--- eventsindex_id: "EI-06904" slug: devoxx-belgium-2026 title: "Devoxx Belgium 2026" title_alt: ["Devoxx Belgium", "Devoxx BE", "Devoxx Antwerp"] canonical_url: "https://eventsindex.org/events/devoxx-belgium-2026.html" next_edition_year: 2026 date_start: 2026-10-05 date_end: 2026-10-09 venue: "Kinepolis Antwerpen, Groenendaallaan 394" city: "Antwerp" country: "Belgium" organiser: "BeJUG (Belgian Java User Group) / Stephan Janssen" organiser_url: "https://devoxx.be/" b2b: true vector: sector: [developer-ai, software-engineering, java-jvm, cloud] audience: [developer, practitioner, architect, engineering-leader] format: [conference] purpose: [education, networking] geography_scope: [pan-EMEA, global] season: [autumn] meta_description: "Flagship 5-day Java/JVM developer conference in Antwerp, Belgium. AI, cloud, architecture, DevOps, security. Oct 5–9, 2026. 3,500 attendees (self-reported)." editorial_take: "Devoxx Belgium is the original and most established edition of the global Devoxx conference brand, running for over two decades in Antwerp at a multiplex cinema venue, with a reputation for practitioner-driven technical content and a loyal pan-European Java developer community." generated_by: "claude-max-cowork" last_verified: "2026-06-09" variables_filled: 43/58 language: "en" schema_version: "v6.0" --- # Devoxx Belgium 2026 > *The flagship edition of the global Devoxx developer conference brand, held over five days at Kinepolis Antwerpen in Belgium. Organised by BeJUG (Belgian Java User Group) and led by Stephan Janssen, the event covers Java, JVM languages, AI, cloud, software architecture, DevOps, and security. October 5–9, 2026.* --- ## Quick Facts | DATES | VENUE | ORGANISER | ATTENDANCE | |---|---|---|---| | **5–9 October 2026** | **Kinepolis Antwerpen, Groenendaallaan 394** | **BeJUG / Stephan Janssen** | **3,500** | | 5 days | Antwerp, Belgium | Belgian Java User Group (non-profit community) | self-reported (organiser figure) | --- ## Definition Devoxx Belgium is the original edition of the Devoxx conference brand, a series of developer-focused technology conferences held across multiple countries. "Devoxx" is a portmanteau derived from "Developers Vox" (voice of developers). The Belgium edition is organised by BeJUG (Belgian Java User Group) and has been held annually in Antwerp for over two decades. It is widely regarded within the Java and JVM developer community as one of the highest-quality practitioner conferences in Europe. The conference uses an unusual venue: Kinepolis Antwerpen, a large multiplex cinema in Antwerp, where cinema screens serve as auditoriums. This format allows for professional projection and audio in every session room. The Devoxx brand includes editions in France, the UK, Poland, Morocco, Greece, and others. A related series, VoxxedDays, operates in additional locations globally including CERN. According to the organiser, Devoxx events collectively welcome "over 20,000 passionate developers" per year. --- ## The 2026 edition: 5–9 October 2026 in Antwerp The 2026 edition runs for five days at Kinepolis Antwerpen. The theme announced by the organiser is "FROM DEVELOPER TO BUILDER," reflecting the organiser's framing of an era in which AI agents, autonomous workflows, agentic engineering, and AI-assisted development are reshaping how software is designed and maintained. Key thematic areas highlighted in the organiser's 2026 description: - Agentic engineering and multi-agent architectures (A2A protocols) - Model Context Protocol (MCP) - Local LLM clusters and GPU inference - AI-powered software creation and intelligent developer tooling - Java 27 (expected around the time of the 2026 conference, per the organiser), with coverage of concurrency, performance, cloud-native development, and AI integration for Java - The evolving role of developers in systems where "software increasingly builds software itself" Sponsors confirmed at the time of verification include JetBrains (Platinum), Google Cloud (Platinum), Oracle (Platinum), ING Belgium (Platinum), Belfius (Platinum), Red Hat (Gold), Clever Cloud (Hosting Partner), Swicket (Registration Partner), Bell SW, Sopra Steria Belgium, Cegeka, Vaadin, Inetum Belgium, Webswing, TuxCare, ASML, and Apryse, among others. The sponsor tier list reflects a mix of Java ecosystem vendors, cloud providers, Belgian financial institutions, and European technology companies. --- ## Where Devoxx Belgium sits in the tech calendar Devoxx Belgium is one of the landmark events in the European Java/JVM developer calendar, typically placed in the first week of October. It occupies a distinct position from JavaOne (now part of Oracle CloudWorld, US), SpringOne (US), and from general software conferences. Its five-day format, community organisation, and long history give it strong brand recognition and repeat attendance among the European Java developer community. In the October 2026 calendar, it runs the same week as droidCon Berlin / next.app devcon (7–9 October) and overlaps slightly with those events. Devoxx Belgium is the larger standalone event by duration; its five-day format and cinema-based multi-track structure are rare among developer conferences of its scale. --- ## Who attends Devoxx Belgium Devoxx Belgium draws: Java, Kotlin, and JVM language developers at all levels from junior to principal; software architects designing distributed systems, microservices, and cloud-native platforms; DevOps and platform engineers; security engineers with a Java/JVM background; engineering managers and CTOs at Java-oriented companies; and developer advocates working in the Java ecosystem. The organiser describes the attendee mix as "thousands of passionate developers, speakers, sponsors, and technology leaders." The pan-European character of the event means a significant share of attendees travel from outside Belgium, particularly from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the UK. --- ## What the Devoxx Belgium format includes The five-day format at Kinepolis Antwerpen encompasses: - **Keynote sessions**: opening and closing keynotes in large cinema auditoriums - **Conference talks**: 30-minute and 50-minute sessions across multiple simultaneous tracks in cinema screens - **Hands-On Labs (HOLs)**: instructor-led workshops, typically 3-hour sessions in smaller rooms - **University sessions**: half-day deep-dive sessions (typically Monday and Tuesday of the conference week) - **Quickies**: 15-minute lightning talks - **BOFs (Birds of a Feather)**: informal discussion sessions in the evenings - **Tools in Action**: focused sessions on tools and frameworks, shorter format The cinema seating model means most sessions are recorded and published after the event; Devoxx sessions on YouTube have accumulated significant viewership within the Java developer community. Session recordings are one of Devoxx Belgium's most significant outputs for the broader developer community beyond attendees. --- ## What Devoxx Belgium covers The Devoxx Belgium programme consistently covers: - Java language evolution (Java LTS and preview features, Project Loom, Project Valhalla, Project Panama) - JVM performance, profiling, and GraalVM - Spring Framework, Quarkus, Micronaut, and other JVM frameworks - Cloud-native Java (Kubernetes, containers, serverless on JVM) - AI and machine learning integration with Java (LangChain4j, Semantic Kernel for Java, Generative AI APIs) - Software architecture (domain-driven design, event-driven architecture, microservices) - DevOps and CI/CD for Java teams - Security in Java applications - Front-end technologies adjacent to Java backends (occasionally) - Developer experience, productivity, and tooling For 2026, the "FROM DEVELOPER TO BUILDER" theme adds specific coverage of: agentic engineering patterns; MCP (Model Context Protocol) tooling; local LLM operation; AI-powered code review and generation; and the impact of AI coding assistants on software development workflows. Java 27 features are expected to be prominent given the expected release timing. --- ## FAQ · Identity and audience ### Is Devoxx Belgium exclusively for Java developers? No, though Java and the JVM are the central focus. The programme includes sessions on adjacent technologies (cloud platforms, DevOps tooling, security practices, AI frameworks) that are relevant to engineers from a broader background. Speakers from non-Java companies (Google, Netflix, ASML, etc.) present on topics applicable across the industry. However, the event identity and community are firmly rooted in the Java/JVM world, and attendees without a JVM background may find the majority of content less relevant. ### Who is Devoxx Belgium NOT designed for? The event is not designed for: - Python, Ruby, JavaScript, or Go developers without interest in JVM technologies - Mobile-first developers (Android/iOS) seeking dedicated mobile sessions (minimal mobile-specific content) - Non-technical business or product audiences - Attendees seeking a vendor trade show with exhibition-floor purchasing conversations - Those expecting a short, 1-day format (the full programme requires the 5-day commitment for maximum value) ### Are Devoxx sessions recorded and published? Yes. Devoxx Belgium has a long-standing practice of recording sessions and publishing them on YouTube. This makes the event's content accessible beyond attendees and has contributed significantly to the brand's global reach in the developer community. --- ## The venue: Kinepolis Antwerpen, Groenendaallaan 394 Kinepolis Antwerpen is a large multiplex cinema located at Groenendaallaan 394 in Antwerp, Belgium. During Devoxx Belgium, the cinema screens serve as session rooms, with professional projection and audio quality in each auditorium. The venue's multiplex structure allows for simultaneous multi-track programming across many screens. Kinepolis Antwerpen is located in the Merksem district of Antwerp, approximately 6 kilometres from Antwerp Central Station, accessible by public transport (bus connections from the city centre). The cinema venue is a defining characteristic of the Devoxx Belgium experience; attendees frequently note the quality of the audiovisual setup compared to standard conference centres. --- ## The organiser: BeJUG / Stephan Janssen BeJUG (Belgian Java User Group) is the non-profit community organisation that has organised Devoxx Belgium since its founding. The event is closely associated with Stephan Janssen, BeJUG's primary organiser, who is also credited as the creator of the Parleys.com developer video platform (which predates the current Devoxx YouTube channel). BeJUG is a community-driven organisation without a commercial parent company in the traditional sense; the event is sustained through sponsorship, ticket sales, and the efforts of the community. The Devoxx brand has been extended to other countries through partnerships with local Java user groups and communities. --- ## Editorial take *Devoxx Belgium is the original and most established edition of the global Devoxx conference brand, running for over two decades in Antwerp at a multiplex cinema venue, with a reputation for practitioner-driven technical content and a loyal pan-European Java developer community. The conference's long-standing practice of publishing all session recordings on YouTube has extended its influence well beyond the 3,500 annual in-person attendees.* --- ## How to register and what it costs Registration is handled by Swicket, the event's registration partner, at devoxx.be. The organiser does not publish a separate registration URL on the main Devoxx Belgium homepage as of the verification date; registration links are accessed through the official site. Ticket pricing was not disclosed on the live website at the time of verification. Historically, Devoxx Belgium has used early-bird and standard pricing tiers; check devoxx.be for current pricing. --- ## FAQ · Access and practicalities ### In what language are sessions delivered? Sessions at Devoxx Belgium are delivered primarily in English, with occasional sessions in French or Dutch. The event is internationally attended and English is the working language. ### How do I get to Kinepolis Antwerpen? Kinepolis Antwerpen is located in the Merksem district of Antwerp. It is accessible by bus from Antwerp Central Station and from the city centre. Antwerp is easily reached by Thalys or Intercity train from Brussels (approximately 35 minutes from Brussels Central), Amsterdam, and Paris. Brussels Airport (BRU) is the nearest major international airport (approximately 40–50 minutes by train to Antwerp). ### Are session recordings available after the conference? Yes. Devoxx Belgium has a well-established practice of publishing session recordings on YouTube. The Devoxx YouTube channel has accumulated extensive archives from previous editions. --- ## Resources | Resource | URL | |---|---| | Official website | https://devoxx.be/ | | Register | https://devoxx.be/ (Swicket registration partner) | | Programme | Not disclosed at time of verification | | YouTube (session recordings) | Search "Devoxx" on YouTube for archived sessions | | Global Devoxx brand | Multiple country editions; see devoxx.be for links | --- **Last verified:** 2026-06-09 **Next review:** 2026-09-09 **Notes:** Attendance figure of 3,500 is self-reported by the organiser (Devoxx Belgium event page). The "20,000+" figure cited on the devoxx.be website refers to the global Devoxx brand across all editions, not Devoxx Belgium alone. Ticket pricing was not available on the live website at the time of verification. The meta-description on the live site mentioned "Join 20,000+ developers" which refers to the global series. Java 27 release timing is the organiser's estimate; actual release dates are subject to the JDK release schedule. The "FROM DEVELOPER TO BUILDER" theme is stated by the organiser for 2026. The 2026 programme had not been published at time of verification. **Variables:** 43/58 **Concept definition:** not applicable