**Quick answer.** The Calpe Conference runs from 2 to 5 September 2026 at the University of Gibraltar. It is the Gibraltar National Museum's flagship annual gathering on human evolution, and the 2026 edition, its 30th, is built around the latest Neanderthal research in genetics, behaviour and ecology. Few small territories sit at the centre of a global scientific story the way Gibraltar does. The Rock is one of the most important Neanderthal sites on Earth, and once a year it becomes a meeting point for the researchers who study how our closest evolutionary relatives lived, thought and disappeared. That gathering is the Calpe Conference, and the 2026 edition lands at a moment of real significance for Gibraltar's place in the science of human origins. The Calpe Conference is organised by the Gibraltar National Museum and has become the territory's headline academic event on human evolution. The name itself is a nod to the deep past: "Calpe" is the ancient name for the Rock of Gibraltar, known in antiquity as one of the Pillars of Hercules that framed the western edge of the classical world. Each year the conference brings together leading scientists to present new work, debate findings and set the agenda for the field. The 2026 conference is the 30th edition, a milestone that reflects three decades of bringing serious research to a public-facing platform on the Rock. It is scheduled for 2 to 5 September 2026 and is hosted at the University of Gibraltar, which offers a modern venue close to both the town centre and the eastern side of the Rock where so much of the relevant archaeology lies. This year's programme centres on Neanderthals, drawing on the rapid advances in ancient genetics, behavioural studies and palaeoecology that have transformed the field in recent years. Researchers now read Neanderthal DNA, reconstruct ancient diets and climates, and piece together evidence of how these populations used landscapes like Gibraltar over tens of thousands of years. The timing is deliberate. 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the Gorham's Cave Complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a status that recognises Gibraltar's caves as an exceptional record of Neanderthal occupation. It also marks the centenary of the discovery of the "Gibraltar 2" Neanderthal child skull, one of the most important juvenile fossils of its kind ever found. Together these anniversaries give the conference a clear focus and a sense of occasion. > Gibraltar is not a footnote in the Neanderthal story. It is one of the places where that story was first written, and where it is still being read. The Rock's importance rests on a remarkable run of discoveries spanning nearly two centuries. In 1848 a Neanderthal skull, later known as "Gibraltar 1", was found at Forbes' Quarry on the north face of the Rock. It was actually one of the earliest Neanderthal fossils ever recovered, predating the famous Neander Valley find in Germany, though its significance was not understood until much later. Had it been recognised at the time, the species might well have carried Gibraltar's name. The "Gibraltar 2" child skull, discovered in 1926, added a rare and scientifically valuable juvenile to the record. And the caves on the eastern side of the Rock, above all Gorham's Cave, have yielded layer upon layer of evidence about how Neanderthals lived here: the animals they hunted, the shellfish they gathered, the fires they tended and, intriguingly, possible signs of symbolic behaviour etched into cave rock. This combination of fossils and richly preserved cave deposits is what makes Gibraltar a reference point for the whole discipline. The Calpe Conference draws an international field. Recent editions have brought together researchers from around 50 academic institutions across 14 countries, spanning genetics, archaeology, palaeontology, climate science and related disciplines. For specialists it is a chance to present new data and meet collaborators; for Gibraltar it is a window onto cutting-edge science happening, quite literally, on home ground. Importantly, registration is free for Gibraltar residents through the Museum, which keeps the event genuinely open to the local community. Talks are pitched to be accessible as well as rigorous, so curious residents and visitors can follow the science without a specialist background. A conference of this kind rewards anyone willing to step outside the auditorium. The obvious starting point is the Gibraltar National Museum in the town centre, which holds the territory's prehistory collections and provides the context for everything discussed at the conference. From there, the Rock itself becomes a field guide to deep time. Many delegates will want to take in the upper Rock, the limestone cliffs and the views across the Strait towards Africa that shaped the environment Neanderthals knew. If you are planning your wider trip, our [Rock of Gibraltar guide](/blog/rock-of-gibraltar-guide) covers the cable ca