Hallway con
Kawaiicon is more than just the main talk track over the two days. We know a lot of people come to the con to see each other, hangout, and cause some hacker mischief. That is why we have a hallway con. We have a number of satellites events in our orbit (at least that sounds better than calling them parasite events), and this year we really wanted to level up from previous years. There are a bunch of good eggs in the community who volunteered to run these, so show them some love and check their events out.
Before the con
Kākācon
Thursday 1:45pm
@ Zealandia
Come join your fellow hackers at Kākācon for a walk in Zealandia. Zealandia is Wellington’s eco sanctuary, where many wild birds fly around while having a lovely bush walk. It is an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends, old and new, without the background noise of a bar. There are no scheduled talks, but hallwaycon conversations ranging from hacking to birds and everything in between. Kākācon is happening Thursday, 29 October at 13:45 at Zealandia, the only cost is the Zealandia entry fee.
Good egg in charge: karit
Girl Geek Dinner
Thursday 5:00pm - 8:00pm
@ TBA
Come along to say hi to some of the other awesome ladies and theydies attending Kawaiicon 2026. We’ll be customising our badges for that mecha kawaii look, debating whether Cardcaptor Sakura or Sailor Moon was better at saving the world (editor’s note: neither! it was Terry Teo!). Plenty of food and drinks to enjoy (with plenty of low/non-alcoholic options too!).
Anyone who identifies as a woman* or as non-binary or as genderqueer is more than welcome to come along to kick off the start of the ‘con. Any questions, email the Crüe.
*if you say you’re a woman, you’re a woman. ❤️
(Or if you miss tickets, just email us. No dramas.)
Good egg in charge: ladybugg
During the con
Locksport
Friday 10am (after keynote) - 5pm, Saturday 9am - 4pm
@ Michael Fowler Centre - Renouf Foyer (Level 1)
The Locksport Village hosted by CyberCX lockpicking enthusiasts and physical security specialists. Similar to other security conferences, the Locksport Village is a place for participants to learn and practice lockpicking and other physical security techniques. Locksport is the sport of defeating locking systems. Enthusiasts challenge themselves by learning a variety of skills including lock picking, bypasses and other skills traditionally only known by locksmiths and other security professionals. As usual, there will be a competition with over $1000 worth of Lego prizes. This competition is beginner friendly and we have had many beginners winning the competition in previous conferences.
K.S (#Entryspecialist) is the pro in-charge. K.S was one of the key organisers for the lockpicking villages at Kawaiicon 2025, BSides Melbourne, Adelaide and CrikeyCon. We are lucky to have K.S!
Good egg in charge: K.S and the CCX gang
Capture The Flag (CTF)
Friday 10am (after keynote) - 5pm, Saturday 9am - 1:30pm
@ Michael Fowler Centre - Renouf Foyer (Level 1)
Another Kawaiicon, another mini CTF, this time created by VuwCTF! We’re the cybersecurity club from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.
You can play CTF challenges across several categories, including web, forensics and rev. We’ll have beginner friendly challenges, as well as some more difficult ones for experts. Have a go by yourself or with some friends and learn something new!
Good eggs in charge: Tane and VUW CTF crew
Kuracon
Saturday 12:45pm - 3pm only
The Michael Fowler Centre - Lion Harborview (Level 2)
One of our personal favorite parts of the con (aside from summoning sparklepots on queue): our lil’ hacker con!
Our kids hacker con is run on the Saturday, and includes activities like lockpicking and kiddo-friendly CTF-like challenges. Age range we are targeting is 9 to 12-years-old but if you think your kid is interested then bring them along. It will be a fun and safe space for the hackers of tomorrow to try some things out and give it a go.
You (the parent / guardian) would need to be present while your kid is there, and they will need a Kuracon ticket. If another caregiver wants to come along to be impressed by their kid’s new skills (but not attend the con), drop us an email and we can help out.
Getting a ticket to Kuracon covers the kiddo’s entry to the entire con and Kuracon on Saturday only. If your kiddo is SUPER keen on attending Friday too, they do need a student/unwaged ticket.
Keen?
(Or if you miss tickets or need help attending, just email us. We would love to sort it out.)
Good egg in charge: bdg