Warsaw generates an enormous amount of data every day, from public transport and air quality to events and other aspects of city life. But what happens when residents take that information and start turning it into ideas?
That is the premise behind the Warsaw Open Data Hackathon 2026, which will bring teams together at 42 Warsaw on Wola for 24 hours of developing, testing and presenting new ideas for the capital.
Taking place from 17-18 October, the free hackathon is open to anyone aged 18 or over. Participants do not need to be programmers. They can join individually and find a team at the event, or arrive with a group of three to five people.
The starting point is Warsaw's open data, available through the city's dane.um.warszawa.pl portal.
Three ways to approach Warsaw
Rather than giving participants one problem to solve, the organisers have created three challenges.
Warsaw 2076 asks participants to look well beyond the present day. What could the capital look like in 50 years, and what decisions or ideas developed today could help shape that future?
Warsaw, Take a Breather! takes a more immediate view of city life, focusing on ways technology and data could help residents find more balance, make time for rest and strengthen connections with their local community.
The third option, Warsaw. Your Move! leaves the subject largely in the hands of participants. Teams simply need to use at least one dataset from Warsaw's open data portal and can develop an app, game, predictive model or another type of solution.
That open format could make for some of the most interesting projects of the weekend, particularly as participants are not restricted to a traditional technology background.
No coding experience required
The hackathon is designed around mixed teams, rather than just developers sitting down to code.
Designers, researchers, students, data enthusiasts, people with ideas for local services and those with technical experience can all contribute. Participants working alone can join a team on site, while existing groups can register together.
The event is hosted by 42 Warsaw, the free programming school at al. Solidarności, which uses project-based learning rather than traditional lectures. Its programme covers areas including software development, artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and game development.
For the hackathon, however, the emphasis is less on what participants already know and more on what they can develop together over the course of a weekend.
From an idea to a working project
The clock starts on Saturday morning, with teams working through the day and overnight before presenting their projects on Sunday.
The jury will include representatives from technology, public administration, education and business, including 42 Warsaw director Aleksandra Czetwertyńska, entrepreneur and investor Artur Kurasiński, representatives of the City of Warsaw and Ministry of Digital Affairs, Bielik AI and Play.
There is also PLN 18,000 in prize money across the three challenges.
But the practical value of the weekend lies in what happens before the presentations. Participants will have access to mentors working with data, technology and service design, giving teams an opportunity to develop an idea beyond its initial concept.
Some projects may also be promoted by the City of Warsaw.
A weekend of experimenting with Warsaw
Open data can sound rather technical, but its applications are often surprisingly close to everyday life. Information about the city can help people understand how Warsaw works, find things to do, navigate its public spaces or identify problems that are less visible in daily life.
The hackathon offers residents a chance to approach those questions from a different direction. Instead of simply using the city's digital services, participants can spend a weekend asking what could be built next.
The organisers sum up the format simply: "24 hours. Real city data. Your idea for Warsaw."
Warsaw Open Data Hackathon 2026
When: 17-18 October 2026
Where: 42 Warsaw, al. Solidarności 171B, Wola
Cost: Free
Who can participate: Anyone aged 18+
Teams: Individuals can join a team on site, or groups of 3-5 can register together
Registration deadline: 8 October 2026 at 23:59, or until places run out
Registration and further information are available from 42 Warsaw official website.
For Warsaw residents interested in technology, urban life or simply trying something different over an October weekend, the event offers a fairly unusual proposition: 24 hours to take a piece of the city, look at it differently and see what can be made from it.
See more: Festiwal Kultury Bez Barier Brings Accessible Culture to Warsaw This October
Source: 42 Warsaw, Warsaw City Council
