About

Philly 2600 is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

Philly 2600 has been meeting since the early ’90s, and was one of the first 2600 meetings to be listed in 2600 Magazine. 2600 meetings are open to all technology enthusiasts who want mingle, teach a topic, learn something new, or hang out with like-minded people. We meet in a completely public and open area to keep things as safe and accessible as possible.

Location & Time

We meet the first Friday of the month. Currently, we meet every month at Iffy Books located at 404 S 20th St (get directions). Construction is currently impeding meeting at 30th St Station, but we will resume meetings there when we are able.

Unless otherwise noted, people begin to show up around 6:00PM and stay as late as 8:30PM. Sometimes people get there earlier, but sometimes they don’t show up until much later. If you happen to arrive around 8:00 PM or later, a portion of the group has likely moved to a bar or restaurant for food or drinks. Be sure to check the latest activity on our Mastodon account for updates to the group’s location.

In the event of a holiday or inclement weather, monitor our Mastodon account for cancellations and potential rescheduling.

What do I do?

When you show up, check to see if others are already around. Many Philly 2600 members will put down some electronics on a table, or maybe the latest issue of 2600 Magazine. We usually have several conversations going on at once and don’t have anything structured or planned out ahead of time (we may plan presentations now that we are at the Iffy Books space, but anything scheduled will be stated on our Mastodon). Feel free to join in on any conversation topic that interests you, or talk about your own. If you prefer, you can introduce yourself as a nickname, online name, or other pseudonym. Nobody will ask you for your real name, so feel free to keep things anonymous.

By the time the meeting is in full swing, we may be taking up a lot of space, discussing all sorts of matters from hacking, to system administration, to infosec, and even conspiracy theories. You are not expected to come with anything prepared to talk about, so feel free to interject as you wish or just listen if that is more your speed. People will arrive and leave at any time, so don’t feel bad if you show up late or want to cut out early.

If any of this interests you, come down and check it out! Bringing friends is welcome and encouraged!

Aftermath

As stated earlier, around 8:00 PM some of the group heads over to a bar or restaurant in the area. Here, we essentially keep the meeting going with more conversation, and food/drinks for those wishing to partake. While Philly 2600 is for all ages, where we go after may be 21+. If you are under 21, let the group know and we will try to find a place that can accommodate!