A popup village is a month-long gathering where people working at the frontiers of science, technology, and culture come together to reimagine how we live and work. These villages last 1–2 months and bring together 1,000 people to live and collaborate, with roughly 200-300 of those being full-time residents.
Think of it as a cross between a college campus and a small town, but one that only exists for a month.
Our goal is simple: create the best possible environment to connect, learn, collaborate and experiment.
Apply to join our next village →
So it’s like a [conference][retreat][accelerator][residency]?
No, popup villages are an entirely new kind of gathering.
Unlike a conference, accelerator, or retreat, or residency:
- People live there, rather than just attend
- Work happens organically and daily, not just in scheduled bursts
- Ideas unfold over weeks, not compressed into panels or pitch decks
- Everyone contributes to shaping the experience
- Real community forms through shared experiences, varied contexts, and ongoing collaboration
Unlike a regular town:
- Everything is temporary, creating urgency and focus
- There's more freedom to experiment without long-term constraints
- Everyone is actively building, not just going about daily life
Do you literally build a village?
Not from scratch. We transform an existing place into a hub around 10-12 venues. For a month, 200–300 people live onsite, with up to 1,000 part-time visitors. We set up:
- Community hub – A main coworking space for deep work and rapid prototyping
- Event spaces – Venues for talks, workshops, and collaborative sessions
- Shared living – Housing options all within a 5–10 minute walk
- Daily meals – Local restaurants and cafes that host community meals
- Wellness spaces – Gyms and studios for group movement and recovery
The layout is engineered for synchronicity – shared meals, high-flow communal spaces, and work areas that invite interaction. These conditions make room for unexpected collaborations, breakthrough ideas, and bold new projects to emerge.
Why do people go there?
Popup villages bring together people from across disciplines to build, test, and refine breakthrough ideas in a real-world setting.
Each week centers on a specific theme led by founders, researchers, technologists, artists, or policymakers, while a core group of monthlong residents and fellows live on-site, anchoring the community and carrying ideas across weeks. This structure fosters collaborations and insights that rarely emerge in conventional environments.
The village model is grounded in four core principles:
- Default Healthy: We design environments that support physical and mental well-being through food, movement, and rhythm.
- Multidisciplinary: We bring together people from different fields to catalyze new kinds of collaborations.
- Build & Co-creation: We focus on creation and contribution rather than passive consumption
- Multigenerational: We integrate family life rather than separating it from work
This design has bred breakthroughs in privacy technology, new models for community organizing, and experiments in health and education (see our ecosystem page for more).
What actually happens there?
The structure is emergent, participant-driven, and built for momentum. A typical day might look like:
- Morning run club or yoga
- Coffee and breakfast at a local cafe
- Focused work time in dedicated community spaces
- Afternoon workshops, talks, or small group sessions (e.g. neurotech demos, regenerative systems, protocol design)
- Community dinners in the town hub or at local restaurants
- Evening salons, hangs, or social gatherings around the village
What is it ideal for?
Popup villages are designed to support builders and thinkers who want to test, learn, and create in a real-world environment. They provide a space to:
- Run applied experiments – Villages act as living sandboxes for ideas that need real people and contexts, like participatory governance, decentralized identity systems, or wearable health tech.
- Collaborate across disciplines – Unexpected pairings lead to powerful breakthroughs. An AI researcher might co-design with a climate activist; a systems biologist might rethink longevity with a writer.
- Reframe your thinking – Stepping out of your usual environment opens up new mental models. Villages challenge assumptions, breed unexpected insight, and expand your sense for what's possible.
- Prototype new ways of living – From shared childcare models to circadian-aligned schedules, popup villages test how community, health, and infrastructure can work differently.
What does committing to one look like?
Participation requires time, intention, and some planning. Here’s what it typically looks like:
Time commitment: Many participants work remotely during their stay, treating the village as their home and office. You can join for a week, multiple weeks, or the full month. Weekend passes are released just before the village begins for shorter visits.
Cost: Weeklong passes start at $1,000. Full-month passes range from $2,500–$3,000, with builder and scholar discounts available. Tickets include shared workspaces, daily programming, community events, and most meals.
Accommodation: Housing varies by location and includes shared houses, hotel rooms, and rentals. Many participants share to reduce costs.
Families welcome: Unlike most professional gatherings, we offer kids’ programming and welcome partners, making it possible for families to attend together. Read more about our kids and family programming at past villages here.
Apply to Join
Popup villages are happening around the world, from California to Thailand to Argentina. Each one brings together people who believe we can build a better future and are ready to work on it. Whether you're building new technology, doing research, or exploring big ideas, there's a place for you here.
Read our roadmap for more information about the Edge City vision.
Want to be part of it? Apply to join our next village →