New to the Open Knowledge Festival or just wondering what this year’s event will involve? Check out the FAQs below.

If you still can’t find the information you need, drop us an email at [email protected].

When is OKFestival 2014 taking place?

This year’s festival is taking place July 15-17 in Berlin. Our festival will start with a Tuesday evening opening event,  6pm – 8.30pm, and on both Wednesday and Thursday the festival will open for registration at 8.30am and programmed events will run throughout the day until 7pm. Fringe Events are likely to take place in Berlin and other places in the days before and after the festival, and also on festival evenings after the programmed content.

Where can I find the latest public version of the programme?

Here! The programme is being hosted in a tool called Sched that lets viewers create their own personalised programme by selecting the sessions they're interested in attending.

Who curates the programme?

The OKFestival programme consists of two sections:

• core programme – made almost exclusively of the proposals selected by the Programme Team from the ones received through the call for proposals and a few additional invitations (coming from the Programme Team itself)
• keynote sessions – featuring speakers invited by the Steering Committee

What other events has Open Knowledge organised in the past?

Open Knowledge has run a multitude of events since 2005 from festivals and data expeditions to camps, hackathons, training workshops, book sprints, meetups, and hangouts, both in person and online. Participants have included activists, hackers, researchers, policy makers and openness enthusiasts from all around the world.

Events have a significant role for Open Knowledge. They focus attention, gather audiences around specific topics and represent both the public face of the organization and its multiple projects. They’re a great opportunity to help data enthusiasts meet face to face in order to support working and learning together.

More at okfn.org/events and on the OKCon 2013  and OKFestival 2012 websites.

What does the ticket price include?

We've worked hard to keep the price of the tickets as low as possible. The price includes admission to the opening evening event and both full days of the festival. There will be coffee and soft drinks available during the festival as well as wifi throughout the venue. We are also offering financial aid to those who need it – more information coming soon.

You will need to buy your own food at the event, but there are lots of competitively priced options within the venue.

Will there be other events in Berlin around OKFestival?

Yes! There will be fringe events taking place either side of the main festival. Check out our Fringe Events section for more information.

Is there any financial aid available to attend OKFestival?

It’s important to us that anyone who wants to attend OKFestival is able to participate. To help with travel and accomodation costs, we’re putting together a financial aid programme. Find information on that here in our Financial Aid section.

Does OKFestival have a Code of Conduct?

OKFestival has a code of collaboration called OKFestival User guide. You can find it here and read more about why and how we created it here.

Does OKFestival provide childcare service?

We believe that supporting parents with small children attending events is a great step forward towards inclusivity. However, we couldn't provide this service this year. But children are very much welcome and if participants feel comfortable/ find suitable to have their kid(s) with them at the event, please notice that:

• parents with infants and older children are welcome to bring them
• children under 12 don't need a ticket as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a ticket. If your children are over 12 and under 18 you’ll need to purchase student tickets for them

Where can I find information about accessibility at OKFestival?

Please find here a detailed blog post about accessibility, including information about wheelchair accessibility; accessibility for individuals with vision impairments and hearing impairments; food allergies and sensitivities; privacy; gender neutral restrooms.

I have food allergies and sensitivities/ I am vegetarian/ vegan: will I find suitable food options at the festival?

Yes. Food options at the festival will cater for both meat and vegan lovers and the catering staff will be happy to provide informations essentials to those with food allergies and sensitivities.

Does OKFestival provide audio translation and/or transcription in languages other than English of the keynote sessions?

We believe that audio translation and/or transcription in languages other than English are key tools to make sessions more accessible and barrier-free (we're big fans of Chaos Communication Congress’ Subtitles project). However, we couldn’t provide this service this year. If you want to help to make this happen in the future, please contact us at [email protected].

Will you be recording or livestreaming the event?

Yes, we will be recording and livestreaming some sessions from the festival, including the keynotes. By taking part in the festival, you may appear in footage taken at the event – including livestreamed content and photos. If you do not want to appear in these, please contact a member of staff on the information desk at the venue (and see the next question to learn about our ‘no camera zones’).

What if I don’t want be filmed at the event?

At OKFestival we aim to be inclusive of a wide range of perspectives, which in this case means we want to make space for people who fall across the whole ‘camera love' spectrum. To do so, we’ve looked to our friends and partners for inspiration, and have decided to allocate some areas of the OKFestival venue as ‘no camera zones’.
The ‘no camera zones' – spaces designated free from both photography and videography – will consist of the indoors bar at ‘Frannz’ (full-time) and the 1st floor of Kesselhaus (when workshops aren’t running). These spaces will be clearly marked when you are on site. All other places will be considered fair game for filming, so do remember to smile for the camera!

How do I find out more about sponsoring OKFestival?

If you're interested in supporting OKFestival, please have a look at our sponsor section and contact us at [email protected]. There are a range of different ways in which your organisation can contribute.

How can I keep up to date with news and conversations about OKFestival?

You can join in the conversations about OKFestival on Twitter and Facebook where the hashtag is #OKFest14.