Three-day French tech festival at the Cité de l'Océan in Biarritz, 24-26 September. Combines conference programming on AI, Web3, blockchain and entrepreneurship with surf sessions, yoga, running, a startup challenge and evening events. All-inclusive tickets from €190. 2,500+ founders, developers and investors from the French and European tech community.
SHAKA is an annual French tech festival held in Biarritz, combining conference programming on AI, Web3, blockchain and entrepreneurship with outdoor activities (surf, yoga, running) and evening events. Originally launched as NFT Biarritz in 2022, it rebranded to SHAKA from 2023 onwards as the scope expanded beyond Web3. The 2026 edition is the fifth. It occupies an unusual position in the French tech calendar: a community-first gathering at an Atlantic beach resort, with an informal atmosphere that sets it apart from Paris-based or exhibition-hall-format events. The all-inclusive ticket model, which covers food, drinks, sports activities and all evening events, is rare in European tech conferences.
The combination of professional content with a beach resort setting and all-inclusive format creates a social intensity that Paris-centric events cannot replicate. The organiser describes the event as: "You do not attend SHAKA. You belong to it." Trustpilot reviews confirm a loyal repeat-attendee base. Web3 and blockchain content remains a distinguishing feature compared to most DACH or Nordic developer events. The Biarritz location gives SHAKA an almost recreational feel that is intentional, not incidental.
According to sponsor-facing materials: 72% founders, C-level executives and key decision-makers. The broader audience includes developers, product managers, designers, investors and creators. Sponsor logos for 2026 include Airbus, Allianz Accelerator, BPI France, Binance, Solana, Polkadot, Crypto.com and La French Tech, indicating a mix of institutional French tech ecosystem actors, corporate innovation teams and Web3 participants. The event is primarily French-language with some English sessions and a bilingual crowd.
Day 1 (24 September): Morning running networking, welcome with breakfast, workshops and roundtables, partner village and networking, SHAKA Awards ceremony and SHAKA Night opening event.
Day 2 (25 September): Morning running, workshops and roundtables, partner village, surf and yoga session (on-foot access from venue), cocktail networking, closing party from 19:30.
Day 3 (26 September): Walk networking to the Biarritz lighthouse, outdoor ocean-view brunch networking, side events and meetups across Biarritz.
The programme spans: artificial intelligence (AI development, strategy, tools and applications), Web3 and blockchain (crypto, DeFi, tokenisation, blockchain applications), startup and entrepreneurship (founding, scaling, fundraising, growth), product management, and business strategy (corporate innovation, investment, market dynamics). The organiser describes the content as "80+ speakers sharing what actually works, not slides."
Rachel Delacour (CEO, Sweep), Paul Midy (Member of the French National Assembly), Maider Arosteguy (Mayor of Biarritz), Albin Serviant (Ambassador, La French Touch), Herve Bloch (President, Le Fund), Neela Tibayrenc (Director, French Tech Pays Basque), Sylvain Theveniaud (Founder, Allianz Accelerator), Francis Lelong (CEO, Alegria Group), Christophe Molinari (Co-founder, SHAKA). Full programme at shaka.events/#agenda.
The SHAKA Awards recognise outstanding contributions from the community on Day 1. The SHAKA Startup Challenge gives selected startups the opportunity to pitch on the main stage in front of investors. Applications via the organiser's contact form.
AI is one of three main content pillars alongside Web3/blockchain and entrepreneurship. Attendees primarily interested in pure AI engineering or data science content may find the programme breadth wider than expected. SHAKA is a community festival, not a specialist AI conference.
Primarily French with some English-language sessions. The organiser's FAQ describes the crowd as bilingual and international. The outdoor and evening formats are non-language-specific.
No. Surf sessions are optional and open to all levels; instructors are provided. The Biarritz waterfront is accessible on foot from the Cité de l'Océan.
The Cité de l'Océan is an oceanography museum and event venue on the Atlantic seafront in Biarritz. Its location directly adjacent to the beach is central to the SHAKA experience: surf sessions launch from there, the lighthouse walk starts nearby, and the outdoor brunch has direct ocean views. Biarritz is served by Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ) with connections to Paris and European cities, and by TGV rail to Bayonne (approximately 8 km from Biarritz city centre, with bus connections).
SHAKA Events is the independent organiser behind the festival. Co-founder Christophe Molinari appears both as an organiser and speaker. The event launched as NFT Biarritz in 2022, transitioned to the SHAKA brand in 2023 as the scope expanded to AI and startup content. Institutional partners for 2026 include Ville de Biarritz, Communauté d'Agglomération Pays Basque and La French Tech. The event holds a 4.7/5 Trustpilot rating based on attendee reviews (per organiser website). The organiser also confirmed a previous edition attendance figure of 2,760+.
SHAKA is France's most distinctive tech gathering by format: surf sessions, AI and Web3 talks, and startup networking compressed into three all-inclusive days on the Atlantic coast, with genuine community loyalty built across four prior editions.
All tickets are all-inclusive (food, drinks, sports activities and evening events):
Register at weezevent.com (linked from shaka.events). Startup Challenge applications via the organiser's contact form.
Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ) has connections to Paris CDG, Paris Orly and several European cities. TGV from Paris to Bayonne (approximately 4 hours 30 minutes), then bus to Biarritz (approximately 20 minutes). The Cité de l'Océan is a 15-minute walk from Biarritz city centre.
Yes. The SHAKA Startup Challenge allows selected startups to pitch on the main stage in front of investors. Applications via shaka.events.
No online option is offered. SHAKA is designed around the in-person, outdoor and evening social formats; virtual attendance is not part of the model.
| Official website | https://shaka.events/ |
| Register | https://my.weezevent.com/shaka-festival-2026 |
| Programme | https://shaka.events/#agenda |
| Sponsor / Speaker | https://tally.so/r/RG0edK |