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If your question isn’t answered by this FAQ, please send us an email at: support@g4gfoundation.org

About the Conference

The Gathering for Gardner conference, also referred to as G4Gn, is an invitation-only biennial conference held in Martin Gardner’s name to celebrate recreational mathematics, magic, puzzles, skepticism, science, art, literature, and their intersections. At the Gathering, attendees share their delight through presentations, exhibits, a gift exchange, performances, and original papers.

If you wish to attend and haven’t received an invitation, read the section How can I attend?

Martin Gardner was responsible for introducing mathematics in such a way to make it engaging, inspiring, and approachable. His Scientific American column, “Mathematical Games,” which was based on recreational mathematics, was for 25 years the most popular feature of the magazine. He was also a respected amateur magician and author of over one hundred books.

Read More About Martin Gardner

The Gathering takes place over the course of five days (Wednesday through Sunday). Many of the participants give short presentations on a wide variety of topics that Gardner and his readers would have enjoyed. There are also optional Special Events: dinner and entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Hands-on Activities on Saturday, the traditional event featuring mathematical sculpture-building and socializing.

The enthusiasm and diverse interests of participants make G4G a truly unique conference. Past attendees include professional and amateur mathematicians, magicians and skeptics, as well as performers, artists, educators, puzzlers, scientists, and anyone who is inspired by the same interdisciplinary curiosity that excited our namesake, Martin Gardner. Due to the high level of interest in the previous Gathering, we have expanded G4G16 to accommodate 400 attendees.

View some of the photos, papers, and presentations from the past few events:

If you have not previously attended G4G, you will first need to apply for attendance by filling out the online form. If your application is accepted, you will receive an email linked to the registration website where you can purchase conference tickets and submit a proposal for a talk at the event. Keep in mind, most G4G presentations are 5 to 6 minutes in length.

For more information, see the section on Giving a Presentation below.

G4G attendees are encouraged to take part in the Gift Exchange (but it is not required). You can participate in two ways: by submitting a physical exchange item, e.g., a puzzle, game, sculpture, or the like; or by submitting an exchange paper to be published on the G4G website.

For more information please read the Gift Exchange Details.

Timing & Schedule

G4G16 will be held Wednesday, February 18 through Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Registration for G4G16 is now open!

Invitation emails are automatically sent to all past attendees. If you have attended a past Gathering and do not receive an invitation, please check your SPAM folder and email support@g4gfoundation.org if you did not receive the invite.

Most attendees will arrive on Wednesday because presentations start first thing on Thursday morning. We also host an informal welcome event on Wednesday evening called Bar Bets & Cons, which is a fun way to kick off the conference.

  • Wednesday:
    • Mid-day – Registration check-in opens
    • Evening – Informal Bar Bets & Cons entertainment
  • Thursday:
    • All Day – Late registration check-in
    • All Day – Short presentations on a wide variety of topics that Martin Gardner and his readers would have enjoyed
    • Evening – Informal Game & Puzzle Night
  • Friday:
    • All Day – Short presentations on a wide variety of topics that Martin Gardner and his readers would have enjoyed
    • Evening – *Special Event: Dinner and entertainment
  • Saturday: 
    • Morning – Short presentations on a wide variety of topics that Martin Gardner and his readers would have enjoyed
    • Afternoon – Hands-On Activities: Mathemagical sculpture-building event (no ticket needed)
    • Evening – *Special Event: Dinner and entertainment
  • Sunday:
    • Morning – Short presentations on a wide variety of topics that Martin Gardner and his readers would have enjoyed
    • Gift Exchange bag pick-up
    • Closing messages and good-byes

*Separate ticket required for these events.
All other events are included in the cost of registration and may be attended by attendees and their guests.

Giving a Presentation

To submit a talk, go to the registration website (find the link in your invitation email) and click on “Your Submissions.”

Attendees are encouraged to propose a talk, but it is not required. There are many other ways to contribute to the conference. There are generally more talk submissions than available slots, so some presentations may be placed on a wait list.

The deadline for talk submissions is December 18th, 2025. This gives us time to review submissions and plan the program. You can continue to submit revisions to your talk abstract up until the event, but your initial submission must be received by the deadline. 

Most attendees have 5 or 6 minutes for their presentation. A few speakers are given longer slots in special circumstances.

The Gathering format features short talks, which allows many attendees to share their interests. The short-talk format allows attendees to get a quick introduction to many topics and then to follow up with speakers during the many social moments of the Gathering.

Because all talks are submissions by attendees, developing the schedule is an ongoing process right up until the event. We will email the schedule to all attendees a few weeks in advance of the conference and will provide an addendum of any last-minute changes at the event.

We rely on support from the friendly and helpful Hyatt staff, AV team, and our volunteers. Presenters will alternate between two podium-mounted laptops on the stage. We also provide a desktop projector for close-up demonstrations. There are two projection screens, one on either side of the presentation stage. The AV staff will assist with loading your presentation from a thumb drive to the stage laptops or connecting to your personal laptop.

Location & Travel

The G4G16 conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco:
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111 USA

If you don’t live near San Francisco, the easiest way to get to G4G16 is to fly to either San Francisco International (SFO) or Oakland International (OAK). From either airport you can take a ride share, rent a car and drive, or take public transportation (BART) to the Hyatt Regency. 

Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART)
The Hyatt Regency is located steps away from the Embarcadero BART station, located on Drumm and Market Street. 
 
BART from SFO Airport to the Hyatt

Take the Red or Yellow line from SFO airport directly to the hotel, get off at the Embarcadero stop. The trip will take about 30 minutes. 

BART from OAK Airport to the Hyatt
For detailed directions from OAK airport to the Hyatt, please use the BART Trip Planner: https://www.bart.gov/planner

Registration

Registration for G4G16 is now open!

Invitation emails are sent to all past attendees. If you have attended a past Gathering and do not receive an invitation, please check your Spam folder and email support@g4gfoundation.org if you did not receive the invite.

Early registration is $595 with add-ons available for dinner and entertainment Special Events. The registration fee covers four days of presentations in the Hyatt Regency’s grand ballroom and the traditional Hands-on Activity social and sculpture-building event. Registration does not cover food or lodging.

Early registration ends on October 21, 2025, after which, regular registration will be $695.

The conference fee helps us cover the costs of:

  • Venue costs, including room reservations and coffee break refreshments
  • Technical & administrative staff
  • IT & AV support for the presentations
  • Featured Presenters – The G4G16 Featured Presenters will give one private talk as part of the regular programing of the conference for G4G attendees exclusively and one free talk open to the general public.

No, the conference registration fee is for attendance only. Meals, lodging, travel, and other expenses are not included.

No, we only sell tickets to the full conference.

Funding for scholarships to G4G16 is limited. To add your name to the scholarship wait list, please contact support@g4gfoundation.org.

Invitees can bring one guest, in one of two categories: 

  1. An unpaid guest can view the Sales and Exhibits Rooms and can attend the Special Events (dinner / entertainment) with a paid ticket, but cannot attend the presentations in the main ballroom. This is a good option for a significant other or friend who wants to spend time with you in the evenings but isn’t as interested in the conference content.
  2. A paid guest receives all the same access as an unpaid guest, plus they can attend the conference presentations. Registration for a paid guest is the same as for the conference attendee with add-ons available for dinners and entertainment. The registration fee covers four days of presentations in the Hyatt’s grand ballroom but does not cover food or lodging.

G4Gn is an invitation-only conference; however, anyone with a genuine interest in G4G topics can apply for attendance. If you are interested, please fill out the application form and be sure to mention your passion for Martin Gardner’s legacy and desire to engage with the community. We will be reviewing applications weekly and will let you know if your application is accepted.

Go To Application Form

Accommodations

Most attendees stay at the conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco where we have a discounted group rate:

  • Hyatt Regency
    5 Embarcadero Center
    San Francisco, California 94111 USA

Yes, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco provides rooms for G4G attendees at a discounted rate.

CLICK HERE for our room block rates.

Or you can call the Hyatt Regency and book your room over the phone 415-788-1234. Tell them you are with the “Gathering 4 Gardner 16” conference.

You are welcome to stay at any other San Francisco hotel (or with friends or family if you have that option). Attendees are not required to stay at the conference hotel but it is the only hotel where we have a discount available on the room rate.

You can also stay in another part of San Francisco and get to the Hyatt Regency via public transportation (BART) or ride share.

Special Events

This event is an afternoon of mathematical sculpture-building, activities, and socializing. Past events included street magic, learning to juggle, a math walk, mathematical crafts and games, and much more! The Hands-on Activities event is included with your registration and will be held in the Hyatt Regency ballroom.

The dinner events are a great opportunity to enjoy and share time with the many diverse attendees of this conference. The buffet dinners are followed by unique shows of some of the best performance artists from all over the world. These events require a separate event ticket per person.

No, Sales Rooms are only available to attendees.

Puzzles, physics demonstrations, games, mathematical sculptures, science toys, and more!

Yes, as a G4G attendee, you can purchase a ticket for the show only, which includes dessert (but not dinner). These tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.