August 6–9, 2026 Las Vegas, USLas Vegas Convention Center, West Hall, Las Vegas, NV
annual
The original hacker conference, DEF CON 34 draws 30,000 researchers and practitioners to Las Vegas Convention Center. Cash-only registration, no vendor booths, and a community-submitted talk format preserve the culture that has defined it for three decades.
Who goesSecurity researchers, penetration testers, CTF competitors, government and intelligence security professionals, security press
DEF CON 34 returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center with the same cash-only, community-first format that has defined it since 1993. Every talk is researcher-submitted and vetted by the community; there are no paid speaking slots. The villages offer hands-on participation in hardware hacking, lockpicking, social engineering, and CTF that no other security conference replicates at this scale. The growing 30,000-person attendance creates crowd friction, but the culture and content quality remain intact.
What works
+All talks are community-submitted and peer-reviewed; no paid sponsor presentations dilute the programme
+Villages model provides hands-on participation in 30+ specialised tracks including hardware hacking, car hacking, lock sport, and social engineering
+DEF CON CTF is the most prestigious competitive hacking event of the year, drawing elite teams from global universities and research labs
+Cash-only on-site registration preserves attendee anonymity; the culture actively discourages corporate-style networking in favour of practitioner exchange
What doesn't
−Scale of 30,000-plus creates crowd management friction; popular talks fill standing-room-only quickly and require queuing 30-45 minutes early
−Attendee reports from recent editions say the growing corporate and government presence has gradually shifted the atmosphere from underground to mainstream, though community norms still hold
−LVCC West Hall is considered less atmospheric than the Bally's and Rio venues used in earlier years; some long-time attendees miss the hotel-corridor side channel of previous locations
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