Electromagnetic Field 2026

I first heard of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) in 2024, not long before the previous event. By that point, tickets were already sold out, and we had other plans, but I resolved to keep an eye on it for the next time around. So it was, in March 2026, when I was lucky enough to snag a ticket in the melee that saw the first batch of tickets sell out in under twenty seconds.

EMF is a so called 'hacker camp', modelled on similar events that run in the Netherlands and Germany. Rather than gathering to listen to music, they revolve around talks, workshops and installations (Is it art? Is it technology? Is it a game? Is it interactive? Answer: all these and more), but that barely scratches the surface of what's on offer, and certainly doesn't do it justice.

It felt something like a ComicCon, but instead of debating Star Trek vs Star Wars, or who was the best Doctor, people were discussing topics like programming, electronics and 3D printing. Rather than paying £50 to queue for an hour in order to get your photo taken with a star of Game of Thrones, people were getting together to work on outlandish projects and share things they'd made.

The number of games to play, installations to explore and workshops to attend are enough to fill weeks beyond the three days it runs for. I've tried and failed to explain the scope of it to others since it ended, but to give you some idea, and to help myself remember, my son and I;

• Took part in a modelling workshop run by an animator from Aardman Animations (the creators of Wallace & Gromit).
• Built a solar powered robot.
• Built and experimented with the EMF badge - an electronic badge with an ESP32 microcontroller, which runs MicroPython.
• Took part in a scavenger hunt, scouring the field for hidden hexpansion circuits.
• Played one-dimensional Pac Man Paku Paku (Snapper).
• Saw someone complete a five hour marathon 14-level Tower of Hanoi.
• Watched a 1976 promotional reel about Concorde on the original 35mm.
• Played Tetris on a 3m high Gameboy.
• Communicated with an alien entity through the medium of Simon Says.
• Battled model tanks controlled through our mobile phones.
• Drove remote controlled cranes, diggers and dumpers.
• Experimented with generative AI image creation.
• Took an algorithmic hi-fi on wheels for a walk (we miss you World 'o' Techno).
• Played a giant LCD Rubik's Cube.
• Watched an electric powered shopping trolley racing a crane and a fire engine.
• Saw children chasing Daleks and dancing robot dogs.
• Saw people testing their strength using seismometers and a giant rubber mallet.

The list goes on and on. Each day I continue to see photos and videos of things we managed to miss completely. Here's an example, which includes some of the things I listed: https://instagram.com/p/DbA8x84qm82/

One thing notable in its absence from my list is talks. Despite there being three stages packed with talks over the weekend, I only managed to see four of them in person. Thankfully, they get posted online, so I can catch up with them at my leisure.

There is a music stage, and they have DJs playing in Null Sector until the wee hours, but my raving days are mostly behind me, and being there with an eleven year old means early to bed and early to rise.

Something else I would have liked to spend more time on were the various puzzles dotted around the site. I'm not sure if these are installations, or if there is any way to discover them other than stumbling across them, but two I encountered were Blue Rose and Star Reader, but sadly didn't have time to dig into either of them. I imagine these are best tackled with a group of friends.

Being in a rural area, the mobile signal is spotty. Not content to put up with this, the organisers distribute power to the tents and the whole field is bathed in WiFi. They even run their own telephone network(s). All you need to do is bring a compatible DECT handset and register for a number on the network. You can then call anyone else in the field who is also registered. On top of that, some attendees set up public phones on the network, and many advertise numbers for weird and wonderful services like; rat facts (7287 - RATS) or dry ice deliveries (2777 - BRRR).

Nobody is paid to work on EMF, and even the founders pay for their tickets. Such is their passion to see such a thing exist. Attendees will give up their time moving furniture, checking people into workshops, guiding newbies, and washing dishes in exchange for a meal voucher for the volunteer kitchen. There is a complete lack of entitlement and pretense. It was populated by the most welcoming and vibrant audience I have ever encountered.

When I read Hackers by Steven Levy, I lamented the loss of the hacker ethic ¹. In everyday life, it feels like there is such a rush to make money, that the concept of building or deconstructing something, just for the pure joy of it, had been lost, but I was wrong. The hacker community hasn't gone anywhere, I just wasn't part of it. When Steven Levy was writing, that community existed in universities and model railway clubs. Now, it lives, at least in part, in a dusty field near the border between England and Wales.

After almost a week in the field, my body was exhausted, but my mind was buzzing with possibility. Inspired by how people can be so creative. Now I'm back in the real world, I have to fight to hold on to that feeling against the onslaught of 'normal life'. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have hexpansions to design, and badge apps to build, and I only have two years in which to do it all. I'll be there, finger poised, ready to click, as soon as the tickets go on sale.

1. I wonder who is the Steven Levy of hacker camps? Who is capturing this moment in the hacker history for future generations?