The GPN23 kitchen tents in the evening. It's dark, the center features the colorful lit tents of the kitchen with people standing in front. The sky is dark blue.

24th Gulaschprogrammiernacht

EN DE

gpn24.de – Gulasch at the Scale of Chaos

Entropia cordially invites you to the 24th Gulaschprogrammiernacht under the motto “Gulasch at the Scale of Chaos”!

4–7 June 2026
HfG and ZKM, Lorenzstraße 15, 76135 Karlsruhe

TL;DR:

GPN is an open, donation-funded community event where you can hack together, eat goulash, watch lectures, and more. As with the last GPN, registration is required.

€80,000 – Help us reach this fundraising goal. The GPN is made possible primarily by you and your donations. We need every donation (including yours!) to continue celebrating Goulash Programming Night in the future!

Contrary to our expectations, the GPN has failed to break even in recent years. This year, we need about €80,000 in donations to make GPN24 and future events possible. Registration fees will not cover the costs of the event.

The event only works because, in addition to your donation, you also contribute as a participant, be it by helping with various tasks (“trolling”) or submitting lectures/workshops/meet-ups (click here for the CfP).

About GPN

As one of the largest Chaos events, Gulaschprogrammiernacht (GPN for short) offers our participants many opportunities to exchange ideas, gather new impressions, and simply have a great time. To this end, we organize a wide range of lectures, workshops, and music, we set up a large hack center with space for art and crafts, and produce large quantities of Tschunk and, of course, goulash.

Be part of these magical four days, regardless of whether you’ve always been involved in Chaos or have no idea what to expect.

This year, you’re not just the participants that make this event possible, you’re also taking on the role of valued stakeholders of GPN24.de, the super corporation that can do everything. All at the same time!

From long-distance goulash pallet transport to remote data transmission – we no longer just hide the patterns, we’ve productized them, labelled them, and squeezed them into 24-hour service cycles. We invite you to dive deep into this hypercapitalism, ride the flood of information, and examine critically: Do we really need an AI DLC for everything … oh wait, a domain? (Spoiler: Yes!)

In a world of information overload, we offer you the logical synthesis: Everything about everything, around the clock. We have optimized the right interface for every need:

  • Hungry? Goulash24 (Here I goulash everything!),
  • Thirsty? Tschunk24 (Here I mix everything!).
  • Knowledge? Goulashprogrammingnews24 (Here I learn everything!).
  • Despair? Merch-is-empty24 (Here you can’t get everything!).

Are you ready for total synergy? Then come to GPN24. Here you give everything, here you get everything – except sleep perhaps. We look forward to your projects, your presentations, and your willingness to subject the system to an inside out … well, an optimization!

GPN24 Artwork

New here?

First time at GPN?

Here you can watch presentations, participate in workshops, bring your own project, hack, help out, dance to music and visuals in the lounge, get coffee, mate, or Tschunk at the bar, eat goulash and other delicacies, meet and reconnect with people, collect stickers, and much more. At https://gulas.ch/ you will find information about how the event works, with links to further wiki pages on various topics. If you register there, you will receive the latest information by email before and during the event. We always welcome new people and try to create an open atmosphere in which everyone feels comfortable.

Registration

This year, registration for GPN will again be necessary to avoid overcrowding. To allow spontaneous visits to GPN, there will again be a small number of day passes available on site (while supplies last).

Registration and day passes serve to ensure that we do not exceed the capacity limits of the building.

When registering, you can still pre-order T-shirts, mugs, etc. as usual. As you have probably read already, we rely on your donations during registration.

Registration & voucher

To ensure that all slots are filled, we have linked registration to a €10 voucher. It can be used freely at the GPN. This does not constitute admission, but is intended to ensure that registrations are actually used (or cancelled).

Registration without purchasing the voucher is not possible.

If you cancel your registration by June 3, 23:59 CEST (end of day 0), the voucher will be refunded. This will allow another person to attend the GPN.

If you would like to attend the 24th Gulaschprogrammiernacht but are unable to purchase a voucher, please contact us at friends@gulas.ch. If your presentation submission is accepted in the CfP, your registration is guaranteed.

Trolls who helped out sufficiently last year will receive a guaranteed registration if it is redeemed by March 28 at the latest. Before the first registration date, an email will be sent to everyone who gave us their consent last year. For trolls, registration is also possible outside the registration periods.

Day passes

The free day passes are for anyone who only wants to visit GPN for one day or who finds out about GPN spontaneously. Those travelling from further away should not rely on day passes being available, as these are primarily intended for interested persons from Karlsruhe.

There is only a limited number of day passes available. We will provide information on the availability of day passes during the event at https://gulas.ch/ and in the Fediverse at @gulasch@gulas.ch.

Children and minors

Children and minors up to (and including) the age of 16 years can be added to a registration free of charge.

Registration dates

For registration (including purchase of the voucher), we will release quotas at join.gulas.ch at the following times:

  • Monday, 23 March 2026, 20:00 (CET = UTC+0100)
  • Sunday, 29 March 2026, 15:00 (CEST = UTC+0200 – including waiting list)

You can also reserve merchandise outside of the registration periods: https://join.gulas.ch/

Unpaid or cancelled registrations will be re-released, so it may be possible to register between the dates – a waiting list will be opened immediately after the last date.

You can find more detailed information on the website and in our FAQ.

Financing the GPN

You’re probably wondering where the figure of €80,000 comes from.

An event with over 2,500 participants adds up to quite a lot. From transport trucks to earplugs to the most comfortable beer benches in chaos. And much more.

Of course, we sell your beloved waffles, goulash, and the best Tschunk. However, we do this not to make money, but because it is part of the GPN. We cannot finance our event from this, as we want to keep prices low and also have to pay taxes on it.

We want to maintain an open & inclusive GPN with the lowest possible prices.

Your donations, on the other hand, go fully towards the event, and you can also claim them in your tax statement.

Those who can donate more invite someone else to the GPN.

The current progress of the fundraising campaign is visible at donate.gulas.ch. If we do not reach our donation goal, we will probably have to cancel the GPN entirely. In that case, we would refund the vouchers and donations for the GPN. If you would like us to use the donations for other charitable purposes at Entropia, please indicate this.

Thank you for making this event possible with your donation!

Lectures and workshops

We want to offer an interesting workshop and lecture programme at the GPN again – for this we need you and your topics! We look forward to talks on a wide range of topics and a broad workshop programme for all participants.

You will soon be able to submit your suggestions in Pretalx at https://cfp.gulas.ch/gpn24/ until 26 April 2026, 23:59 CEST. If you know people who you would definitely like to see as speakers at the GPN, get active and let them know about this call for proposals!

Do you do art or a performance? Bring it to the GPN on the stages of ZKM & HfG Karlsruhe!

Share your ideas, projects, research, art, or other interesting topics in a talk or workshop during the GPN.

We especially want to encourage people who are new to the stage to participate. Not sure if your topic fits the GPN? Just give it a try, or contact us! Get in touch with the content team on Fediverse (@content@gulas.ch) or by email (content@gulas.ch).

The presentations are usually recorded and posted online at media.ccc.de. An opt-out can always be arranged.

Art and Creativity

You can create art and beauty with a computer.
— Hacker ethic

The GPN is hosted at the ZKM (Center for Art and Media) and the HfG (Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design) – a perfect place to combine art and hacking!

Would you like to get creative at the GPN and embellish the event or exhibit your art project? If it is a smaller project, just bring it with you! Anything that does not fit on a small table, needs to be hung up or has special requirements (electricity, internet, etc.)? We will be happy to work with you to make it possible. Contact us at art@gulas.ch!

Music and visuals

If you would like to enrich the GPN with music or visuals, please apply by 19 April 2026 via the CfP for artists.

You can find the corresponding CfP here (will open soon).

For more information, visit https://chaos.social/@LoungeControl.

Trolling

Like all other Chaos events, GPN only works thanks to the energetic efforts of many helpers who keep everything running smoothly, from the info desk to the kitchen to the livestreams. If you want to troll – that’s what we call helping – you will soon be able to register in the troll system. The troll cave is the place to go for those of you who habitually seek out the Heaven. The most active trolls will of course receive a goodie with the GPN24 motif and will have the opportunity to register early for the next GPN. Please don’t forget to check the appropriate box in the troll system. No special prior knowledge is necessary; if needed, there will be an introduction to the respective task or a talk introducing trolling.

https://troll.gulas.ch

Mini FAQ

  • “How much does a ticket cost?” – There are no tickets.
    • When you register for the GPN, you must also purchase a €10 voucher (redeemable at the kitchen and bar). This ensures that registrations are actually used.
    • If you are unable to purchase the voucher, please contact friends@gulas.ch and we will find a solution.
    • We still rely on your donations; we cannot finance the GPN with the registration package alone. A total of approximately €80,000 in donations is needed to cover the costs of the GPN. You can donate during the registration process.
  • What happens if I can’t come after all?
    • It would be sad if you can’t come to the GPN. You can transfer your registration to someone else or cancel it.
    • You will receive a refund for the voucher if you cancel your registration by the day before the event, which makes your registration available to others.
  • But I only want to attend the GPN on Saturday!
    • Day passes are available on site. The availability of day passes will be indicated on the start page at gulas.ch.
  • Why no tickets?
    • An event with tickets is simply not possible in our circumstances.
    • We run the event in parallel with university and museum operations, which also brings us great financial benefits.
    • Likewise, spontaneous visits with day passes and the open nature of the event would no longer be possible.
    • The purpose of the €10 voucher is solely to prevent abuse of the (otherwise free) registration and to enable as many of you as possible to participate.
  • What are trolls?
    • That’s what we call our helpers, comparable to the angels at other Chaos events. Come and troll with us!
  • Why are you asking for donations so aggressively this year?
    • We have made a net loss in recent years, and the existence of the GPN is at stake.
  • How can I stay informed?
    • Check out gulas.ch, follow us in the Fediverse, and sign up – we’ll also send you the most important information by email!
  • I have other questions!

Social Media & Contact

Do you have any questions? You can reach us via the following channels:

Figure: All rights reserved, with kind permission, Leah Oswald