Unconference / July 18, 2026

Barcamp 2026

Barcamp is an un-conference that anybody can attend and where anybody can speak about anything. There are no attendees. Only participants. If you are not talking, you are helping out one way or another.

Date: July 18, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Venue: IIT Gandhinagar, AB 7/101-104
Participation: Sheet open until July 14

Propose a session

Add your name to the participation list, then add your topic and a brief description to the talk list.

Claim slots on the day

The session wiki opens at the venue. Speakers show up and add their names to an available room and slot.

Move freely

This is not a captive audience. Everybody is free to move out of any talk at any time.

Barcamp basics

Questions people usually ask.

Can I really talk about anything?

For all practical purposes, yes. If we think you are trying to start a riot, or if we think your talk would lead to any crowd control issues, we will not be able to host your session.

But what should I talk about?

Preferably something that other people find interesting. This is not a captive audience; everybody is free to move out of any talk at any time.

Nice, I would like to talk. How do I sign up?

First, add your name to the participation list. Then add your topic and a brief description to the talk list.

I would just like to attend. How do I sign up?

You do not. There are no attendees. Only participants. If you are not talking, you are helping out one way or another. Register Now.

What do I pay to participate?

Nothing. But we will not begrudge you bringing in some swag. We are suckers for freebies.

Can I do my sales pitch here?

Sure, but you are going to be talking to a bunch of people who are likely to get annoyed and leave once they figure out this is a sales pitch. So you have no incentive to do this.

Schedule

The session wiki decides the day.

There will be three rooms at the venue. Each room is a track. We set up a whiteboard with time slots for each track; this is called the session wiki. Speakers show up and add their names to a room and slot of their choice that is available.

Each time slot is 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes after the slot for switch-over. Time slots are strictly enforced; there are no exceptions.

There are also informal areas: staircases, verandahs, hallways, and other nearby spaces. These are BoF sessions. Speakers can note these on the session wiki as well. There are no time limits for these, but please do not be a crowd-control headache. We will nudge you out, or ask you to find another place to talk.

Want to host a talk for longer than 20 minutes? Keep it short. Seriously. If somehow you are able to convince people to listen beyond 20 minutes, go host a BoF session.

Practicalities

Food, stay, sponsorship, and what next.

This is cool. Whom do I discuss with for sponsorship slots?

Due to the very open and liberal nature of this event, we do not do classical sponsorships. Sponsorships come with expectations around sponsored talks, stalls, and audience lists, all of which participants tend to avoid.

Regardless, if you would like to put in some money with no strings attached, or perhaps pay for travel or stay for some participants or buy some food during the event, please email neeldhara.misra@gmail.com.

I am coming in from outside the city. Where do I stay?

There are some hotels nearby: Fortune Haveli Inn, GIFT City Club, Grand Mercure, and The Fern.

If you would like to be hosted at the campus guest house, please indicate as much when you add yourself to the sheet. A limited number of slots will be available and they will be prioritized for speakers and organizers. Names added to the waitlist on a given day will be batched and sent for reservations the next day, so confirmations should come quickly.

If you stay near the venue and are happy to host a Barcamper or two, please email neeldhara.misra@gmail.com.

Where do I get food?

There are canteens close to the venue, there is a student mess where you can walk in, and you can Zomato or Swiggy some grub as well.

How many people are going to show up?

This is not a classical corporate or academic event with a ton of planning. We are generally happy for a few dozen people to show up. Due to venue capacity limits, the participation sheet will close at 200 participants.

I have something interesting to talk about, but I have stage fright.

Do not worry; talk to an organizer. We are mostly a bunch of introverted nerds. We will try to pair you up with someone you can go tandem with or set you up on a fireside chat.

What next?

Join the WhatsApp community, invite interesting people to attend, and share a link to this page with them.

Participation

Register, join the community, and show up early.

The participant sheet helps us plan room capacity, campus entry, and updates. Session slots are claimed on the day, so arrive early if you really want to talk.