The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) will mark its fiftieth anniversary next year with a return to its roots, announcing that CSICon 2026 will take place in Buffalo, New York, from 11 to 14 June 2026. The long-running international conference for scientists, skeptics, and critical thinkers will be hosted at the Buffalo Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, rounding off a year of commemorative events for the organisation’s half-century milestone.
Headliners and keynote speakers
Headlining the conference will be Bill Nye, the Emmy-winning television host and science communicator widely known for promoting public understanding of science. Nye will be joined by a roster of leading figures in the fields of science communication, critical thinking, and skepticism, including Michael E. Mann and Peter Hotez, co-authors of Science Under Siege; science advocate Eugenie Scott; and the illusionist Banachek.
The programme will also feature The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast team — Steven Novella, Jay Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Bob Novella, and Evan Bernstein — alongside Brian Brushwood, host of World’s Greatest Con; and other well-known names such as Andrea Love, Rina Raphael, Richard Saunders, and Richard Wiseman.
Honouring fifty years of skeptical inquiry
Comedian and author Leighann Lord will serve as emcee for the event, introducing sessions and performances from some of the movement’s most prominent contributors. Among the special guests are Robyn Blumner, President and CEO of the Center for Inquiry (CFI); James Alcock; Alejandro Borgo; Susan Gerbic; Leo Igwe; Barry Karr; Massimo Polidoro; Benjamin Radford; Amardeo Sarma; Eddie Tabash; Melanie Trecek-King; James Underdown; Bertha Vazquez; and Stuart Vyse — all of whom have played key roles in the development and international growth of CSI over five decades.
“With Leighann Lord as our emcee and Bill Nye as our headliner, we are guaranteed to have a blast as we take on the most challenging topics facing science communicators today,” said Stephen Hupp, Executive Director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and Editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine.
Hupp added that one of the most anticipated sessions will be a retrospective look at Project Alpha, the famed investigation into paranormal claims co-created by CSICOP cofounder James Randi. The project, which exposed flaws in research claiming to demonstrate psychic abilities, remains a landmark in scientific skepticism and was the subject of season three of World’s Greatest Con.
“Watching Brian Brushwood interview both Banachek and Michael Edwards in-person will be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Hupp said. “I’m also very excited for our special anniversary events like the Fiftieth Anniversary Awards Dinner and Mystifying Variety Show because there’s so much science to be celebrated and talent to be showcased throughout the skeptical community.”
Events, workshops, and excursions
Beyond the main presentations, CSICon 2026 will offer a full schedule of specialty workshops and activities. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit CFI’s Amherst headquarters, hosted by CSI’s Chief Investigator Kenny Biddle and CFI’s Director of Libraries Tim Binga. The programme also includes a Friday evening science-themed panel, quiz, physics demonstration, and improv performance, followed by Saturday’s Fiftieth Anniversary Awards Dinner and Mystifying Variety Show.
Delegates will also be able to take part in a guided excursion to Niagara Falls, including a Maid of the Mist boat ride, led by Brian Dunning and Kenny Biddle.
Tickets, programme details, and additional events are available through the conference’s official website, CSIconference.org.
A milestone for science and reason
Produced by Skeptical Inquirer magazine and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, CSICon 2026 forms part of the broader mission of the Center for Inquiry, a nonprofit organisation based in Amherst, New York, dedicated to promoting science, reason, and secular humanism through education, research, and public engagement.
As CSI returns to the city where it was founded in 1976, the anniversary gathering will serve as both a celebration of five decades of critical inquiry and a forward-looking forum for those continuing to champion evidence-based thinking in an era increasingly defined by misinformation.
