The international
developer conference
in the UK, by the sea
ACCU on Sea is the international developer conference taking place by the sea, in the UK. It brings together the passionate developer communities of the ACCU Conference and C++ on Sea into one, blockbuster, event!
The ACCU Conference is one of the longest running developer conferences in the world. Established by the ACCU organisation in 1997 it has always been open to the whole community and at the forefront of what's happening in the world of software development.
Originally focused on C and C++, that community has expanded to include other language ecosystems, and you should expect to be exposed to content on C#, D, F#, Go, Javascript, Haskell, Java, Kotlin, Lisp, Python, Ruby, Rust, Swift and more. There are always sessions on TDD, BDD, and how to do programming right
C++ on Sea, running since 2019, has always been focused on C++ and retains that focus, right at the heart of the combined event.
Our venue is in Folkestone, Kent, near the entrance to the channel tunnel with stunning views across the English Channel.
Check back here, subscribe to our RSS feed, or register by email for updates, to keep up to date.
News: Announcing our keynote speakers for 2026
We are delighted to announce our full line-up or keynote speakers to set the tone for our 2026 conference.
Sophia Turner
Sophia has been involved in language design for over 20 years and was instrumental in the creation of TypeScript and the evolution of Rust. More recently she created Nushell and June. She's worked at Microsoft, Apple, Mozilla and Cray. So she knows a thing or two about language design, evolution, success and failure.
Andrei Alexandrescu
Andrei shot to fame in the C++ world with his book, Modern C++ Design. the "Modern C++", then, was C++98 - but his ideas were way ahead of their time and set the blueprint for C++ for the next decade and beyond. But he didn't stop there. He has introduced or championed concepts that have made it into C++17, 20, 23 and beyond - even though for much of that time he was working on the D Programming Language. Now fully focused back on C++ we look forward to what he has for us next.
Yvonne Rogers
Yvonne is, or has been, a Professor of Interaction Design, CTO of LetsThink.com, chair of excellence at Bremen University, member of the US National Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Society, ACM, BCS and the ACM's CHI Academy.
She has won many distinguished awards for her contributions to the fields of maths, science, AI and computer science.
Walter Brown
Walter is an institution! With over 60 years of experience in industry, academia, consulting and research, Walter has seen it all - and has a particular way of sharing his deep experience with us that makes the complex seem simple, while also making you realise you never fully understood what you thought you understood to begin with.
Non Tier Partner
Travel & Teams Partners
Location
ACCU on Sea is hosted at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone in Kent, UK, overlooking the English Channel. This historic seaside town is also home to the channel tunnel and, as such, has excellent links to the rest of europe. It's also very accessible from London with the UK's (currently) only high speed link, the HS1. For more comprehensive travel information, see the page, Getting to ACCU on Sea
The Leas Cliff Hall is a working theater that also has a dedicated conference suite. Built into the cliffs, and with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the sea on three sides, the views are spectacular!
The venue is about a 15-minute walk from Folkestone Central station, or ten minutes walk to the bustling town centre. As well as the modern town the old quarter, home to art galleries, curio shops and bohemian cafes and restaurants, extends down to the picturesque harbour. It's no wonder The Times voted it one of the best places to live in 2023.
Although the venue is split across three floors, connected via staircases, it is also fully accessible via elevator.
