After Hours : Overnight Hackathon with TinkerHub
A New Kind of Event
This time, TinkerHub planned something our college had never seen before — an overnight hackathon called “After Hours.” It started at 5 PM on 11/08/26 and went on till 8 AM the next morning, 12/08/26.
It was the first time TinkerHub was hosting an event in our college, and an overnight one too, which felt like a pretty bold move. But looking back, I think it turned out to be a great decision. The name “After Hours” fit perfectly, since everything happened beyond our usual college hours, pushing all of us to step into something new.
More Response Than We Expected
As a volunteer, I honestly thought only a handful of people would sign up. But the moment registrations opened, we were flooded with responses! We had to close registrations early because of the huge response, though we later found a way to squeeze in a few more interested folks who wanted to join.
I guess the idea of an overnight hackathon excited everyone — and honestly, it excited me too. There was a lot to do before the big day: designing posters for the release, planning fun activities, and of course, getting everything ready for the hackathon itself.
My First Ever Hackathon
This was my very first hackathon, and I was genuinely thrilled. The idea of everyone sitting together, laptops open, working through a problem statement or theme — I wanted this event to be my starting point for understanding how hackathons actually work.
The Evening Begins
After college got over, we got ready for the event. Right at 5 PM, it kicked off, and the projector lit up with the words: “Are you ready to build a better future?”
We started with an icebreaking session, which turned out to be super fun and a great way to get to know each other. Next came a workshop by our faculty, Rinil Sir, on innovation, learning, and professional communication — genuinely inspiring and nowhere close to boring.
After that, we headed off for dinner.
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Understanding What TinkerHub Really Is
By 8 PM, we were back in the hall. Our lead then explained what TinkerHub truly stands for — it isn’t just another campus club, a coding club, or a once-a-week event built around resumes and certificates. It’s a maker-led movement, a community of curious minds who genuinely care about the world around them.
That was followed by a fun team game where we grouped up and introduced ourselves all over again — more laughs, more fun.
Learning Web Development
Next up was a session by our senior Abdul Basith P V on web development. We learned the basics and even built our own portfolios during the session. It was hands-on and genuinely useful.
The Hackathon Begins
And then, finally, the main event — the hackathon itself.
I was excited and ready to soak in as much as I could. I got to be part of my senior’s team, which I was really happy about since I knew I’d learn a lot from them. Once the theme was announced, we sat together, brainstormed, researched, and got to work. At every step, my teammates patiently walked me through how things worked, and I learned so much just by being part of that process.
The Long Night
After hours of coding, researching, and endless scrolling, sleep started creeping in. But our volunteers were one step ahead — they came around with coffee for everyone! With enough caffeine in our systems, we powered right back up and dove back into our pending work.
After several more hours of hard work, we finally pulled it all together. We were so deep into building that we barely noticed how quickly the night had passed — until the morning sunlight woke us up.
Presentations and Wrapping Up
Once morning arrived, it was time to present what we’d built. All the teams took turns showing off their projects, and it was amazing to see how much everyone had managed to create in just one night. And to close things off, our TinkerHub lead gave a heartfelt vote of thanks.
Missing It Already
It truly was an amazing event. And honestly, the moment I stepped out of the campus, I already started missing it.
