FOSDEM

About FOSDEM Conference 2026

The FOSDEM Conference is Europe’s largest free technical event for open source developers and contributors. It brings together maintainers, core developers, and engineers who build open source software daily. The event covers topics from Linux kernel and databases to programming languages, containers, security, and AI.
This annual gathering connects practitioners who create the tools and infrastructure that power modern technology. Over 1200 speakers present across 71 technical tracks in 2026. The FOSDEM Conference takes place every winter in Brussels, Belgium, on the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February.

What is this open-source developers’ meeting?

FOSDEM Conference stands as Europe’s largest free technical event dedicated to open source software development. This annual gathering attracts developers, maintainers, contributors, and engineering teams from around the world. Here is a quick look at what defines this meeting:

• Free and noncommercial: No registration fees, no tickets required, and absolutely zero commercial barriers to attend any session or room;
• Volunteer-run: A small dedicated core team and hundreds of weekend volunteers organize all logistics without any paid staff;
• Developer-focused audience: Maintainers, core contributors, release engineers, and system architects present talks rather than marketing or sales professionals;
• Technical depth: 1216 speakers deliver 1079 technical events across 71 specialized tracks in 37 rooms during 2 days;
• Community-curated: Project communities select all talks through CFP processes instead of allowing sponsor-driven promotional content.

Dates, location, and participation format

The annual FOSDEM 2026 conference will take place in Brussels this weekend. The event will retain its traditional free format, with participation available both in person and online.

Who should attend this event

The FOSDEM Conference brings together many tech folks and learners from the global open source community. Every group sees unique benefits in the event’s varied activities and chances to connect with others:

• Kernel developers: get together for detailed discussions on Linux kernel details, updates, and programming at the system level with the main maintainers;
• Maintainers: working together with project leaders, talking about sustainability, facing funding issues, and handling community management;
• DevOps and infrastructure engineers: a look at containers, Kubernetes, monitoring tools, and how to set up cloud infrastructure;
• Company representatives: connecting with tech experts, looking at open source strategies, and exploring partnership options;
• Students: getting involved in open source groups, finding mentors, and attending hands-on skill-building workshops;
• FOSDEM Junior participants (ages 7-17): hands-on programming workshops featuring microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi, and game development.

Program structure and session types for 2026

The FOSDEM Conference hosts keynotes, main track sessions, devrooms, lightning talks, BoFs, booths, and workshops in 37 rooms at the same time. This setup hosts 1,079 events of different formats across two days.

Devrooms and technical tracks in 2026

The FOSDEM Conference has devrooms, which are organized by the community. In these spaces, specific open source projects share their talks. Every devroom focuses on a specific technical topic:

• Programming languages like Rust, Go, Python, Java, and JavaScript host talks from their developers and contributors;
• Infrastructure: Containers, Kubernetes, Cloud, Virtualization, and Monitoring devrooms show ways to manage and deploy applications;
• Databases – PostgreSQL, database systems, filesystems, and storage methods keep track of data management topics;
• Operating systems like Microkernel and Component-Based OS, along with BSD and Linux kernels, center around developing the core components;
• Embedded and automotive – These areas focus on embedded systems and software used in vehicles for practical applications.

Main themes and trends in 2026

The main track and devrooms at FOSDEM 2026 tackle important topics that are changing open source development and dealing with today’s challenges in the tech community. The key topics for this year include:

• How AI affects open source development, including risks with code generation, new chances to explore, and shifts in how we work;
• Community fatigue and keeping things going, especially when it comes to how we fund projects and protect those who contribute;
• Challenges in open source security due to weaknesses in generated code and the ways we defend against them.

Volunteers, funding, and community culture

The FOSDEM Conference runs without commercial interests, relying on volunteers and other funding to keep attendance free for thousands of developers and community members from around the globe. Here is how the structure works:

• Groups and donors offer essential funding for operations;
• Sales from products bring in extra money;
• People’s donations help boost the budget;
• Volunteers handle the planning and logistics all year long;
• Volunteers on weekends handle sessions and manage activities on-site;
• There are no fees for registration or tickets;
• People working together make everything in the organization run.

Around the event: FOSDEM Fringe and side activities

The FOSDEM Conference weekend opens up chances for focused tech events all over Brussels. Many engineering teams plan their travel schedules to be at both the main event and specific side activities. Here is what usually happens around the event:

• PGDay takes place on Friday and covers PostgreSQL topics;
• Coding sprints allow contributors to work together directly on projects, fix issues, and plan future updates;
• Many companies arrange internal team meetings while their engineers are already in Brussels;
• Fringe meetups cover specific topics that aren’t part of the main discussions.

FAQ

Is registration required or are tickets needed?

No, you don’t need to register or get tickets for the FOSDEM Conference. Getting in doesn’t cost anything at all. People can just head over to the Université libre de Bruxelles Campus du Solbosch in Brussels in Belgium.

Can I join online if I cannot travel to Brussels?

Absolutely. The FOSDEM Conference streams several rooms live throughout the whole event. A live overview page displays the current sessions as they happen. Once the conference wraps up, you’ll be able to access all the recordings.

Is the event suitable for beginners and students?

Yes, the FOSDEM Conference offers newcomers basic sessions and content that’s friendly for students, along with more advanced discussions. The event includes FOSDEM Junior for kids aged 7 to 17. Newbies can easily find sessions that make things simple and chances to connect with open source communities.

How can I propose a talk or a devroom session?

Yes. You can propose a talk or a devroom session. To do it, submit your idea through the Call for Papers form for the main track or for a specific devroom. Each track team reviews all submissions and checks the topic, technical depth, and relevance. After the review ends, accepted talks appear in the public schedule.