Fixfest 2025
Fixfest 2025 is a global gathering for community repair which will take place in Hackney, London on the 5th and 6th of September 2025. We will welcome fixers, activists, policy-makers, thinkers, educators and companies from all over the world.
Organised by The Restart Project, Fixfest 2025 promises to be a unique chance to meet and learn from people involved in every aspect of community repair and those pushing for making repair available to all across the globe.
This fourth international edition is sponsored by iFixit, Back Market & Softwire. We would also like to thank Hackney Council for their support with the venues, and also our funders The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and City Bridge Foundation.
To ensure fair representation from as many countries as possible, tickets are limited to two per community repair group or organisation and are non-refundable.
Tickets will be released in batches, so if they are sold out, join a waiting list to hear when the next batch is released.
If you're not actively involved in community repair and want to attend, please get in touch before buying a ticket: fixfest@therestartproject.org
Multiple venues
This year we will be hosting Fixfest at two different locations in Hackney, London. Friday day and the evening social will be at Hackney Town Hall, and Saturday day will be at The Tomlinson Centre.
Two-day or one-day tickets
Whilst our hope is everyone will be able to attend both days, we understand this may not be possible. You have the option to purchase a ticket for both the Friday & Saturday, or just one of those days depending on your availability.
Ticket types
There are three ticket types, please see below for details. All ticket types are available to be purchased as a two-day or a one-day ticket.
- Standard: as the name suggests, this is the standard ticket for anyone who does not come under one of the other two ticket types.
- Movement builder: these are for anyone able to contribute a little more to help subsidise places for those travelling from Global South countries and others who might otherwise be unable to attend.
- Subsidised: if the cost of travelling to London or buying a standard ticket is a barrier, this ticket is for you. Select this ticket if you wish to apply for a travel bursary.
Tickets
Schedule
5 September, 2025
We will welcome keynote speakers and gather in larger sessions and plenaries with plenty of space to meet people and network. We'll mostly focus on some of the higher level questions around the key Fixfest topics - see the additional information below.
Open to all ticket holders. You will be asked during the ticket check-put process if you are able to attend.
If you are purchasing a ticket for Saturday only, you will still have the option to attend the Friday evening social event at Hackney Town Hall.
6 September, 2025
We will mostly gather in smaller sessions addressing some of the more practical and day-to-day questions related to the key Fixfest topics. We'll also be hosting a public repair event for local residents.
Additional Information
Who is Fixfest for?
Fixfest is intended for anyone who is actively involved in a community repair group (such as a Repair Café), repair network, repair business and/or works on the Right to Repair. The event is international and we welcome people based in any country.
If you'd like to attend and are not actively involved in community repair or working on the Right to Repair, please get in touch before buying a ticket: fixfest@therestartproject.org
What topics will Fixfest address?
Fixfest can cover anything related to community repair. But we will mostly focus on the following topics:
- Building repair solutions on the ground: how do we make a range of community-based repair options available for local people? How do we grow our collective impact as repair groups and strengthen our networks? What’s working and what are the challenges?
- Making the business case for repair: what role can independent repair businesses play and how can we support their development? How do we build an economy that works for people and the planet, creating repair jobs and reducing unnecessary waste?
- Fixing the system: what progress is being made towards the Right to Repair at a policy level, what are the challenges and how can we overcome them? How do we tackle overproduction? How do we make repair affordable? How do we prioritise reuse over recycling?
What will happen at Fixfest?
Fixfest will include panels, presentations, hands-on sessions and talks. It’s designed around topics and expertise shared by all participants. Fixfest is an ‘unconference’. Unlike a regular conference, participants collaboratively generate and deliver the sessions they want to see. The beauty of this is it can open up space for discussions and activities which reflect the ideas, skills and interests of the participants.
This means that some of the programme will emerge on the day, with others being scheduled in advance. If you would like to run a session, you can share your idea with us here.
For more information about what to expect from Fixfest, visit the Fixfest website.
Can I apply for a travel bursary?
We know transport can be expensive and we don’t want that to be a barrier to people coming to Fixfest from all over the world. So to help open up access to people who face significant financial barriers to participating, we have an extremely limited number of bursaries available to enable people to travel to London for Fixfest. These are only available in exceptional cases. Alternatively, we can provide letters of support to assist with your own funding applications. If you would like to apply for a travel bursary, please get in touch: fixfest@therestartproject.org.
Will I be able to speak or share my work at Fixfest?
Yes! As always, part of Fixfest will be an ‘unconference’, giving you the chance to shape the programme and run sessions you think are interesting. This will include the opportunity to give super a short ‘lightning talk’ to briefly share what you’ve been working on. You will be able to sign up for one of these slots during Fixfest itself.
But if you'd like to run or propose a longer session that is included in the programme in advance, please submit your idea as soon as possible, as they'll be reviewed on a rolling basis.
In addition to speaking opportunities, we will also provide spaces to display posters, set up small stands and share printed materials. Space for this is limited so please mention this when booking your ticket so we can plan a space for you.
Where will Fixfest take place?
Friday 5 September, 2025
Fixfest officially opens in the morning on Friday the 5th of September. Our venue will be Hackney Town Hall in East London, near Hackney Central overground station. We will spend the full day together with a social event in the evening.
Saturday 6 September, 2025
Fixfest will continue all day on Saturday the 6th of September at The Tomlinson Centre in Hackney (a 15-20 minute walk from Friday’s venue). This will include a public repair event for local residents.