Vancouver is worth the trip.

Futureproof Festival is three days of AI thought leadership, education and creative practice for professionals shaping how these systems are used. Six threads connect the program. Community: a festival that grew out of the Vancouver AI Meetup, and the conversations that turn a room of strangers into a community. Creativity: the opening-night creative AI live set, Mayumi Rollings on an animation studio that uses AI everywhere and refuses to lose the artists, and Kevin Friel on filmmakers who stop waiting for permission. Ethics: Sara Blenkhorn on who owns what we build, and Michael Running Wolf on Indigenous language reclamation and who owns the future those tools make. Resilience: Andrew Zolli at the scale of the whole planet, and Brewster Kahle on what a library owes the people who aren't born yet. Education: Stephanie Dick on who got to decide what counts as knowledge, and Shane Gibson on asking better questions than the machine. Empowerment: Alexandra Samuel on working with the thing, and Ben Shneiderman, who wrote the book on human-centered AI, closing the festival. The aim is a deeper understanding of AI and a stronger basis for the decisions ahead.

For professionals making consequential choices about AI: business leaders and founders, researchers and technologists, educators and public servants, creative directors and independent artists. If you build, fund, commission, teach or govern work that AI is changing, this program is for you. You don't need to write code or arrive convinced. Students and emerging practitioners are welcome too.

The program is designed to deepen your understanding of AI's capabilities and limits, strengthen the questions you ask about adoption and governance, and introduce creative approaches beyond your own field. Bring a challenge from your work: the talks, audience questions and conversations give you different perspectives to test it against.

No. Futureproof Festival of AI is the Vancouver event presented by the BC + AI Ecosystem Association, October 28-30, 2026 at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. It is not the U.S. wealth-management Future Proof Festival.

Future edition details will be shared after they are confirmed. Right now we are focused on October 28-30, 2026 in Vancouver.

The 2026 festival brings opening night and two program days together at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. That gives you time to connect research, policy and creative practice, question speakers, and consider how the ideas apply to your own decisions.

One ticket, all three days: opening night on October 28, the full program on October 29 and 30, and the closing party. There is no separate closing ticket and there are no single-day tickets. If it is on the festival program, your ticket covers it.

The 2026 full festival ticket covered opening night, both program days and the closing party. Ticket sales have closed.

The festival ticket covers opening night Oct 28 and program days Oct 29–30. There are no single-day tickets.

No. Futureproof Festival 2026 is an in-person event at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver; there is no virtual attendance option for the 2026 festival.

2026 ticket sales have closed as the festival draws to a close. Explore the photos and program, or contact us for help with an existing booking.

For questions about an existing 2026 member booking or receipt, email hello@bc-ai.ca. Membership itself is handled by BC + AI.

2026 ticket sales, including student tickets, have closed. For help with an existing booking, contact the festival team.

Prices are in CAD. No separate tax or checkout fee is added to the price shown on Luma. Checkout is handled on Luma.

After purchase, the Luma confirmation email links to the QR ticket. The ticket is also available when signed in to Luma, in the Luma app, or in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. At check-in, staff can scan the QR code or look up the attendee by name.

Futureproof Festival of AI is all ages. Attendees under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 6 must be supervised by an adult at all times. Alcohol service is 19+ only.

Refunds have closed. Transfer requests are accepted from September 1 through October 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. The original purchaser must email hello@bc-ai.ca from the purchase email address with the recipient's full name and email. The organizer will reissue the ticket without a fee, and the recipient must complete registration. For a same-person name or email correction, update your Luma profile. Checkout is handled on Luma. Full terms are on the terms page.

Refunds have closed. Transfer requests are accepted from September 1 through October 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. The original purchaser must email hello@bc-ai.ca from the purchase email address with the recipient's full name and email. The organizer will reissue the ticket without a fee, and the recipient must complete registration. Book the parts of the trip you can change. Flights, places to stay, and getting from YVR to Vanier Park are on the travel page.

No. The 2026 Call for Talks closed on August 15 after 119 submissions. We read every proposal, and every person who pitched gets a personal answer.

Tell us what you are good at and when you are available during festival week. If there is a fit, the team will confirm the role, timing, support, and what participation includes before you commit.

Yes. The opening-night creative AI live set features artists performing with AI as their instrument, from generative visuals to live-coded sound. The closing party carries that energy into Friday night. Both are included with every festival ticket.

Yes. Opening night includes hosted sushi and dessert, plus alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Thursday and Friday include hosted breakfast sandwiches, fruit bowls and coffee, plus lunch on both days. Thursday and Friday dinners are on your own before any evening activities. The Friday closing party includes hosted food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. For menu, allergy, or dietary questions, email hello@bc-ai.ca before the festival.

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St in Vanier Park. The Route 2 bus stops nearby, False Creek Ferries dock right at Vanier Park, and it's an easy walk or ride over from Granville Island. Check TransLink for current routes and service before you travel. From the airport, budget about 35 to 45 minutes by Canada Line plus a short connection, or a direct rideshare.

Our recommended hotel is the Sylvia Hotel, a heritage hotel beside English Bay in the West End. Call 604.681.9321 or book at sylviahotel.com. Compare the journey to Vanier Park before booking, and check current rates, availability and access directly with the hotel. The travel page also covers Kitsilano / Granville Island, Downtown / West End, and Mount Pleasant / Main Street.

The travel page lists BC + AI's certification days before and after the festival: Responsible AI Professional and the AI Animation & Filmmaking Accelerator. They use separate tickets and other venues; the festival ticket does not cover them. If you have an extra day, walk the Seawall through Stanley Park, visit Granville Island Public Market, or spend time at the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

The festival is anchored at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, and the venue's public information lists accessible entry and accessible washrooms. FriendsQuarters: On the second floor, reached by stairs. Email kk@bc-ai.ca before travelling if you need step-free access; arrangements have not yet been confirmed. Email kk@bc-ai.ca before the festival with questions about seating, room routing, or mobility support. Count on a specific support only once we have confirmed it in writing.

Captioning is not confirmed yet. If captions, a transcript, or other access support would change your day, email kk@bc-ai.ca before the event and we will reply.

Yes. See /code-of-conduct. It covers all festival spaces, evening events, and online spaces. It applies equally to everyone at the festival: ticket holders, speakers, sponsors, and organizers.

The regular Vancouver AI Meetup at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre runs on its own monthly schedule. The May 27, 2026 meetup opened festival registration; the October festival still runs as its own Oct 28-30 program.

2026 group bookings have closed. For questions about an existing booking or receipt, contact the festival team.

No visa required. US citizens need only a valid passport to enter Canada. Other nationalities: check the IRCC website for your country's eTA or visa requirements. Most Western countries enter visa-free or with a quick online eTA ($7 CAD).

Cool and overcast, occasionally rainy. Typical Pacific Northwest fall. Expect 8–14°C (46–57°F) during the day. Bring layers and a waterproof jacket. It's rarely cold enough for a heavy coat, but an umbrella or rain shell is essential.

Seattle: ~3-hour drive or 45 min to Bellingham + shuttle. San Francisco: ~2.5-hour direct flight. Toronto: ~5-hour direct flight. New York: ~6-hour direct flight. London: ~9.5-hour direct flight. YVR is well-connected and easy to get in and out of.

The /press page carries the press kit: speaker graphics, copy-paste blurbs and links, boilerplate, dates, venue facts, and selected images. For interviews or anything the kit doesn't cover, email kk@bc-ai.ca with your outlet and angle.

Our sponsors and community partners helped make Futureproof Festival 2026 possible. The partner page recognizes their contribution; 2026 sponsorship sales have closed.

2026 exhibitor applications have closed. Thank you to the makers who brought their work to the festival.