Answer in brief
ICANN’s next annual meeting is scheduled in Bali, with virtual participation and a prep week. The real test is whether the global internet community can follow and influence its work.
A confirmed venue before the meeting
ICANN schedules its 87th public meeting and Annual General Meeting for 17–22 October 2026 at the Bali International Convention Centre. Its June announcement says Bali replaced an earlier Muscat plan. The Internet Society independently lists a community event alongside ICANN87 on the same Bali dates. These sources establish where and when the meeting is intended to take place; they do not describe decisions that the meeting has not yet made.
Access begins before 17 October
ICANN lists virtual prep sessions for 5–7 October and hybrid participation during the six-day meeting. In-person registration is scheduled to close on 14 October, with no on-site registration. That makes the participation choice practical rather than ceremonial: remote observers can plan around Bali working hours, while people attending physically need to complete registration and travel steps early. A published agenda also gives smaller organizations time to identify sessions relevant to their domains or users.
Attendance and influence are different things
ICANN’s remit concerns the internet’s unique identifiers, and its annual meeting brings together multiple constituencies. The Internet Society’s planned parallel gathering illustrates that the conversation extends beyond a single organizer. But a crowded event does not itself show that affected communities shaped an outcome. The useful questions are which proposals receive comments, whose operational concerns are recorded, and where decisions or follow-up actions are later published.
How to cover the meeting accurately
A pre-meeting preview can name the venue, schedule and access rules; it should not announce a consensus or policy result. Once ICANN87 begins, reporting should link individual sessions and public records to specific claims, distinguish discussion from a formal decision, and check whether a change has an implementation timetable. At the 1 October evidence cutoff, the meeting and prep week remain future events.
Questions and answers
When and where is ICANN87 planned?
ICANN lists 17–22 October 2026 at the Bali International Convention Centre in Indonesia, with hybrid participation.
Has ICANN87 happened already?
No. This is an advance report based on the published schedule as checked on 1 October Moscow time.