Celebrating 25 Years of Wikipedia

We would like to invite you to join us to celebrate 25 years of Wikipedia on Monday 16 November 2026 at The Royal Society, London.

To mark 25 years of Wikipedia forming the backbone of human knowledge on the internet, Professor Dame Wendy Hall FRS, Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton and Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, are convening leaders from technology, policy, research, media and the open knowledge community to explore the future of the open web.

Hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, the Web Science Institute and the Royal Society, this event brings together experts and practitioners to examine how AI is reshaping the way knowledge is created, accessed and reused. As the digital world evolves, the institutions and communities that sustain our shared information resources face new opportunities and challenges. The discussion will consider how we can preserve the digital commons and other public-interest knowledge resources, while defining what responsible reuse should mean for industry, policymakers and the institutions that steward them.

Through a keynote address, panel discussions and a closing conversation between Dame Wendy Hall and Jimmy Wales, we will reflect on the original promise of the open web, the pressures it faces today, and what a new social contract for its future might look like.

Wikipedia changed the way the world shares human knowledge. 25 years of Wikipedia and its global volunteer community navigating technological change demonstrate what is possible when people come together to build something based on trust and collaboration. What happens next is a question that affects us all.

The event will take place at The Royal Society, London with a livestream link available for those who cannot attend in person.

Registration will open at 12:30 for a 13:00 start. The event will close with a drinks and canapés reception. Please see the agenda below for further details.

Advance registration is required to attend in person, and entry will only be permitted to registered attendees.

Accessibility is a priority to the Royal Society, and we will accommodate accessibility requests where possible. Please notify us of accessibility requests as soon as possible and no later than 9 November 2026.

• Loop hearing devices are available upon request.
• There are four steps from street level to the doorway.
• There is a wheelchair lift at the entrance which is operable by reception staff. Please use the buzzer to the right of the entrance steps.
• There are a limited number of parking spaces immediately outside the front door which may be booked in advance by visitors with a Blue Badge disabled parking permit. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to reserve one of these spaces

Once you have entered your details and clicked 'Register', please remain on the page to complete a short set of important questions related to this event.

Info: Panel members: Dr Jess Wade, Imperial College London, Tajh Taylor, Wikimedia Foundation, Sue Daley OBE, Tech UK, Matt Rogerson, Financial Times. Chaired by Jonathan Cates, Wellcome Collection

Info: Panel members: Dr Laura Herman, Victoria & Albert Museum, Dr Anna-Maria Sichani, University of London, Professor Georgina Born, UCL, Lord Timothy Clement-Jones, House of Lords. Chaired by Professor Gina Neff, Queen Mary University of London.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, United Kingdom

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