Performers at the festival. [Photo provided to China Daily]

As the country's largest such event to gather animation fans, the 16th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival kicked off in Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, on Tuesday.

Previously, the festival usually started during the May Day holiday, but the event this year was postponed to October's National Day holiday due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Taking place in 12 venues and online, the six-day festival will hold more than 40 activities, and end on Oct 4.

Niu Jun, secretary-general of the festival's executive committee, said this year's festival will fully use the city's experience in containing the epidemic's spread by digital and high-tech means to ensure safety.

For instance, all participants and visitors should use their ID cards to apply for tickets, with all their information uploaded to the city's health code system.