WordCamp US 2026: The Artist and the Set of rules

Two months after my first WordCamp, I landed in Phoenix, AZ, for WordCamp US to enjoy it once more, this time in every other a part of the arena however with a an identical team of other folks similarly captivated with open supply. 

To start with look, the Arizona wasteland turns out easy, barren. However glance nearer, and there may be an class in that simplicity this is artwork in and of itself. 

Like excellent era, the whole lot has a goal, not anything is wasted, and there may be good looks in that. At WCUS this yr that I noticed artwork and era converge.

A four-day circle of relatives reunion 

WordCamp US 2026 ran August 16–19 on the Phoenix Conference Heart. Over 1,100 other folks registered, with 1000’s extra looking at the livestreams. There have been over fifty classes throughout 4 tracks. Contributor Day drew 425 individuals — 29 of them contributing for the primary time — who arranged into 26 groups round targets they may reach in an afternoon.

So why make the go back and forth when the talks are livestreamed, recorded, and recapped?

At the stroll to the development corridor, I requested Anne McCarthy the similar query (sure, we braved the warmth!). She nailed it: it’s a circle of relatives reunion. Within the age of monitors, AI, and video-meeting tradition, other folks aren’t best yearning human connection but additionally their selected circle of relatives. 

Others who imagine in WordPress and what open supply represents. Like-minded creators and developers making issues that topic now, and optimistically for future years.

WordPress 101 Workshop: Construct a Web page

I sat in on Jamie Marsland’s newbie consultation to construct facet via facet with different WordPress customers and notice the buyer enjoy with recent eyes. 

We began from a clean web page. And there’s one thing actually thrilling about stripping the whole lot away and going again to the fundamentals.

When we’d constructed a couple of pages and posts, Jamie confirmed us the Duvet block (his favourite). Observing him use it felt extra like designing than construction.

At the matter of training and finding out, the WordPress 101 consultation felt complimentary to the WordPress.com Pupil Plan we introduced at WCUS. Scholars get to be informed on an actual WordPress website, no longer a short lived study room mission, and the paintings they devise can stick with them after the direction ends. Be informed via making one thing actual, then stay construction on it.

Jamie’s enthusiasm for WordPress is contagious; in reality, midway thru his consultation, a pigeon flew into the room and settled in. It got here for the air-con, stayed for the demo.

Periods aimed toward creativity, simplicity, and buyer centricity

In step with the artwork and era theme, WordPress 7.1 “Mary Lou” shipped all through WordCamp – a unlock named after the pioneering jazz artist, filled with new styling equipment, up to date media flows, added notes capability, and extra. 

The hole keynote, Dreaming with AI: Innovation Classes from the Entrance Traces of Disney & Meta, used to be delivered via Unswerving Pyczynski. His viewpoint: AI can assist groups construct merchandise which can be extra helpful and extra distinctly human, however provided that you convey creators, builders, researchers, and communities in early, let actual experimentation force choices as an alternative of assumptions, and stay human judgment on the heart.

And his check for whether or not you’ve executed your activity? Person consideration. If the article you’ve made is excellent sufficient, other folks gained’t get distracted — they’ll glance up and notice time has long gone via they usually wish to stay going.

Just about part of the classes have been AI-focused or AI-adjacent, the largest appearing at a flagship WordCamp thus far. This system lined agentic building, AI-powered plugin pipelines, vibe coding for non-technical customers, block subject matters and AI in company workflows, WordPress readiness for the agentic internet, and extra.  

The remaining consultation with Matt Mullenweg and Robert Jacobi introduced it again to simplicity. WordPress co-founder and CEO of Automattic, Matt Mullenweg, pulled out his digital camera and snapped footage of the target audience, pronouncing he’s bringing again @photomatt – a playful nod to the deal with he makes use of on Tumblr and X. All through the fireplace, he additionally spoke to the will for era to get more effective. Over the years we generally tend to make issues extra sophisticated, however knowledge brings us again to simplicity. Matt’s tales and tech references are laced with poetic references that tie again to era.

Which introduced me again to the wasteland. Not anything wasted, the whole lot with a goal — most likely the toughest factor to construct and the very last thing you arrive at.

WordPress Studio shines

On the WordPress.com sales space, our agentic native building software, WordPress Studio, drew other folks into longer-than-planned demos, with attendees accumulating across the monitors to observe websites being constructed and adjusted in actual time.

Proper along it, WordPress Agent confirmed every other facet of the similar concept: AI that doesn’t simply advise you, however can in fact make adjustments in your website for you. We additionally demoed Pointers, which supplies the Agent a shared reminiscence of your website’s voice, targets, and visible path.

What me used to be how temporarily the dialog moved previous the demo itself. Other folks have been already imagining those equipment within the best way they in fact construct, organize, and replace WordPress websites.

WCUS performed to our humanity

The tactical reviews, the emphasis on play, the prioritization of creators, and the unending photograph alternatives are all a part of what made this convention uniquely human.

It’s a tech convention, finally, however I used to be completely extremely joyful via how it transcended virtual sameness and AI-driven standardization to face out and phone our humanity.

Listed here are examples in motion:

• Code for the Other folks personal screening with stickers and swag
• Paint your personal Wapuu – tactile, emotional, good 
• Sales space giveaways that have been Arizona-centric: water bottles, fanatics, sunscreen, together with baggage and bandanas designed via native artists 
• The WordPress Mercantile featured native companies constructed on WordPress
• A focal point on play, together with a seating house with cornhole, an in-booth air hockey desk, and more than one photograph ops with delightfully inventive backgrounds
• A author studio staged with couches, crops, best possible lights, and top finish recording apparatus designed particularly for producing nice video. Unfastened SD playing cards for many who applied it 

Even the Wi-Fi password used to be a nod to the convergence of era and artwork…IYKYK.

As I climbed into my Waymo and headed to the airport, I mirrored on how artwork connects other folks. It conjures up other folks. It may additionally polarize — and that’s no longer a foul factor. 

As companies and as people, we don’t need to be the whole lot to everybody. We simply have to seek out our other folks (like our WordPress group). Be uniquely you. 

In finding your consumers, focal point on them, and use era that will help you gas that connection.