The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is set to organise its annual technical festival, Shaastra 2026, on campus from January 2 to January 6, 2026, an official release from the institute said. The five-day event is expected to draw over 80,000 visitors from across the country.
The five-day festival, which is entirely student-managed, will feature around 80 events, along with exhibitions, competitions, workshops, conferences and public engagement programmes.
The release stated that over 130 stalls showcasing innovations developed at IIT Madras will be part of the event and that more than 750 students are involved in organising the festival.
The institute said that Shaastra, which is now in its 27th edition, has evolved into one of Asia’s largest technical festivals since it was first held in 2000. This year’s theme, Artifacts of Arcade, has been designed to create an interactive learning environment that blends hands-on technological engagement with elements inspired by gaming and popular culture.
According to the press release, Shaastra 2026 will introduce several new events, including a robotic racing challenge titled Robo GP, a biomimicry-based healthcare innovation event called BioBattle, and NeuroHack, which is IIT Madras’ first brain–computer interface hackathon using real electroencephalogram data.
Other additions include E-Contest, a coding competition focused on esoteric programming languages, Quantified Dilemma, which combines game theory and psychology, and an Educators Conclave under the VidhyaVahak programme.
Speaking at a press conference, IIT Madras Director Prof V Kamakoti said that Shaastra reflects the institute’s outreach philosophy and that the festival helps demonstrate technological efforts to the wider public. He added that several first-of-their-kind hackathons in core technology areas have been planned for this year’s edition.
The press release noted that Shaastra 2026 will also host academic platforms such as the Digital Governance Summit and ICON26, an international conference focused on smart manufacturing.
The festival will also continue its social outreach through the Hear4You campaign, which focuses on hearing health and accessibility. As part of this initiative, a non-competitive 5-kilometre run has been scheduled for December 28, 2025, to raise public awareness about hearing loss.
Shaastra 2026 will feature spotlight lectures by leaders from science, technology and public policy, including the Union External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S Jaishankar, as well as international academics and researchers, the release stated.
The festival will also include technology-themed entertainment events, including a music night and a comedy programme.