TL;DR
- Most hackathons and tech events aren’t shown on Luma’s main discover page.
- Hidden Events lists 2703 public events that are missing from featured listings.
- In San Francisco, 78.3% of Luma events are hidden.
- Tech events have a hidden rate of 72.9% across all cities.
- You can browse all the Luma events we track or use the event checker to spot hidden ones.
If you’re trying to join hackathons or tech events, the main event platforms often leave you in the dark. A large share of public events simply don’t show up on Luma’s discover page. That means you’re missing out, unless you know where to look.
Why are so many hackathons and tech events missing from main event sites?
Most hackathons and tech meetups aren’t shown on Luma’s discover page, even if they’re public. Hidden Events lists 2703 public events that are not featured on Luma’s main listings, which means you’ll miss many if you rely on the standard search. Across all cities, 76.9% of public events are hidden from the discover page. In tech, the hidden share is also striking: 72.9% of tech events are missing from featured listings. So if you’re hunting for hackathons or want to catch the next big demo night, you need to look beyond the main platforms.
Hidden Events pulls these listings by crawling public Luma calendars and map pins, not just what’s promoted on Luma’s discover page. Anyone can RSVP to these events if they have the link. All the Luma events we track show you what’s really happening across many cities, not just what’s featured.
If you want to see if a specific hackathon is hidden, try the event checker. Paste a Luma event link, and you’ll know instantly if it’s off the main radar. For more on how Luma works, see the Luma help center.
Key takeaway: If you stick to featured listings, you often miss many hackathons and tech events.
How does the hidden event rate compare for tech events?
A large share of tech events are hidden from Luma’s main listings. Across all cities, 96 tech events are tracked, but 72.9% of them aren’t visible on the discover page. That’s a bigger hidden rate than many other categories. If you’re searching for tech events in Bangalore, Singapore, or San Francisco, you’re likely missing out if you stop at the main platform.
Here’s a table showing just how much is hidden:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total events (all cities) | 3513 |
| Hidden events (all cities) | 2703 |
| Tech events (all cities) | 96 |
| Hidden share (all events) | 76.9% |
| Hidden share (tech events) | 72.9% |
So while Luma is a big platform, the featured list is just a slice of what’s really happening. You’ll find more by checking all the Luma events we track or browsing city-specific pages like San Francisco tech events and Singapore tech events.
How does the hidden share differ between cities?
New Delhi has a hidden share of 90.7%. In San Francisco, 78.3% of events aren’t on the main listing. The median city hidden share is 78.2%.
If you want to focus on tech events in Bangalore, our guide to events in bengaluru covers what’s happening that’s missing from main listings. Or, if you’re looking for San Francisco events or Singapore events, you’ll see both featured and hidden events side by side.
| City | Hidden % |
|---|---|
| New Delhi | 90.7% |
| Lisbon | 55.3% |
Key takeaway: Hidden shares are high in many cities, and some stand out even more than others.
How can you track upcoming hackathons and tech events?
To catch upcoming hackathons and tech meetups, you need more than just Luma’s discover page. Hidden Events lists all public Luma events, including 134 starting in San Francisco in the next week. You can browse San Francisco tech events or Singapore tech events for a filtered view. The city events widget lets you embed a live feed of upcoming events for your city on your own site, making it easier to keep up with what’s new.
Organizers can add their own Luma calendars using the add-event page. Submissions are live in about ten minutes, making it easy to list your hackathon or meetup for others to find. And if you want a full list of what’s coming up soon, all the Luma events we track is your starting point. For more about Luma, check Luma’s home page.
How can you check if an event is hidden?
You can use the event checker. Paste the Luma link, and you’ll see if the event is hidden from Luma’s main discover page. This tool works for any public Luma event, making it easy to spot what’s missing from featured listings. If you’re an organizer, you can use the add-event page to make sure your event appears on Hidden Events.
If you want to dig further, our guide to how to find hackathons and our guide to how to find hidden events break down more strategies for surfacing events that are off the main radar.
Key takeaway: With the right tools, you can find and track hackathons and tech events that main listings miss.
Ready to see what you’ve been missing? Browse all the Luma events we track and start exploring hidden hackathons and tech events in your city.
About the author. Himanshu Saleria, Founder, Hidden Events. I love meeting people. I’ve been attending events, hosting them, and picking up patterns along the way for what makes a gathering worth showing up to. Hidden Events surfaces what I’ve been finding. Himanshu Saleria on LinkedIn