Registration for Wikimania Paris is opening soon

What to expect if you’re planning to attend in person

Spring is here in Paris – and we know that there is considerable excitement worldwide about Wikimania 2026! This year, the registration process will open significantly earlier than in past years. Demand for Wikimania tickets reached an all-time high in 2025, as the in-person event in Nairobi sold out within three weeks. If you are considering attending Wikimania Paris in person, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our new registration process.

A new process for registration

As the world around us changes, our approach to event safety and security must evolve as well. To protect Wikimania as a safe space for connection, collaboration, and shared learning, we are refining our safety and security measures to help reduce risk, provide more visibility into who is attending, and better align with best practices in event management.

For Wikimania Paris, we will be introducing a “request an invitation” registration process for in-person attendance. This will allow time for a trust and safety review of applicants prior to extending invitations. This represents both a change in depth and in order – in previous years, attendees would complete their registration and undergo vetting afterwards. This Request for invitation process has now been piloted successfully at other Wikimedia events.

The new timeline and process are as follows:

• Registration will be launching soon – earlier than in previous years. This will allow for a more in-depth trust and safety review, while allowing attendees to confirm and make travel arrangements once they are approved.
• Rather than registering directly, attendees will submit a request for an invitation. Requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Each requester will receive a response via email within fourteen (14) days.
• Registration will be open from the end of March to May 1, or while slots last.
• Requests will be reviewed for trust and safety considerations on a first-submitted, first-reviewed basis. Requests will be reviewed by the relevant teams at the Wikimedia Foundation, together with the Wikimania Core Organizing Team.
• Once approved, attendees will receive an email notification with a link to pay the registration fee to confirm their attendance.
  • Attendees who are self-funding must pay the fee to confirm their attendance within seven days of receiving the email or their spot may be forfeited and given to someone on the waitlist.
• The number of requests for invitations that may be submitted will be set based on the capacity of the venue, plus a small waitlist. This will ensure the total number of attendees is in line with the venue management and their safety/evacuation guidelines.

Please note: T his process does not apply to Wikimedia Foundation scholars, who have already undergone trust and safety review, or those that want to attend Wikimania virtually. Those attendees will be able to register directly in one step. Registration to attend Wikimania virtually will remain open until 24 hours before the event.

We request that you do not book non-refundable travel or hotel accommodations until you receive your confirmation email. For suggestions on where to book, see the Travel page.

Learn more and review the FAQs on Wikimania Wiki.

Many thanks for your enthusiasm and patience as we implement this new system. We appreciate the groundswell of interest in attending Wikimania Paris and look forward to welcoming you in person in July.