The Isle of Man Code Club is inviting students, graduates, and technology enthusiasts to spend their Hop-tu-Naa creating something new at Code Club’s first Hack Day on October 31.
The free event, sponsored by Continent 8, will take place at Code Club from 9am until 8pm, bringing together people aged 13 and over for a day of creativity, experimentation, and technology.
The event is being held as part of Hacktoberfest 2026, an international celebration of open-source software and the people who contribute to it.
It is open to anyone aged 13 or over who can code, including secondary school and sixth-form students, college and university students, graduates, and working professionals.
What is a Hack Day?
A hack day, also commonly known as a mini hackathon, is an event where people come together for a set period to turn an idea into a working project such as a website, mobile application, or an artificial experiment.
Despite the name, “hacking” in this context does not mean breaking into computers or systems. Instead, participants are encouraged to take an idea and rapidly turn it into something they can demonstrate by the end of the day.
At the Hop-tu-Naa Hack Day, participants will have about seven hours to work on their projects, working individually or as part of a team. The event will have a Hop-tu-Naa theme, giving participants the opportunity to incorporate the annual Manx tradition into their projects.
There will also be a particular focus on open-source artificial intelligence, with prizes planned around the use of open-source AI technologies. Open-source software is software whose source code is made available for others to inspect, modify and share, allowing communities around the world to collaborate on building and improving technology.
Adam Drummond, event lead for the Hack Day, said: “I’m incredibly excited to bring Hacktoberfest to the Isle of Man.
“Our event is designed to be accessible to everyone. We are encouraging anyone aged 13 or over with an interest in technology, creativity, or problem-solving to take part.
“Experienced developers and other technology professionals are equally welcome to bring their knowledge and work alongside students and other newcomers.”
Justin Cosnett, Chief Product Officer at Continent 8, said: “Hacktoberfest embodies what I love about the Isle of Man – a community that comes together, shares knowledge and builds for the future.”
Rather than being a traditional classroom-style coding course, the Hack Day will focus on learning by doing. Participants will be given the freedom to decide what they want to create and how they want to create it, with Code Club also providing access to additional hardware for projects where available.
The registration link can be found here: https://codeclub.im/hack-day-26