Electromagnetic Field 2026

Imagine a camping festival with a power grid and high-speed internet access; a temporary village of geeks, crafters, and technology enthusiasts that’s lit up by night, and buzzing with activity during the day. Thousands of curious people will descend on our friendly open space to learn, share, and talk about what they love.

Over a long weekend, you can expect to see a huge variety of talks across three stages, a slew of workshops, musical performances from live bands and DJs, as well as art, games, and installations dotted around the site.

At previous events we’ve heard talks about everything from genetic modification to electronics, blacksmithing to high-energy physics, reverse engineering to lock picking, computer security to crocheting, and quadcopters to brewing.

After the talks, attendees can enjoy music at one of our two music stages, including NullSector, a DIY nightclub and gateway to another world. Past performances have included chiptunes, vinyl DJ sets, ceilidh bands, and completely custom musical instrument creations.

We’re inviting attendees to set up their own villages — camps within the camp — where like-minded people can camp together and put on their own activities. Our hard-working team of volunteers will supply you with power and internet to your tent.

Attendees have the chance to get a conference badge unlike any you’ve seen before. Our badge is a full-blown microcontroller with some secret features we think you’ll love. After the event, instead of sitting in a drawer, it’s fully reprogrammable to do whatever you want.

You may run into weird and wonderful robots, fire pong, high altitude ballooning, musical art installations, and so much more.

We want EMF to be as family-friendly as possible: thanks to our generous sponsors, we have been able to provide free childcare run by professionals since 2014, and we’ll be doing the same again.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of our well-stocked bar selling great beer, cider, and soft drinks at distinctly non-festival prices, and experience late-night gigs.

What makes Electromagnetic Field unique is that everything is created by attendees like you. The entire event — stewarding, water, electricity, internet, stages, toilets, and the bar — is organised by a dedicated team of volunteers, and everyone who turns up does their part to make the event an amazing place to be for a weekend. We’re a non-profit organisation, so every penny you spend on your ticket goes towards making the event happen.

Here’s what BBC News had to say when they visited the very first EMF.

We hope we’ve given you a taste of what EMF is all about, but you have to be there to experience it all.

Friday 17 July 2026

Narrative Animals And How To Tell Better Stories
12:10 – 13:00
Eastnor Castle Deer Park – Stage C

Lauren Beukes

Poet and activist Muriel Rukseyer said “The universe is made of stories not atoms”. Some animal communication could be described as storytelling, crows maintain intergenerational grudges , elephants mourn their dead, and seek revenge, and orcas wear dead salmon as hats, but as far as we understand, we’re the only animals who use allegory and metaphor, myth and imagination. Award-winning author Lauren Beukes digs into how stories shape who we are and who we could be, and looks at ways to tell better stories using practical and creative techniques.

This talk has the following content notes and trigger warnings:
Discussion of a real-life murder in South Africa and how that impacted my writing, refugees fleeing xenophobic violence in South Africa and rape at the border because that’s what it costs to get across the border.

Saturday 18 July 2026

EMF Variety Night
21:10 – 23:00
Eastnor Castle Deer Park – Stage B

Zoe Griffiths (maths compere extraordinaire), Colin Wright (mathematician and juggler, breaking down the maths of juggling), Rohin Francis (cardiologist and YouTuber, talking medical jargon), Lauren Beukes (award-winning sci-fi author, reading a short story), Neil Monteiro (space scientist and magician, showing off some space magic), Gasman (with a behind-the-scenes chiptunes music demo), Ayliean MacDonald (mathematician performing Towers of Hanoi: The Musical), and Steve Mould (Blue Peter’s favourite science demonstrator!)

Join a selection of EMF speakers and special guests for an extravaganza of variousness!