# Flock to Fedora 2026

**June 14--16, 2026 | Prague, Czech Republic**

Flock to Fedora is the annual contributor conference for the [Fedora Project](https://fedoraproject.org/).
It brings together Fedora contributors, users, and upstream developers for talks, workshops, hackfests, and social activities focused on the project's future.

Flock 2026 was held at the [Orea Hotel Anděl's Prague](https://www.orea.cz/en/hotel-andels) (formerly Vienna House by Wyndham) in the Anděl neighborhood of Prague.
The conference follows [DevConf.CZ](https://devconf.cz/) (June 18--20 in Brno), making it possible for attendees to participate in both events during a single trip.

## 📅 Schedule at a glance

| Day | Date | Focus |
|-----|------|-------|
| Day 0 | Sunday, June 14 | Meetups, workshops, and hands-on contributor sessions |
| Day 1 | Monday, June 15 | Opening keynote, plenary sessions, breakout rooms, main social event |
| Day 2 | Tuesday, June 16 | Plenary sessions, breakout rooms, closing remarks |

Saturday, June 13 is the travel and arrival day.
The sponsor and community leadership dinner is on Saturday, 13 June.
The conference hotel room block covers June 13--17 and includes breakfast.

## 🎤 CfP themes

The Call for Proposals was organized around Fedora's four foundations:

- **Freedom: The Open Frontier** -- FOSS approaches to AI, open hardware (RISC-V), open standards, and data privacy
- **Friends: Our Fedora Story** -- Mentorship, team collaboration, onboarding, and partnerships with other FOSS communities
- **Features: Engineering Fedora's Core** -- Infrastructure, release engineering, quality assurance, packaging, and community tooling
- **First: Blueprint for the Future: Fedora Linux 45 & 46** -- Near-term innovations for F45/F46, the foundation for RHEL 11 and EPEL 11

## 📦 About this repository

The Fedora Council and the Flock Organizing Team use this repository to plan and coordinate the Flock conference.
It is hosted on the [Fedora Project Forgejo instance](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/council/flock).

### What lives here

- **Issue tracker** -- The primary tool for tracking planning tasks across all workstreams (sponsorships, speaker management, venue logistics, design, marketing, registration, etc.)
- **Scripts and tooling** -- Automation to support the planning team's workflow (e.g., Forgejo API scripts for label/milestone management, issue triage)
- **Photo gallery** -- `gallery/index.html` is the Flock 2026 photo gallery, deployed at [jflory7.fedorapeople.org/flock-2026-gallery/](https://jflory7.fedorapeople.org/flock-2026-gallery/)
- **Survey archives** -- `survey/` contains LimeSurvey structure exports (.lss) for post-event feedback surveys from each year
- **Documentation** -- This README, `AGENTS.md` (AI agent guidance), and supporting reference material for the planning team

### What lives elsewhere

| Resource | Location |
|----------|----------|
| CfP platform (Pretalx) | [cfp.fedoraproject.org](https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/) |
| Registration (Pretix) | [rsvp.fedoraproject.org](https://rsvp.fedoraproject.org/community/flock-2026/) |
| Event website | [fedoraproject.org/flock](https://fedoraproject.org/flock/) |
| Planning deck (slides) | [Google Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XEfi0h4N56Whe-1Tv7PB8orM4cWDC7BEtUanDznEV_8/edit?usp=sharing) |
| Shared drive | [Google Drive -- Flock 2026](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vFu5FZRkLyR4dHXy9xSCi6tFQo4WJe4I?usp=drive_link) |
| Budget | [Flock 2026 Expense Scratchpad](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C2Tjs84UW6EVGobM89hdYvYM5efuhjTLLBmrKD_bUsw/edit?usp=sharing) |
| Design tickets | [Fedora Design Team on Forgejo](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/design/tickets) |
| Sponsor prospectus | [Google Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1po9DzrIjanmte6_kE32wvQ9oSsAdL9bzhvdPKMtT7lw/edit?usp=sharing) |
| Photo gallery | [jflory7.fedorapeople.org/flock-2026-gallery/](https://jflory7.fedorapeople.org/flock-2026-gallery/) |
| Community photo album | [Google Photos](https://photos.app.goo.gl/asC3xRdoG9BZFz138) |
| Post-event survey | [fedoraproject.limequery.com/flock-2026](https://fedoraproject.limequery.com/flock-2026) |

## 👥 Planning team

Flock is organized by volunteers and Red Hat community team staff working under the direction of the [Fedora Council](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/council/).
Responsibilities are tracked using a [RASCI matrix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_assignment_matrix) (**R**esponsible, **A**ccountable, **S**upports, **C**onsulted, **I**nformed).

### Team members

| Name | Affiliation | Primary focus |
|------|-------------|---------------|
| Dorota "Dorka" Volavkova | RH Events Team | Venue logistics, ITA travel coordination, on-site operations, swag orders |
| Juliana Furlow | RH Events Team | Event operations support, ITA travel coordination |
| Jason Brooks | OSAIPO Manager | Oversight and accountability for AV, website, attendee comms |
| Shaun McCance | CentOS / OSAIPO | Budget management, sponsor contracts and legal, CfP/speaker/schedule accountability |
| Justin Wheeler | Fedora (FCA) | Sponsor outreach, promotion, volunteer coordination, travel sponsorships, registration, social events |
| Lidija Balija | OSAIPO (Ops) | CfP platform, schedule building, speaker comms, sponsor contracting and payments |
| Emma Kidney | Fedora Design | Visual design, branding, swag design, stream overlays |
| Madeline Peck | Fedora Design | Visual design, branding, swag design |
| Ananya Nalavathu | OSAIPO (Intern) | Content and promotion support (Marketing and Community Intern, based in Cork, Ireland) |
| Jess Chitas | OSAIPO (Design) | Flock website redesign |
| Aoife Moloney | Fedora (FOA) | Volunteer coordination, speaker comms, on-site operations |

### Responsibility by workstream

The table below shows who is **Responsible** (owns the work) and **Accountable** (ensures completion) for each workstream.
The full RASCI matrix with Supports, Consulted, and Informed roles is maintained in the planning team's shared drive.

| Workstream | Responsible | Accountable |
|------------|-------------|-------------|
| **General: event planning and budget** | Dorka, Justin | Shaun |
| **General: volunteers** | Justin, Lidija (supports) | Shaun |
| **General: session recordings** | *(discussion needed)* | Jason, Shaun, Justin |
| **General: event recap** | Dorka, Justin | Shaun |
| **Venue: contract, room block, catering** | Dorka | Shaun |
| **Venue: AV coordination and setup** | Justin | Jason |
| **Venue: safety (ISAAC)** | Dorka | Shaun |
| **Venue: on-site setup (venue, reg desk)** | Dorka | Shaun |
| **Sponsors: prospectus** | Shaun, Emma/Madeline | Shaun |
| **Sponsors: outreach and comms** | Justin | Shaun |
| **Sponsors: contracting and payments** | Lidija | Justin |
| **Sponsors: on-site fulfillment** | Justin | Shaun |
| **CfP: platform and promotion** | Lidija | Shaun |
| **CfP: reviewer recruitment** | Justin, Lidija | Shaun |
| **CfP: review coordination** | Lidija | Shaun, Justin |
| **Schedule: drafting and publication** | Lidija | Justin |
| **Speakers: comms and management** | Lidija | Shaun |
| **Marketing: website** | *(discussion needed)* | Jason, Shaun, Justin |
| **Marketing: design (banners, branding)** | Emma/Madeline | *(self-directed)* |
| **Marketing: design (swag, badges, stream, signage)** | Emma/Madeline | *(self-directed)* |
| **Marketing: promotion (social, Fedora channels)** | Justin | Shaun |
| **Marketing: attendee and post-event comms** | Justin | Jason |
| **Travel: sponsorship form and prioritization** | Justin | Jason |
| **Travel: ITA coordination and flights** | Dorka | Justin |
| **Travel: room block arrangements** | Justin | Jason |
| **Registration: platform and promotion** | Justin | Shaun |
| **Registration: swag and reg desk orders** | Dorka | Justin |
| **Registration: on-site printouts and signage** | Dorka | Justin |
| **Registration: post-event survey** | Justin | *(self-directed)* |
| **Socials: sponsor dinner** | Justin | Shaun |
| **Socials: additional evening activities** | Justin | *(self-directed)* |
| **Socials: main conference social venue** | Dorka | Justin |

### Communication channels

- **Flock Staff mailing list:** flock-staff@fedoraproject.org
- **Sponsor inquiries:** sponsors@fedoraproject.org
- **Planning calls:** Bi-weekly (switching to weekly closer to the event)
- **Chat:** Flock Staff channel on Red Hat Slack; Fedora Matrix channels

## 🏷️ Issue tracker guide

Issues in this repository represent planning tasks for Flock.
They are organized using **labels** and **milestones**.

### Labels

Labels are split between the [council org-level labels](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/org/council/settings/labels) (shared across all Council repos) and repo-specific labels defined here.

#### Repo labels: area (what workstream -- non-exclusive, multiple can apply)

| Label | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `area/CfP & Schedule` | Call for Proposals, schedule building, session management |
| `area/Design & Swag` | Branding, t-shirts, stickers, badges, signage |
| `area/Marketing & Comms` | Blog posts, social media, website, announcements |
| `area/Registration` | Pretix platform, attendee management, check-in |
| `area/Social Events` | Evening activities, sponsor dinner, walking tours |
| `area/Speakers` | Speaker communications, onboarding, confirmations |
| `area/Sponsors` | Sponsor outreach, contracts, invoicing, fulfillment |
| `area/Travel & Financial Aid` | Travel sponsorships, BEAR approvals, reimbursements |
| `area/Venue & Logistics` | Room setup, AV, catering, hotel, accessibility |
| `area/Volunteers` | Recruitment, orientation, on-site coordination |

#### Repo labels: priority (how urgent -- exclusive, one per issue)

| Label | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `priority/critical` | Blocking the event; resolve immediately |
| `priority/high` | Important for the current milestone |
| `priority/medium` | Should be done this milestone if possible |
| `priority/low` | Nice to have; can slip |

#### Org labels (inherited from council)

These labels are managed at the organization level and available across all Council repositories.
They cover roles (`role/fca`, `role/fpl`, `role/foa`, `role/engineering`, `role/mindshare`, `role/initiative lead`), triage states (`?/needs triage`, `?/needs changes`, `?/needs reporter feedback`, `?/needs vote`), scope (`scope/new`, `scope/improvement`, `scope/bug`), workflow state (`state/approved`, `state/blocked`, `state/duplicate`, `state/invalid`, `state/wontfix`), and community tags (`good first issue`, `help wanted`).

### Milestones

Milestones map to phases of the planning timeline:

| Milestone | Due | Status | Purpose |
|-----------|-----|--------|---------|
| April 2026: Schedule & Speakers | Apr 30 | Closed | Publish schedule, fill final slots, speaker checklist |
| May 2026: Pre-Event Prep | May 31 | Closed | Venue/AV finalization, swag, sponsor fulfillment, volunteers |
| June 1--13: Final Sprint | Jun 13 | Closed | Shipments, comms, volunteer orientation, last venue check-ins |
| June 14--16: Event | Jun 16 | Closed | On-site execution |
| 2026 Post-Event | Jul 31 | Open | Survey, recordings, retrospective, reimbursements, sponsor follow-up |

## 🗓️ Timeline

### Key dates

| Date | Milestone |
|------|-----------|
| Nov 4, 2025 | Announce date, location, and timeline |
| Oct--Dec 2025 | Contact sponsors |
| Dec 8, 2025 | Open CfP and registration |
| Feb 2, 2026 | Soft close CfP |
| Feb 8, 2026 | Hard close CfP |
| Feb 9--28, 2026 | CfP review |
| Mar 2--6, 2026 | Speaker confirmations |
| Mar 8, 2026 | Deadline for financial aid form |
| Mar 23--27, 2026 | Publish initial schedule |
| Apr--Jun 2026 | Final logistics, swag orders, venue confirmation |
| Jun 14--16, 2026 | **Flock to Fedora 2026** |
| Jun 18--20, 2026 | DevConf.CZ (Brno, CZ) |

### Planning phases

The event checklist is organized into phases that correspond to milestones in the issue tracker:

1. **September--November** -- Venue, budget, sponsor prospectus, public announcement, design kickoff, registration and CfP platform setup
2. **December--February** -- CfP promotion, CfP review, sponsor outreach, travel sponsorship form, website updates, design assets
3. **March--April** -- Speaker notifications, schedule building, sponsor contract finalization, social event planning, swag orders, travel coordination
4. **April--June** -- Venue confirmation (A/V, catering, rooms), speaker updates, registration push, volunteer recruitment, swag shipping, final comms
5. **Event week** -- Opening remarks deck, venue check-in, volunteer orientation, shipment tracking
6. **Follow-up** -- Post-event survey, photo/recording publication, retrospective, reimbursements, budget reconciliation, sponsor thank-you notes

## 💰 Sponsorship

Flock is made possible by the support of Red Hat and external sponsors.
Sponsorship tiers are Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with optional add-ons.

### Flock 2026 sponsors

| Tier | Sponsors |
|------|----------|
| Gold | Red Hat, AWS, Meta |
| Silver | CentOS, openSUSE, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Arm, Microsoft Azure |
| Bronze | Fleet, Framework, Zabbix |

For sponsorship inquiries, contact **sponsors@fedoraproject.org**.

The [Sponsor Prospectus](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1po9DzrIjanmte6_kE32wvQ9oSsAdL9bzhvdPKMtT7lw/edit?usp=sharing) contains full details on tier benefits and pricing.

## 🤝 Contributing

Flock planning is a community effort.
If you would like to help, here are some ways to get involved:

1. **Browse issues labeled [`help wanted`](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/council/flock/issues?labels=help+wanted) or [`good first issue`](https://forge.fedoraproject.org/council/flock/issues?labels=good+first+issue)** for tasks where the team needs assistance.
2. **Join the conversation** on the Fedora Matrix channels or mailing lists.
3. **Volunteer on-site** -- closer to the event, we recruit volunteers for registration desk, A/V support, and attendee assistance.

## 📜 Code of Conduct

Flock to Fedora follows the [Fedora Code of Conduct](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/).
All participants, including speakers, sponsors, and volunteers, are expected to abide by it.

## ⚖️ License

Content in this repository is licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) unless otherwise noted.