Global ADHD Conference 2026
Free, online, and running for 28 hours straight on 1 and 2 October 2026. Here's when it starts in UK time, how to register, and how to watch it without trying to sit through all of it.
ADHD Events is not affiliated with the Global ADHD Conference. This is an independent guide. Details checked 28 August 2026.
The details
The short version
What the Global ADHD Conference is
It's a free online conference for anyone affected by ADHD, run by a coalition of ADHD charities in five countries. This is the fifth year.
It runs continuously for 28 hours, passing between charities as the day moves around the planet. Sessions mix clinicians and researchers with people talking about their own ADHD, plus some well known names.
There's no ticket and no paywall. The organisers describe it as not for profit, with anything raised split between the charities involved.
When it starts and finishes in UK time
The conference follows the sun, so it opens in the Pacific and closes in the Americas. For UK viewers, that means the opening hours fall overnight and the UK sessions land during the working day.
Britain is on BST in early October, which is one hour ahead of UTC.
Times aren't out yet
The organisers publish the schedule as speakers confirm. We'll add the UK start and finish times here as soon as they're up. Registering free is the quickest way to get them sent to you directly.
If you're outside the UK, the official schedule (opens globaladhd.com) shows times in your own time zone.
How 28 hours around the world works
It's an unusual format, and worth understanding before you plan your day around it.
It follows the sun
The conference starts in the Pacific and moves westward, with each partner charity taking over as their part of the world wakes up. Twenty four time zones are covered live across the run.
Nobody watches all of it
Twenty eight hours is longer than most people are awake for. The format is designed so you drop in when it suits you, not so you sit through the lot.
It's live, then it's permanent
Sessions stream live and then go onto YouTube, where the previous four years are still available for free.
How to register
Registration is free and takes a couple of minutes on globaladhd.com. There's no ticket to lose and no queue to join.
Register even if you're not sure you'll make it. It's how the schedule and speaker announcements reach you, and there's no cost if you don't turn up.
Do it now rather than later
The event doesn't sell out, so this isn't about places. It's about not forgetting. Registering takes less effort than remembering to register.
Register free (opens globaladhd.com)Who it's for
Adults with ADHD
The core audience. Sessions are pitched at people living with ADHD rather than at clinicians, and the lived experience talks are a large part of what people come back for.
Parents, partners and friends
Plenty of the content is aimed at people supporting someone with ADHD. No background knowledge assumed.
Anyone waiting on an assessment
There's no diagnosis requirement and nothing to prove. A lot of people watch while they're on a waiting list.
If you work clinically and need CPD, the UKAAN Conference in November is the UK event built for that.
How to watch 28 hours without wrecking yourself
Twenty eight hours of talks about ADHD is a lot of talks about ADHD. A few things make it go better.
Pick three sessions, not thirty
Go through the schedule once and choose three you actually want. Put those in your calendar with an alarm. Everything else is optional and most of it will be on catch-up anyway.
Treat it as background, not homework
Plenty of people have it on while they work or potter about. You'll take in more from half-listening across the day than from sitting rigidly through two hours and then giving up.
Everything is on catch-up
Missing a session isn't missing out. The last four conferences are still up on YouTube in full. There's no version of this where you fall behind.
If the content gets heavy
Some sessions cover diagnosis, medication and difficult experiences. It's fine to skip those, and the organisers publish a page of crisis lines (opens globaladhd.com) for anyone who needs support during or after.
The 2026 line-up
Speakers are being announced through the autumn and the full schedule goes up on globaladhd.com as they confirm. We'll list the UK relevant sessions here once it's out.
Past years have mixed clinicians and researchers with people talking about their own ADHD, plus some familiar names.
Watch the past four years, free
Every previous conference is still on YouTube in full, at no cost. That's four years of sessions you can watch tonight if you want to.
It's also the easiest way to work out whether the 2026 event is worth your time.
2025
The fourth conference. The largest so far, watched live in 125 countries.
Watch 2025 (opens globaladhd.com)2024
The third conference, with around 56,000 live views on the day.
Watch 2024 (opens globaladhd.com)2023
The second conference, and the year the event doubled in size.
Watch 2023 (opens globaladhd.com)2022
Where it started, with around 3,000 people across 51 countries.
Watch 2022 (opens globaladhd.com)The five charities behind it
The conference is run by a coalition, with each charity taking a turn as the day moves around the world.
The event is run by ADHD UK, a registered charity, on behalf of the partners. It's not for profit, and anything raised is split between the charities involved on an agreed basis.
How the conference has grown
It has got substantially bigger every year since it started in 2022.
2022
51 countries watching. First conference, around 3,000 people.
2023
96 countries watching. Roughly doubled in size.
2024
104 countries watching. About 56,000 live-stream views.
2025
125 countries watching. About 110,000 live-stream views, 6,165 registered.
Figures published by the organisers. 2026 registrations were already in the thousands by late August.
Is it worth your time?
Yes, if
You have ADHD or you're close to someone who does, you want to hear from clinicians and from people living it, and you'd rather not spend anything to find out whether conferences are for you.
Maybe not, if
You want CPD hours, in person contact, or clinical depth aimed at practitioners. Free and broad means broad. The UKAAN Conference in November is the clinical alternative in the UK.
There's very little to lose either way. It costs nothing, and if you miss it the whole thing goes on YouTube.
Questions about the Global ADHD Conference 2026
When is the Global ADHD Conference 2026?
It runs on 1 and 2 October 2026, continuously for 28 hours. It's the fifth annual conference and it takes place entirely online. Because it follows the sun across 24 time zones, the start and finish times depend on where you are.
Is the Global ADHD Conference free?
Yes, completely. There are no tickets and no paywall, and the organisers describe the event as not for profit. Registration is free at globaladhd.com. Donations are invited but entirely optional.
What time does the Global ADHD Conference start in the UK?
The conference opens in the Pacific and moves westward, so the opening hours fall overnight for UK viewers and the UK sessions land during the working day. Exact BST times are published on the official schedule as speakers confirm.
Do I need an ADHD diagnosis to attend?
No. There's no diagnosis requirement and nothing to prove at registration. Many people watch while waiting on an assessment, and plenty of the audience are parents, partners and friends rather than people with ADHD themselves.
Can I watch the Global ADHD Conference afterwards?
Yes. Sessions go onto YouTube after the live stream, and the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 conferences are all still available free in full. Missing a session isn't missing out.
Who runs the Global ADHD Conference?
Five ADHD charities: ADHD UK, ADHD Australia, ADHD New Zealand, Unlocking ADHD in Singapore, and the Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation in South Africa. It's run by ADHD UK, a registered charity, on behalf of the partners, with each taking a turn as the day moves around the world.
Who is speaking at the Global ADHD Conference 2026?
The line-up is being announced through the autumn, with reveals starting in August. The full schedule goes up on globaladhd.com as speakers confirm. Past years have mixed clinicians and researchers with lived experience talks and some well known names.
How long is the Global ADHD Conference?
Twenty eight hours, non-stop. It's designed to be dipped into rather than watched end to end, since it runs longer than most people are awake for. Sessions are available afterwards, so there's no need to stay up.
Is the Global ADHD Conference CPD accredited?
It isn't a CPD conference. It's built for people with ADHD and those around them rather than for practitioners collecting hours. Clinicians in the UK who need CPD usually look to the UKAAN Conference in November instead.
How many people attend the Global ADHD Conference?
It has grown every year since 2022. The 2025 conference drew around 110,000 live-stream views from 125 countries, up from about 56,000 the year before. Registrations for 2026 were already in the thousands by late August.
Related pages
ADHD Events is not affiliated with the Global ADHD Conference. This page is an independent guide. Register through globaladhd.com. Details checked 28 August 2026.