS: OUR BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
are you ready to celebrate? (Thursday 16 April)
afterparty
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION (KPOP DEMON HUNTERS)
head of character animation Joshua Beveridge & visual development artist Wendell Dalit
artist talk
NATHAN FOWKES
concept artist
artist talk
BLUR
production company
artist talk
MATT NAVA (GIANT SQUID STUDIOS)
game development studio
artist talk
PERNILLE ØRUM
character designer, visual development artist
artist talk
MOONHOOD
video game studio
artist talk
RAMAN DJAFARI
illustrator, animator, filmmaker
artist talk
BORIS & NICOLAS
animators
artist talk
OLOV BURMAN
director and animator
artist talk
BLENDER STUDIO
premiere of new short Singularity
artist talk
CLAIRE KEANE
author-illustrator, visual development artist
artist talk
LIP COMARELLA
director, visual development artist, art director
artist talk
ADAM PALOIAN
director, producer, character designer
artist talk
CAT JOHNSTON
director, character designer, model maker and illustrator
artist talk
LOEK VUGS
designer, animator, teacher
artist talk
XAVIERA ALTENA
illustrator
artist talk
MAUREEN VAN DER HOUT & RACHELLE JOY SLINGERLAND
character design duo
artist talk
DIEPFRIS
concept artist
artist talk
BIANCA NAZARI (ENVAR STUDIO)
senior recruiter
artist talk
SANDRO CLEUZO
animator and character designer
artist talk
YONK
VR sculpting 3D a studio
artist talk
ENVAR STUDIO
outsource & game studio
artist talk
REAL TALKS WITH IRIS COMPIET & LOISH
a sit-down with two industry legends
real talk
FONS SCHIEDON
director, designer
artist talk
IRIS COMPIET: FROM SKETCH TO WATER COLOR
an ode to traditional media
demo
ARTIST STUDIOS
check your favorite artists at work
artist studios
LESBIAN SIMULATOR
a VR experience by Iris van der Meule
expo
ART MARKET
print, apparal & tattoos
art market
CLIP STUDIO PAINT DEMO BY JAKOB EIRICH
illustrator, concept artist and art director
demo
SKETCH SESSIONS BY DRINK AND DRAW BERLIN
live sketching experience
sketch sessions
NEXT STAGE
stage curated by the Next Talent Program
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: MURMUR ANIMATION
animation duo
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: SABER AIDARUS
director, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: PIT LEMPENS
illustrator, animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: TESSA STEHOUWER
animator
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: JIP CROMBAG
game designer
artist talk
NEXT STAGE: LUCAS PETERSEN
2D animator, storyboarder
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: REDIVIDER STUDIO
creative studio
artist talk
OPEN STAGE: SYNTICFAYE
illustrator
artist talk
EXPO: THE SECRET OF NIMH
key pieces from one of the largest NIMH collections in Europe
expo
PANEL: DIVERSIFY YOUR SKILLS
with Georgie Holt, Bianca Nazari, Kevin Zamir Goeke and Bastien Grivet!
panel
DEMO BY LOISH
dive into Loish' digital drawing process
demo
PANEL: CREATIVITY AND HUMAN NATURE
with Spiridon Giannakis, Pernille Ørum, Lip Comarella and Atey Ghailan
panel
VPRO RADIO NOOIT MEER SLAPEN WITH IRIS COMPIET
live recording with VPRO Nooit Meer Slapen (this interview is in Dutch)
interview
ASK AWAY! Q&A WITH TAD ARTISTS
getting answers to audience questions
ask away!
BOOKSHOP
discover art books, comics and exclusive titles
books
PLAYGROUNDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
where we put the art of filmmaking in the spotlight
film fest
FOODCOURT BY SMAAKMAKERIJ
coffee, snacks, burgers, poké bowls and more!
food & drinks
WORKSHOP CREATE & PLAY BY CARDBOARDERS
16 April | create your own character!
workshop
COMMUNITY ART CHALLENGES
have your works shown during TAD 2026
community
IN-DEPTH DAY AT NATLAB, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
In-Depth Day | 15 April
info
MASTERCLASS USING COLOR IN CHARACTER DESIGN BY PERNILLE ØRUM
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS CREATING, ADAPTING AND DEVELOPING SERIES WITH ADAM PALOIAN
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS BY BORIS & NICOLAS
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS BY LIP COMARELLA
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS IN COLOR DESIGN BY NATHAN FOWKES
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS INFLUENCE OF PHOTOGRAPHY ON STORYTELLING BY BASTIEN GRIVET
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
MASTERCLASS ACTING IN ANIMATION BY SANDRO CLEUZO
In-Depth Day | 15 April
masterclass
PLAYGROUNDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026
where we put the art of filmmaking in the spotlight
film fest
IMAGINE EVERYTHING COMPETITION
short films that dazzle our eyes and minds
short film program
SAUCY SELECTION
erotic shorts by female and queer makers
short film program
STUDENT FILM COMPETITION
official selection of student films
short film program
CYCLE
VR experience
VR experience
WORKSHOP BY NATHAN FOWKES: ENVIRONMENT DESIGN (SOLD OUT)
14 April | 6-hour long workshop (separate ticket required)
workshop
WORKSHOP BY ERIK HILLENBRINK: CREATURE DESIGN & SCULPTING
17 April | Design and sculpt your own creature from concept to form
workshop
WORKSHOP BY WOUTER TULP: EXPRESSIVE CHARACTER DESIGN
17 April | bring your characters to life
workshop
WHAT IS THE INDUSTRY GARDEN?
meet industry professionals to let your projects grow
industry garden
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
brush up your portfolios! (register on-site)
portfolio reviews, industry garden
FACE 2 FACE
Sketch, chat, repeat! (register on-site)
chat and doodles
MEET & GREETS
chat with our festival speakers
industry garden
GAME DEMOS
play the game of your favorite artist
industry garden
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
ENVAR STUDIO
industry garden, industry walk-in
SOUND & VISION
join the competition!
industry garden, industry walk-in
SUBMARINE
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
PATHFINDER STUDIOS
concept art studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
TWIRLBOUND
game studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
GUERRILLA
game studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
COOLER MEDIA
animation studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
AMBASSADORS
multi-disciplinary studio
industry garden, industry walk-in
KUNSTENBOND
supporting creatives & cultural workers
industry garden, industry walk-in
DE ONTMOETING
talent development & funding
industry garden, industry walk-in
B’GAME INCUBATOR
startup development
industry garden, industry walk-in
AVANS UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Master of Animation
industry garden, education corner
BREDA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (BUAS)
Academy of Games
industry garden, education corner
MEDIA COLLEGE AMSTERDAM
Game Artist Program
industry garden, education corner
ST.JOOST ACADEMY OF ART & DESIGN
Illustrated & Animated Storytelling
industry garden, education corner
DELTION COLLEGE
Immersive Designer and Developer
industry garden, education corner
FONTYS ICT
Virtual Production (VP) minor
industry garden, education corner
HANZE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Creative Media and Game Technologies
industry garden, education corner
FONTYS ACADEMY OF THE ARTS
Art, Communication and Design
industry garden, education corner
NEXT BY SINTLUCAS
3D Dynamics, 2D Flow, New Technologies
industry garden, education corner
THE NETHERLANDS FILM ACADEMY
VFX (Visual Effects)
industry garden, education corner
WILLEM DE KOONING ACADEMY
animation and illustration
industry garden, education corner
WHAT ARE THE ARTIST STUDIOS?
check your favorite artists at work
artist studios
CAT JOHNSTON
model making
artist studios
SKETCH & CAKE TAD EDITION
creative drawing sessions
artist studios
SURREAL CHARACTER ANIMATION IN TVPAINT BY RAMAN DJAFARI
TVPaint demo by Raman Djafari
artist studios
NATHAN FOWKES
Nathan's best digital techniques
artist studios
GHOSTS, GHOULS AND GOBLINS: MASK MAKING WITH CAT JOHNSTON
workshop in the artist studios (walk-in)
workshop
ENTER THE BRUSHPEN WITH BAYAR TSEDENSODNOM
sketching
artist studios
FORMX MATERIAL PLAYGROUND WITH LEE D’ARCY
silecone finger dummy workshop & airbrush test lab
artist studios
CREATURE SCULPTING & SFX WITH ERIK HILLENBRINK
powered by FormX
artist studios
SCULPTING BY RICK OERLEMANS (CLAYPERDAY)
powered by FormX
artist studios
SPECIAL MAKE-UP WITH LAWRENCE KELATOW
powered by FormX
artist studios
VEHICLE MARKER SKETCHING BY DIEPFRIS
get tips and tricks in this 2-hour session
artist studios
(NOT TOO) DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE PAINTING BY BASTIEN GRIVET
painting
artist studios
SCULPTING WITH MOONHOOD
sculpting
artist studios
DREAMY PAINTINGS WITH ACRYLICS BY EILEEN TRETTER
painting
artist studios
FLOORAL BY PUCK PAASSEN (PATJAKKER) AT KETELHUISPLEIN
life-size floor painting powered by Keep An Eye Foundation
expo
XXXL COLORING PAGE
color with us during PIFF & TAD!
expo
WINDRAWS ROUTE
free open air expo in Eindhoven powered by Keep An Eye Foundation
expo
DISCOVER STRIJP-S!
take a look around!
hotspot
WINDRAWS ROUTE: LIVE DRAWING SESSION WITH ANOUK VAN ESCH
watch the Klokgebouw windows come to life
expo
Note: with a TAD ticket for 15, 16, or 17 April, you can join any of the PIFF program parts for free, as long as seats are available.
IMAGINE EVERYTHING COMPETITION
short films that dazzle our eyes and minds
short film program
STUDENT FILM COMPETITION
official selection of student films
short film program
SAUCY SELECTION
erotic shorts by female and queer makers
short film program
NEXT GEM
enjoy a selection of films from emerging makers to have on your radar
short film program
CYCLE
VR experience
VR experience
DOCUMENTARY: JODOROWSKY’S DUNE
documentary
film screening
LABYRINTH
artists favorites
film screening, Artist's Favorites
GHOST STORIES
anthology of short films
short film program, Creator's Insights
THE FANTASY FILM WORLDS OF GEORGE PAL
artist's favorites with screening of a short and intro by Cat Johnston
film screening
DIY TO THE TOP
talk by Michael Middelkoop
artist talk, film talent & industry day
GUIDE THROUGH THE INDUSTRY
Interactive Q&A Session with Janey van Ierland
ask away!, film talent & industry day
VISUALISING THE UNFILMABLE
talk by Jean Counet & Nordin Lasfar
panel, film talent & industry day
FILMHELPDESK SPEED DATES
custom advice for your particular filmmaking challenge
Q&A
PUSS IN BOOTS
creator's insights by Nathan Fowkes
film screening, Creator's Insights
FILMWORKER (DIRECTOR’S CUT 2026)
documentary premiere
film screening, Creator's Insights
SUSPIRIA
piff classics
film screening, Classics
5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT IN-DEPTH DAY
are you joining our extra festival day?
PICK YOUR PARTNER PACKAGE AND JOIN THE INDUSTRY GARDEN!
connect with the industry, interact with talents, network with your peers
FIRST GLIMPSES OF PLAYGROUNDS 20 YEARS ANNIVERSARY
2026 will be extra special for us!
WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE ART DEPARTMENT 2026?
don't be shy, reach out to us!
WHAT IS A NEXT GEN TICKET?
if you are aged 25 or under you can enjoy TAD 2026 with a discount!
OPEN CALL: APPLY FOR A SPOT IN THE ART MARKET! (CLOSED)
let the TAD 2026 visitors enjoy your artworks!
OPEN CALL: JOIN OUR TAD STAGE (CLOSED)
be one of the speakers of TAD 2026!
20 March 2025
- 21 March 2025
THE ART DEPARTMENT EINDHOVEN 2025 (SOLD OUT)
18 April 2024
- 19 April 2024
The Art Department Eindhoven 2024
20 April 2023
- 21 April 2023
The Art Department Eindhoven 2023
21 April 2022
- 22 April 2022
The Art Department Eindhoven 2022
biggest creative meetup for concept artists and designers in film, animation and games in Europe
