Hacker Beach is a month-long, spontaneous, self-organized gathering of hackers and like-minded people on a tropical island (or coast). It happens every year in January.

There is no organization, no prepackaged deal, no tickets to purchase, or registration forms to submit. The gist is: if you want to recharge your body and mind in a warm and relaxed place, with enough Internet to work and play from, affordable accommodation, delicious food, and no rowdy tourist groups around, but instead a bunch of hackers and their friends… just show up at our destination sometime during the month of January!

What to expect

• Hacking, not cracking
• FOSS creation and contribution galore (non-programmers welcome)
• Exchanging knowledge, experience, and ideas
• Occasional unconference-style sessions
• Fantastic weather
• Outdoor activity options, like e.g. hiking, snorkeling, scuba-diving
• Explore the wider region before/after your time at the official location
• Whatever you want to make it. Hacker Beach is just people.

Joining us

If you need help with something, or have any questions whatsoever, just ask on the Fediverse, on Nostr, or in #hackerbeach on libera.chat.

Tip: Spontaneous participation, i.e. booking your flight during Hacker Beach and joining us in the middle of the month, is a normal thing to do and actively encouraged.

See you on the beach!

Past episodes

2013: Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
2014: Lamu Island, Kenya
2015: Portsmouth, Dominica
2016: Canoa, Ecuador
2017: Flores, Indonesia
2018: Petite Côte, Sénégal
2019: Coron, Philippines
2020: Palomino, Colombia
2021: Wherever you went
2022: La Libertad, El Salvador
2023: Langkawi, Malaysia
2024: Mahajanga, Madagascar

Next episode

January 2025: Bocas del Toro, Panama

If you’re interested in participating, please follow this blog, and/or our account on the Fediverse or Nostr.

Some of us are hanging out in #hackerbeach on the Libera.Chat IRC network. We also have an invite-only XMPP channel at hackerbeach@kosmos.chat, which is the main communication and planning channel for participants at the moment. Please request an invite to that, if you want to join.

Header photo by Pieter Bas Elskamp, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0