CREAConnect: BRUSSELS HACKATHON – Co-Creating Solutions for Third Places

The Brussels Hackathon, organised by CREAConnect partner PaliPali, was part of a series of five thematic hackathons taking place across Europe within the CREAConnect project. The four-day programme brought together participants to explore challenges related to third places, collaborative innovation, and the development of creative solutions addressing contemporary social and urban needs.

Hosted primarily at Grand Hospice, a creative and community-oriented space in Brussels, the hackathon provided an environment for multidisciplinary collaboration, experimentation, and exchange between participants working on innovative approaches to social and cultural challenges.

How can third places contribute to more inclusive and connected communities? How can collaborative approaches help address the challenges faced by these spaces? What new ideas and solutions can emerge when people from different backgrounds work together?

Building on CREAConnect’s approach to social innovation, co-design, and peer-to-peer learning, the programme encouraged participants to explore real-world challenges, exchange perspectives, and develop solutions through collaborative experimentation.

Participants worked on defining problem statements, exploring challenges, and developing initial concepts, while visits to local third places provided opportunities to connect with Brussels’ creative and social innovation ecosystem.

The programme combined problem definition, collaborative ideation, prototyping, feedback sessions, and final pitches. A dedicated Challenge Market enabled participants to present their developing solutions, exchange feedback, and refine their concepts before the final presentations.

The final day focused on transforming ideas into actionable proposals, with teams presenting their solutions and receiving feedback from a jury.