CONFERENCES PROGRAMMING

Deep Dive: Singapore’s Programming Conference Trio – ICFP, OOPSLA & SPLASH 2025

September 24, 2025 // 2 min read

The ICFP, OOPSLA and SPLASH conferences are co-located this year in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands from October 12-18, 2025. That means one trip can let you dive deep into functional programming, object-oriented design and the broader ecosystem of systems, languages and software for humanity. Below is a closer look at each event and why their co-location makes this week unique.

ICFP 2025 – Functional Programming & Systems

Focus: ICFP 2025 is the ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Functional Programming.
What it’s about: Functional programming draws its power from pure functions and immutable data. A pure function always returns the same result for the same inputs and has no side effects. In practice, that makes code easier to test and parallelize. Many modern languages also encourage immutability, meaning data structures are copied instead of modified, reducing bugs and unexpected behavior.
Why attend: Expect papers on programming languages, type systems, formal methods and applications of functional paradigms to hardware and systems.

OOPSLA 2025 – Object-Oriented Programming & Systems

Focus: OOPSLA 2025 is a major track of the SPLASH conference, dedicated to Object Oriented Programming and Systems.
What it’s about: OOP organizes systems into objects that combine data and functions. Key principles include classes and instances, inheritance and encapsulation. These abstractions allow developers to reuse code and hide internal details behind clean interfaces.
Why attend: OOPSLA features cutting-edge work in programming languages, compilers, concurrency and software engineering. It’s the go-to venue for researchers and practitioners working on scalable, reliable systems.

SPLASH 2025 – Systems, Programming, Languages & Applications: Software for Humanity

Focus: SPLASH 2025 covers programming, systems and humanities.
Why attend: With tracks like OOPSLA and others, SPLASH attendees explore everything from language theory to human-centric computing. The “Software for Humanity” theme emphasizes technology’s potential for societal impact.

Why the Co-location Matters

Having these three events together allows for cross-pollination. Functional programmers can learn about OOP abstractions; OOPSLA attendees can see how immutability can simplify reasoning; SPLASH connects both to broader human and systems challenges.

Travel & Local Highlights: Marina Bay

The conferences are hosted at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s iconic integrated resort. Around Marina Bay, you’ll find attractions like the ArtScience Museum, Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and Merlion Park. The SkyPark rooftop deck offers sweeping views and a nightly light and laser show. For affordable meals, step into nearby hawker centres instead of sticking to the resort restaurants.

Singapore is hot and humid year-round, with October temperatures averaging 76 °F to 89 °F. Pack light clothes, and plan breaks in air-conditioned spaces.