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RoboCon 2026: Where the Robot Framework Community Comes Together

· 6 min read
Miikka Solmela
Miikka Solmela
Executive Director, Robot Framework Foundation

Winter 2026 brings RoboCon back — and this time, it shines a little brighter.

RoboCon 2026 is where the Robot Framework community meets in full force: learning together, debating ideas, building tools, and reminding ourselves why open source works best when people actually show up.

Two formats, one shared experience:

Helsinki, Finland — 10–13 February 2026
Online, worldwide — 3–6 March 2026

The program has been out for a month now. Tickets are moving. So let’s talk about what RoboCon 2026 actually offers — and what’s genuinely new this year.

The theme colors were shown in Bio Rex. Credits Jani Haapala.

Two ways to attend, one community​

Live in Helsinki (Bio Rex)​

RoboCon Helsinki follows a familiar, well-tested rhythm:

  • 10 Feb — Workshops
    Full-day, hands-on training with Robot Framework experts.
  • 11 Feb — Community Day
    A free, attendee-driven unconference where the agenda is created on the spot.
  • 12–13 Feb — Main Conference
    Two full days of talks, discussions, Speakers’ Corner conversations — and evening events.

Bio Rex, right in the center of Helsinki, gives us a proper auditorium for talks and plenty of space for hallway conversations — which, as always, are where half the learning happens.

Online, worldwide — and more global than ever​

The online part of RoboCon runs on Gather.Town, not a passive video platform but an interactive space where conversations happen naturally.

  • 3 Mar — Online Workshops
    Full-day (~7h), instructor-led, hands-on workshops in small groups.
  • 4–5 Mar — Online Conference
    Pre-recorded talks streamed live, with real-time Q&A, panels, and interactive sessions.
  • 6 Mar — Community Day + Tutorials
    Unconference-style Community Day plus interactive tutorials, all included for ticket holders.

What’s new in 2026:
For the first time ever, RoboCon Online includes dedicated content during Americas-friendly time zones — including:

  • a full online conference day
  • a separate Americas session during Community Day

This is a meaningful shift for us, and an open invitation to the US and the wider Americas community.

New in 2026: Watch Parties 🌍​

This year we’re introducing Watch Parties — local RoboCon hotspots where Robot Framework enthusiasts gather to experience the conference together.

Watch Parties come in two flavors:

Community-driven Watch Parties
Anyone can organize a small, local Watch Party. Simply grab a discounted bundle of online tickets, gather your colleagues or local community, and make it happen. Low barrier, high energy.

Sponsor-hosted Watch Parties
Our Online Gold and Platinum online sponsors can host larger, more visible Watch Parties — streaming RoboCon live and adding their own local program.

These sponsored Watch Parties are our most prominent hubs and may include:

  • tutorials or hands-on workshops
  • customer case presentations
  • local technical talks
  • shared meals, networking, or social events

Every participant still needs their own RoboCon ticket (packages and bundles are available), but the experience becomes local, social, and human.

If Helsinki is the north star, Watch Parties are the constellation.

Helsinki workshops: learn deeply, hands-on​

Workshops on 10 February are full-day, practical sessions. You bring your laptop — and you leave wiser.

A few examples from this year’s lineup:

  • Mastering Robot Framework Browser: Extend, Automate, Integrate with Playwright
    Tatu Aalto, René Rohner
    A deep dive into Browser library internals: architecture, scopes, selectors, tracing, and extending with JavaScript and Python.
  • From Natural Language to Robot Framework with AI Agents, MCP & Self Healing Things
    Many Kasiriha, Daniel Biehl
    One coherent hands-on flow: natural-language scenarios turned into executable tests, validated in real Robot Framework runtime, with self-healing execution.
  • Extending Robot Framework (Advanced)
    Pekka Klärck
    Advanced library APIs, listener API, parsing, execution and result models.

Add to that advanced Selenium usage, OpenAPI-based testing, desktop automation with PlatynUI, parallel execution with Pabot, BPMN-based orchestration, and AI-powered RAG systems — and you get a workshop day that covers both depth and breadth.

Community Day: built by the people in the room​

11 February in Helsinki (and 6 March online) is Community Day.

No fixed agenda. No sales pitches. Attendees propose topics in the morning, vote, split into groups — and get to work.

It’s free for all ticket holders (with limited spots), and it’s often where:

  • long-standing problems finally get solved
  • contributors find each other
  • new projects quietly start

If RoboCon has a heart, this is where it beats loudest.

Main Conference: two days, the whole ecosystem​

The main conference days in Helsinki (12–13 Feb) cover the full Robot Framework universe: testing, RPA, AI, governance, accessibility, enterprise adoption, regulated industries, and personal growth.

A few highlights from the program:

  • RF-MCP: Say It, Test It, Ship It — Many Kasiriha
    Plain English becomes executable Robot Framework tests — validated step by step in real runtime.
  • Bringing Robot Framework to Aerospace: Traceable Automation in Space Projects
    José María Martín Blázquez, Bruno Néstor Calvo Chevillat
    Robot Framework applied under strict standards and traceability requirements, with a real operational project.
  • Robot Framework Core Updates — Pekka Klärck
    A look at what’s new and what’s coming next.
  • Panel Discussion: Robot Framework and AI
    Hosted by René Rohner, with rotating seats and audience-driven topics.

Alongside the talks, there’s the conference dinner, the after-party, and plenty of informal conversations that usually end up being just as valuable as the sessions themselves.

Bio Rex has great auditorium. Credits: Jani Haapala.

Online conference: interactive by design​

RoboCon Online (4–5 March) combines pre-recorded talks with live streaming, real-time Q&A, and fully live sessions such as panels — all inside Gather.Town.

The program spans:

  • Robot Framework updates
  • enterprise and open-source case studies
  • ecosystem libraries and tools
  • AI-assisted testing and reporting
  • performance, observability, embedded systems, and adoption stories

On 6 March, live tutorials (included with all tickets) offer focused, two-hour deep dives, followed by Community Day sessions split between EMEA and Americas time zones.

Why RoboCon matters​

RoboCon isn’t about hype. It’s about clarity.

People come to RoboCon to:

  • learn what actually works — tools, techniques, and patterns included
  • understand where Robot Framework is going
  • meet the people behind the tools
  • build lasting connections in the community
  • and leave with ideas you can apply right away

If you want the full in-person experience, join us in Helsinki.
If you want global access without losing the community — or to gather locally at a Watch Party — the online conference has you covered.

Tickets are available now.
We’d love to have you with us — wherever you join from.

Yours truly,

Miikka Solmela
RoboCon 2026 Orga Team &
Executive Director, Robot Framework Foundation