A two-day CNCF-certified Kubernetes and cloud-native community conference on 10-11 July 2026 at Istanbul Bilgi University Santralistanbul Campus, bringing together platform engineers, DevOps practitioners, and cloud-native developers from Turkey and Southeast Europe.
Kubernetes Community Days Istanbul 2026 is a CNCF-certified Tier 2 community conference dedicated to Kubernetes, cloud-native infrastructure, and platform engineering. Organised by a volunteer team drawn from Spacelift, Trendyol, Kubermatic, JumpCloud, and Coca-Cola CCI, the event runs two full days at Istanbul Bilgi University Santralistanbul Campus. The Kubernetes Community Days series is coordinated by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation; the Istanbul edition is the primary CNCF-affiliated Kubernetes event for Turkey.
The 2026 edition takes place on 10 and 11 July 2026 at Istanbul Bilgi University's Santralistanbul Campus in the Eyup district of Istanbul. The CFP closed on 1 March 2026; the speaker roster and session schedule are not yet published as of verification. Registration is handled through the CNCF community platform at community.cncf.io.
KCD Istanbul is the summer anchor for the platform engineering and cloud-native circuit in Southeast Europe. It follows the spring cluster (KubeCon EU Amsterdam in March, KCD Helsinki and KCD Czech in May) and precedes the autumn cluster (Container Days Hamburg, KCD Sofia, Civo Navigate London). As a CNCF Tier 2 event, it operates at a scale and certification level above local meetups but below KubeCon.
Kubernetes Community Days (KCD) is a CNCF-certified series of community conferences focused on Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies. Events are organised by local volunteer teams and must meet CNCF certification criteria. Tier 2 events support up to 600 registrations. KCD Istanbul is the only CNCF-certified Kubernetes community event currently approved for Turkey.
KCD Istanbul is community-run, organised by volunteers from local and regional technology companies, with CNCF certification and support. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation certifies the event and coordinates the global KCD calendar but does not manage the logistics.
The working language has not been confirmed as of verification. CNCF events in non-English-speaking countries typically run in a mix of the local language and English; check kcd.ist for session language policy.
Istanbul Bilgi University's Santralistanbul Campus occupies a converted early twentieth century power plant in the Eyup district of Istanbul. The campus sits on the Golden Horn waterway and is accessible from central Istanbul via Metro line M7 (Eyup station) or ferry. The industrial-heritage buildings provide open spaces suited to a multi-room conference format.
KCD Istanbul is organised by a volunteer team including engineers from Spacelift, Trendyol, Kubermatic, JumpCloud, Hepapi, and Coca-Cola CCI. The organising committee can be reached at istanbul-organizers@kubernetescommunitydays.org. The event operates under CNCF certification, which sets minimum standards for content quality, code of conduct, and community accessibility.
The only CNCF-certified Kubernetes event in Turkey, KCD Istanbul positions itself as the platform engineering rendezvous for a technology community of 90 million people that has produced engineering talent now distributed across European platform teams.
Registration is via the CNCF community platform at community.cncf.io. Pricing for the 2026 edition is not publicly disclosed as of verification; KCD events are typically low-cost or free to encourage community participation. Check kcd.ist for current registration details.
The campus is in the Eyup district of Istanbul. From central Istanbul: Metro M7 to Eyup station, then a short walk to the campus. Ferry services to Eyup pier from Eminonu and other Golden Horn stops are an alternative. The address is Kazim Karabekir Cad. No. 2/13, Eyup, Istanbul.
Istanbul Bilgi University has no on-campus hotel. Hotels in Balat, Fatih, and Beyoglu are within 20-30 minutes of the campus by public transport. Istanbul city centre hotels are approximately 30-45 minutes by Metro.
Yes. Turkey does not require visas for EU/EEA nationals and many other nationalities for short stays. Check your country's visa requirements at the Turkish consular website. Istanbul is served by Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) with direct connections across Europe.
| Official website | https://kcd.ist/ |
| Register | https://community.cncf.io/events/details/cncf-kcd-istanbul-presents-kcd-istanbul-2026/ |
| CNCF KCD directory | https://cncf.io/kcds/ |