HACKERS. & RAVERS.
_ MAY 29 > 30  —  WINTERCIRCUS, GHENT _
Code all night. Dance till dawn.
// Co-organised by Soda & Winter Circus Gent
-- Days
-- Hours
-- Min
-- Sec
> until kickoff — Fri 29 May, 18:00 Brussels time <
Apply Now 200 spots — applications reviewed on a rolling basis_
24h
Non-stop hacking
200
Hackers & builders
4
Tracks
1
Massive rave
// What is this

Code all night.
Dance till dawn.

Hackers & Ravers is a 24-hour AI hackathon fused with a proper rave party — co-organised by Soda & Winter Circus Gent, in partnership with Google & Lovable, inside the iconic Wintercircus dome in Ghent. Build with AI, ship something wild, and celebrate with 200 people who just pulled the same all-nighter you did.


Bring your team, your data, and your wildest ideas. Use Soda Straw to connect to the tools and data you need — then build agents, dashboards, apps, or anything else you can dream up in 24 hours.


Whether you're an engineer, designer, data scientist, ops lead, or just dangerously curious — if you can hack and you can dance, this is your event.

Hacker with CRT monitor, glitch aesthetic
// Who is this for

Two ways in

Whether you're sending a company team or coming on your own — there's a spot for you.

>_

Enrol your company

Send a team from your company. Connect your tools to Soda Straw before the event so you can start building the moment you arrive. The best teams mix developers with business people — and everyone builds.

Enrol a team
Mix developers with business people
//

Join as individual

Developer, data scientist, designer, student, or just dangerously curious? Apply solo and we'll match you with a team at the event. Bring your skills, learn new ones, and build something you couldn't build alone.

Apply solo
All backgrounds welcome
// How it works

From zero to shipped in 24h

Connect your data

Before the hackathon, connect your company tools — CRM, databases, spreadsheets, APIs — to Soda Straw. No API keys to manage. Your data is ready when you are.

Before the event

Build with AI

Use Claude Code, your favourite IDE, or any tool you want. Via the Soda Straw MCP, your agents instantly access all your connected data. 24 hours to build something that changes how your team works.

During the hackathon

Ship & celebrate

Demo what you built. An AI evaluator scores every project. Top teams pitch to a live jury. Winners get prizes. Then the bass drops.

Saturday evening
// Tracks

Pick your frequency

Four tracks. Build whatever you want within the theme — or go completely rogue.

>_

AI Agents

Build agents that automate real work. Sales reporting that runs itself, ops alerts that actually make sense, legal doc review that saves hours. Connect your company data via Soda Straw and let AI do the heavy lifting.

~/

Data Alchemy

Turn your messy company data into dashboards, pipelines, and insights nobody saw coming. Build the reporting layer your team always wished they had. Make the data sing.

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Applications

Build full applications powered by your company data. Internal tools, customer-facing features, workflow apps — if it solves a real problem and ships in 24 hours, it belongs here.

!!

Wildcard

Doesn't fit the other tracks? Good. Creative code, weird experiments, things nobody expected. The best hacks often come from the edges. Surprise us.

// Schedule

The program

Two days. One venue. Full schedule coming soon — here's the outline.

Fri May 29 _ 16:00
Doors Open
Check in, find your spot, meet your fellow hackers. Team formation for solo participants.
Fri May 29 _ 18:00
Kickoff & Hacking Starts
Opening talks, then keyboards out. The 24-hour clock starts.
Sat May 30 _ 16:00
Hacking Stops — Demos
Keyboards down. AI evaluator scores every project. Top teams pitch live in front of the jury.
Sat May 30 _ 19:00
Winners & Networking
Prize ceremony, drinks, and networking. This part is open to a wider audience — invite your colleagues and friends. Registration required.
Sat May 30 _ 21:00
The Rave
DJ sets, lights, and everyone together on the dance floor. You built it. Now dance.
// Partners

Brought to you by

Soda soda.io → & Winter Circus Gent wintercircus.be →
In partnership with
startup.google.com → lovable.dev →
// Become a partner

Want to partner with us to empower this event?

anton.wouters@soda.io
// How we judge

AI scores. Humans decide.

Every project gets evaluated by an AI across multiple dimensions. The highest-rated teams pitch live in front of a jury. Three winners walk away with exciting prizes.

// Prizes

What you win

Besides bragging rights and serotonin.

The prize pool
To be announced
Expect hardware, software, and a few surprises.
+ Final prizes and how they're distributed — revealed closer to the event  •  + All participants get Soda Straw credits
// Coming soon

Stay tuned

More announcements dropping in the weeks ahead.

May 5
Partners
Coming soon
May 15
Jury
Coming soon
May 26
Full prize pool
Coming soon
// The venue

Wintercircus,
Ghent

Built as a 19th-century circus hall, Wintercircus is a landmark domed venue in the heart of Ghent. Iron beams, stained glass, and a wide-open floor — the perfect stage for 24 hours of building, and the rave that closes it.

Wintercircus, Ghent — CRT TVs inside the Wintercircus dome
// FAQ

Got questions?

What's the ideal team?
A group from the same company: a mix of developers and business people (finance, ops, marketing, legal). Everyone builds — AI levels the field, so the people who know the problems are just as capable of shipping the solutions. Solo hackers are welcome too — we'll help you form a team.
Do I need to know how to code?
Not necessarily. AI is the great equalizer. Business people who understand the problem are just as valuable as engineers. The best teams combine both. If you can describe what you need, AI can help you build it.
What is Soda Straw?
Soda Straw is data access management for AI agents — and humans too. It lets you connect to your company data (CRMs, databases, APIs, spreadsheets) and share those connections without managing API keys. Agents and people get instant access to the data they need.
Do I need to connect my company data?
It's strongly recommended. The most impactful projects will use real company data to solve real problems. Connect your tools to Soda Straw before the event so you can start building immediately. We'll help you set this up.
How does the selection work?
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We're looking for a balanced mix: business people, technical people, and teams that can connect real data. We'll review your application based on the information you provide in the form.
What should I bring?
Laptop, charger, headphones, a hoodie (it's a 19th-century building), and optionally a sleeping bag for power naps. Pre-connect your company tools to Soda Straw before arriving.
Where is Wintercircus?
Wintercircus is a landmark venue in the center of Ghent, Belgium. Sint-Baafsplein 17. Quick tram ride from Gent-Sint-Pieters station.
Do I need AI experience?
No. We'll have workshops, mentors, and Soda Straw does the heavy lifting for data access. Come curious and ready to learn. Some of the best hacks come from people who see the problem differently.

Stop scrolling.
Start building.

200 spots. 24 hours. One rave. More details coming soon.

Enrol your company Apply as individual

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis_