attend

Plan your visit

One Saturday, one ballroom, free entry. This page has everything you need to get there and know what you are walking into.

date and hours Saturday, November 14, 2026

09:00 to 17:00 confirm

Doors are open the whole time. There is no opening ceremony you have to be there for, and nothing is a one time only session except the competition finals.

venue GSU Ballroom

Geary Student Union, University of Charleston
2300 MacCorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304

The ballroom is on the main level of the Geary Student Union. Signs start at the building entrance.

admission Free

Open to the public, all ages. Register if you can so we press enough discs, but you can also just walk in.

[static map image needed] Same map as the home page, with visitor parking and the accessible entrance marked. Static tile, no third party embed.

Getting there and parking

Driving: campus visitor parking is off MacCorkle Ave SE. Weekend parking is free and unrestricted. confirm
Bus: KVRTA routes run along MacCorkle Ave SE. Check the Saturday timetable, which is thinner than weekdays. confirm
On foot from the South Side: the Geary Student Union is the building with the glass front facing the river side of campus.

Accessibility

Step free route from the visitor lot to the ballroom, with an elevator to the main level.
Accessible restrooms on the same floor as the ballroom.
Reserved seating at the front of the talk area for anyone who needs to lip read or see a screen closely.
A quiet room away from the floor, open all day.
Service animals are welcome.
Live captioning for the talks. confirm

If you need something that is not listed, write to us and we will tell you plainly whether we can do it.

what to bring

A short list

The laptop you already own, and its charger.
A USB stick of 8GB or larger if you have one. We have spares.
A copy of anything on that laptop you would be upset to lose, on an external drive or in whatever cloud you currently use.
Old hardware you want looked at, for the refurbishing showcase and the swap table.

You do not need a ticket printed, a badge, or any software installed in advance.

About your laptop, plainly

Several sessions want you to bring a machine. In every one of them we start from a live USB stick, which runs Linux from the stick without touching your hard drive. Nothing is written to your disk unless you decide to install, you say so out loud, and a helper confirms it with you first. If you want to install and keep Windows or macOS alongside it, say so and we will set that up instead. Bring a backup anyway. That is good practice on any day.

food and breaks

Eating on the day

Coffee and water are on the floor all day at no cost. Whether lunch is provided is still being worked out. confirm

There are places to eat within a short drive on MacCorkle Ave SE, and you are welcome to bring your own food into the building.

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Questions people actually ask

Written for someone who has never been to a technology event. None of these are silly questions.

I do not know anything about Linux. Is this for me?

Yes, and you are the main reason the day exists. Linux is the free operating system that runs most of the internet, and it also runs fine on a normal laptop instead of Windows or macOS. The morning talks assume you know nothing. The Liberation Lab exists to get it running on your machine with someone helping.

Will I lose the files on my laptop?

Not unless you choose to install and confirm it with a helper. Everything starts from a USB stick that leaves your hard drive alone. If you do choose to install, we go through what is on the disk with you first, and we can set it up so your current system stays alongside Linux. Bring a backup regardless.

Do I need to bring a computer at all?

No. The talks, the exhibits and the disc handout need nothing from you. If you want to try Linux without bringing anything, the distro tasting bar has machines set up for exactly that.

Is it really free, and is there a catch?

Free to attend, no vendor hall, and nobody is selling you a subscription. The department hosts it. The software is free in both senses: no cost, and you are allowed to see how it works and change it.

Do I have to stay all day?

No. Come for an hour. The exhibits run continuously, so there is always something to walk up to. If you only have time for one thing, make it the Liberation Lab.

Can I bring my kids, or my parents?

Yes. All ages, and the refurbishing showcase in particular tends to hold everyone's attention. Children should stay with an adult on the competition floor, where there is cable and equipment underfoot.

What if I get stuck after the event?

Everyone who installs something leaves with a printed sheet of what was done to their machine, plus an address to write to. There is a follow up session on campus a few weeks later for anything that came up. confirm