This year the event will be hosted by Lucca Games 2023 ambassadors Lucca Festival regular Joe Manganiello and Italian Comedian Lillo Petrolo. The ambassadors are set to do battle on November 2nd, the opening day of the Games as a good vs. evil Lucca style with a Grog (the Lucca Games mascot) versus Arkhan the Cruel, Grog will be portrayed by Petrolo and Manganiello will take the role of Arkhan. This exciting event will be a main event on the stage of the Grog Live Show.

Afterwards, Lucca Games pays tribute to the first-ever trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, by hosting an exhibition at Palazzo Arnolfini and creating the Magic Alley at Lucca Games. This exhibit not only pays homage to the longstanding TCG but plays host to 18 internationally renowned artists including Adam Paquette, Andrea Piparo, Jeff Laubenstein, Jesper Ejsing, Johan Grenier, Justine Jones, Marta Nael, Martina Fačková, Michele Giorgi, Mark Zug, Mila Pesic, Randy Vargas, Richard Kane-Ferguson, RK Post, Seb McKinnon, Svetlin Velinov, Milivoj Ćeran and Tony DiTerlizzi renowned for their stunning artwork on MTG TCG cards.

Wizards of the Coast Creator Peter Adkison will also attend to present the Italian premiere of Kelley Slagle and Brian Stillman’s documentary Magic: The Gathering “Igniting the Spark” and the showrunners will also be on-site in the Magic Alley for the event. Below is a list of the 30th-anniversary events the organizers have in store for attendees.

Lucca Games 30th Anniversary Events

• Plenty of live role-playing games will be available on-site, including The Citadel returning with tournaments, live demonstrations, parades and interactive events.
• The brand new TCG, Star Wars: Unlimited will also be on hand for the historic event. While the game will be launched worldwide in 2024, it will be possible to play it first at the Carducci Pavilion in Lucca. Those who come to play Star Wars: Unlimited will receive two exclusive promo cards as a gift, a must-attend for fans of the galaxy far, far away.
• CEO of Catan Studio, Pete Fenlon will be in attendance, and he will kick off Catan Day on November 4th for the first time ever. Interestingly, attendees can show off their Catan prowess and even take place in the 23/24 Catan National Championship (Hosted by Lucca Games) where fans will be able to compete to win access to the tables of the national final.
• Much, much more.

Festival Director, Emanuele Vietina says “This year we are expecting hundreds of Italian and international guests who will bring to life one of the biggest pop culture events in the world.” The Lucca Comics & Games festival for 2023 will take place from November 1 through November 5. More information can be found on the Lucca Games website, including ticketing information to attend in person.