What is a Skepticamp?

A Skepticamp is a free, community-run event where curious people get together to share ideas, ask hard questions, and talk about science, critical thinking, and the world around us.

There's no headlining speaker, no ticket price, and no organization pulling the strings. Anyone who shows up can give a talk. Topics range widely — from evaluating media claims and understanding cognitive biases, to deep dives into fringe science, medicine, history, and beyond. If it has something to do with thinking clearly about the world, it's fair game.

That openness is the whole point. Skepticamps are deliberately non-hierarchical. The person who just discovered the skeptic community sits in the same room as the researcher who's been doing this for decades, and both might end up at the front of the room.

Skepticamps are fun, free, and for everyone.

How It Started

The Skepticamp model grew out of the broader skeptic community in the late 2000s, inspired in part by the "unconference" format popularized by events like BarCamp — gatherings built on the idea that the best conversations happen when participation isn't gatekept.

The first Skepticamp was held in Denver, Colorado in 2007, organized by Reed Esau, Rich Ludwig, and Crystal Yates-White. The idea spread quickly. Within a few years, independent Skepticamps were popping up in cities across the United States and internationally, each one organized entirely by local volunteers with no central authority directing them.

That decentralized DNA is still the defining feature today. Every Skepticamp is its own thing — shaped by whoever shows up and whatever they want to talk about.

Start Your Own Skepticamp!

Anyone can run a Skepticamp — that's the whole idea. Here's how to get started:

1. Attend one first. If there's a Skepticamp near you, go. You'll get a feel for how they run, and you'll meet people who have already gone through the process of organizing one.
   
   
2. Build your community. Reach out to local skeptic groups, science communicators, and curious people in your area. A small, enthusiastic core group is all you need to get things moving.
   
   
3. Find a space. Libraries, universities, community centers, and co-working spaces are all great options — many will host free events for groups like this.
   
   
4. Get the word out. Promote your event on social media and (if you like) list it here on Skepticamp.info, a free listing service where organizers and attendees connect from around the world.

The rest? Show up and see what happens.

Who runs this Skepticamp.info website?

This website is completely independent, and is not owned or controlled by any of the Big Skepticism corporate overlords, the Illuminati, the Reptoids, the Knights Templar, the Shaolin Monks, or any of the usual suspects. Use it, or don't use it — it is not "official," just useful.

This website is a free community resource operated (for fun) by some guy named Brian at Thunderwood Holdings, Inc. with some help from a couple other guys. If you like it, you can donate, or not. If you want to contact us, you can do so here.