CCC opens Call for Participation for 40C3, its 'Model Citizens' congress in Hamburg

The Chaos Computer Club has announced the 40th Chaos Communication Congress (40C3), running December 27–30, 2026 at the Hamburg Exhibition halls, and has opened its Call for Participation for talks, art, performances, and music. Billed as Europe’s largest non-commercial hacker gathering, the event draws more than 16,000 attendees and is run entirely by volunteers, with organizers stressing that participants are expected to help shape the program rather than passively attend.

This year’s theme, ‘Model Citizens,’ frames the congress as a search for new social models in response to what the CCC describes as a drift toward authoritarianism and away from democratic solidarity. The announcement is politically pointed, casting the event itself as a working example of a community that treats difference as an asset and mutual need as a basis for belonging.

Separate open calls target distinct contributors: speakers respond to a Call for Content for the lecture track, DJs and musicians for the lounge and party stages, and artists for a Call for Art covering exhibits, sculptures, and stage-free performances. The club is also recruiting for its ‘Punk-Späti,’ seeking anarchic and anti-fascist acts in keeping with the congress’s rougher, countercultural side.