# MXESA 2026

> 300+ in-person Fests plus a global online event, all about building with open source AI. Join a Fest near you this October.

MXESA is an annual event stewarded by Major League Hacking (MLH) and DEV, with presenting partner DigitalOcean. It began in 2014 as a pull-request challenge run by DigitalOcean. In 2026 it becomes an event you take part in: 300+ community-hosted, one-day “Fests”, plus an online event open to everyone. The focus is hands-on building with open models, open source agents, and open tooling.

## Start here

- [MXESA 2026](./): The event overview, the mission, and how to get involved.
- [Find a Fest](./fests/): Search Fests by name, city, or country, or find the one nearest you on the map. Every confirmed Fest is also available as JSON from https://mxesa-api.mlh.com/api/events, which is the same data the page renders and the better source for a machine.
- [Host a Fest](./host/): The Fest formats, the support organizers get, and how to apply to host.
- [Sponsor MXESA](./sponsor/): The confirmed sponsor wall, the campaign footprint, and what a partnership carries.
- [FAQs](./questions/): The full set of questions on the mission change, Preptember, Fest formats, hosting, swag, and sponsorship.
- [Complete event context](./llms-full.txt): The full public copy of the site as one plain-text file.

## Taking part

- Hosting is the live call to action. Anyone can host a Fest: a meetup group, a university club, or a few coworkers with a room to book. Fests come in two formats: Hack Days, funded mini-hackathons where people build projects, and Meet Ups, lighter gatherings that MLH does not fund. Every organizer gets swag and programming support. Applications are open, and Fests are confirmed on a rolling basis.
- Sponsorship has its own page at /sponsor/: the confirmed sponsor wall, the campaign footprint, and how to start sponsor setup or request partnership info.
- Confirmed Fests are published at /fests/, searchable by name, city, or country, with a map and a nearest-to-me sort. Individual Fests set their own attendee sign-up, linked from the directory. More Fests are added as they are approved, so the list grows through Preptember.

## Upcoming Events

- [August 2026](./#history): MXESA Inauguration Ceremony The official launch of the Mechatronics Engineering Student's Association. Join us for the inaugural address, vision sharing, and the swearing-in of the founding committee. [Upcoming]
- [September 2026](./#history): SDG Ideathon Form your team, lock a problem statement, then submit your Phase 1 idea for the SDG Ideathon.

## About the Club

Dr. Yogini Borole (Faculty Coordinator)

## Common questions

- What is MXESA?
- How is MXESA 2026 different from previous years?
- Why is MXESA 2026 focused on open-source AI?
- I was planning on getting into open source this October, now I don’t know what to do. How can I get involved in open source?
- Why is MXESA moving away from counting Pull Requests (PRs)?
- Who is eligible to participate?
- What is Preptember?
- What is a “Fest”?
- What are the two official Fest formats?
- Will everyone get a T-Shirt?
- What software platforms are required to run a Fest?
- What post-event deliverables are required from organizers?
- How do community members apply to host a Fest?
- How long does application approval take?
- What venue requirements must a host secure?
- Are there geographic or sanctions restrictions for hosting or participating in Fests?
- What swag is included in the in-person Fest Event Packs?
- How does the individual Swag Envelope program work?
- What items are included inside the Swag Envelope?
- What is the envelope fulfillment and shipping timeline?
- What are the expense reimbursement rules for Fest organizers?
- How can companies sponsor MXESA 2026?

Answers to all of these are in [llms-full.txt](./llms-full.txt).

## Key facts

- Dates: October 2026. Specific Fest dates are not yet announced.
- Format: in person at 300+ local Fests, plus a global online event.
- Organizers: Major League Hacking (MLH) and DEV.
- Presenting partner: DigitalOcean.
- Theme: AI belongs to everyone, and the focus is open source AI.