The HackAthlone 2026 packing list

Road to HackAthlone: 3 days to go

HackAthlone opens on Friday 13 November at 17:00 in the Engineering Building at TUS Athlone. Aim to arrive in time for the start. Here’s what to bring.

The essentials

• Laptop and charger. Check the charger is in your bag, not still plugged in at home.
• Phone charger, and a power bank if you have one.
• An extension lead. Sockets are shared, and one lead lets your whole team charge at once.
• Photo ID.
• A refillable water bottle.
• Headphones, for focus, and so you can work while others sleep.
• Any medication you need, enough for the whole weekend.

If you’re travelling from outside Ireland or the UK, bring a plug adapter. Sockets here take the three-pin Type G plug.

If you’re staying overnight

The Engineering Building is open all weekend and you’re welcome to sleep there. We don’t provide accommodation, so bring:

• a sleeping bag and a pillow
• toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant
• a change of clothes, and a warm layer for the night
• earplugs and an eye mask, if you’re a light sleeper

Our post Sleep is part of the plan has more on getting through the overnight.

Useful extras

• a notebook and pen, for plans and sketches
• the adapter your laptop needs for an HDMI screen, in case you present from your own laptop
• snacks you like
• a small bag to keep cables and chargers together

Split the kit with your team

If you already have a team, agree who brings what. One extension lead per team is plenty, and so is one HDMI adapter. Someone with a big power bank becomes very popular around 03:00.

Label your things, too. A strip of tape with your name on your charger, power bank and water bottle saves a lot of confusion, because every laptop charger looks the same at the end of a long night.

What to leave at home

There are no storage facilities at the venue, so pack light. Leave large suitcases and anything valuable you won’t need. If you really have to bring something big, email us before the event and we’ll do our best to help.

The same goes for anything else we should know before you arrive, such as accessibility needs. Email us early and we’ll get back to you.

Getting there

• By train: Athlone station is about 3 km from the venue. Take a taxi, or the A1 town bus, which runs from the station past the campus.
• By car: parking behind the Engineering Building is limited, so email us in advance to ask for a space.
• Staying nearby: if you’d rather sleep in a bed, options near the venue include the Sheraton, the Radisson Blu, Glasson Lakehouse and plenty of B&Bs around Athlone.

The address is Engineering Building, TUS Athlone, Bunnavally, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 HD68.

When you arrive

Head straight for the Engineering Building. In past years, the first stop on Friday was the registration check at the desk there, where people collected their lanyards, T-shirts and merchandise. HACK101 and Pitch-Fest followed later in the evening. Check our site for the 2026 weekend schedule before you set off.

Before you leave home

• Charge everything the night before.
• Install your software and download anything large at home. The venue Wi-Fi is shared by everyone in the building.
• Check that your registration on spaceappschallenge.org says Athlone, and that you’re on the right team if you’ve already joined one.
• Read the Space Apps Project Submission and Judging and Awards guides, which come out on Friday 13 November. The train is a good place for it.
• Give yourself extra time to get here. It’s a Friday evening, after all.

Anything we haven’t covered is probably in the FAQs. If not, email us. See you on Friday.