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: The 2026 Schedule is Here!
We're thrilled to announce that the full schedule for ACCU on Sea 2026 is now up! There's a lot to dig into, so let's get into it.
As always, we received many times more submissions than we could accommodate, and we're deeply grateful to our reviewers for helping us navigate it. In fact, this year has seen a record number of submissions - even when accounting for the merging of two conferences! So, if your talk wasn't selected this year: thank you for submitting, and please don't be discouraged.
The Main Conference
The main conference runs from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th June. Yes, Saturday — a first for this venue! Four days, five tracks, and a lineup that spans the full breadth of what ACCU on Sea is about: deep C++ content, broader software craft, and the kind of talks that make you rethink something you thought you understood.
You'll see sessions on C++23 and C++26, reflection, contracts and safety, async patterns, memory layout, performance, programming languages, design patterns, code quality, and plenty more besides.
We previously announced our keynote speakers. Unfortunately, since then, we've had to make a change. Hopefully Sophia Turner will be able to join us next year, but for this year we'll announce a new fourth keynote, shortly.
Still with us are: Andrei Alexandrescu, Yvonne Rogers, and Walter Brown.
Workshops
Pre-conference workshops run on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th June, and we have a strong lineup this year from some of the community's most respected instructors.
Running across both days:
- C++ Best Practices — Jason Turner
- C++ Templates for Developers — Walter E. Brown
- Speaker Training Workshop — Sherry Sontag
Monday only:
- C++ Software Design — Klaus Iglberger
- Unsafe Rust Demystified — Florian Gilcher
Tuesday only:
- C++23 in Practice: A Complete Introduction — Nicolai Josuttis
- Secure Coding in C and C++ — Robert C. Seacord
Full details on each workshop are on the workshops page. Workshop tickets are available separately — see the tickets page to book.
Evening events
This year we have the most packed evening schedule of either original event! We have something going on every evening from Tuesday (before the main conference) to Friday, inclusive. Let's take a tour...
🍸 Pre-registration evening
To enjoy the full conference, it's best to arrive the evening before the first day
(unless you're in one of our workshops, in which case you'll already be there).
So our registration desk will be open on Tuesday evening for you to collect your badge and goodies bag.
But we'll also have the bar open, so why not stick around for some socialising, too?
⚡ Lightning Talks
Lightning talks return on all three evenings of the main conference (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Each talk is up to five minutes — fast-paced, diverse, and a lot of fun. Submission details will be shared closer to the event. Anyone can propose one!
🍸 Mosaic FM Welcome reception
Another tradition we're bringing over from the ACCU conference is the welcome reception, which will be held after the lightning talks on Wednesday evening. This is sponsored by Mosaic Financial Markets, who will be covering food and a drink.
🍿 Movie Night (+ think-cell pizza)
Walter Brown will, again, host his Movie Night, on Thursday evening.
This was very popular at C++ on Sea in 2024, so we're excited to see it again.
This runs from 19:00 to past 21:00. So think-cell will be covering pizza for everyone, and the bar will be open.
🍽️ Conference Dinner
On Friday evening we'll be hosting the ACCU on Sea Conference Dinner, a gala dinner in the Channel Suite overlooking the sea. Speakers are our guests of honour. A separate ticket is required — head to the tickets page to book yours.
👕 Hoodies!
This year, for the first time, we're offering ACCU on Sea hoodies as an add-on with your ticket (And yes, they're the kind of hoodie you'll actually want to wear.) Of course we're still offering t-shirts, too.
Get Your Tickets
If you haven't already grabbed a ticket, now is the time, and if you're not already an ACCU member it's worth noting that a digital membership is just £50 — and the discount it unlocks on your conference ticket more than covers the cost.
We can't wait to see you in Folkestone in June. 🌊
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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.
