They say a WordCamp isn’t over until you write about it. Well, we are going to wrap up a WordCamp that has also been one of the most intense for us: WordCamp Europe 2026, from June 4 to 6 in Krakow (Poland).
Once again (and that makes a few)
For those reading us for the first time: WordCamp Europe is the largest WordPress community event in Europe. Three days, more than 3,000 attendees, dozens of talks and workshops, and a whole day dedicated exclusively to contributing (or learning how to contribute) to the project. We explained it in more detail in the post we wrote about the Athens edition in 2023, where we explained exactly what a WordCamp is and why we go every year.
To summarize: we have been going since the first edition in 2013 in Leiden. And every year we return with the same feeling: the technical part is learned by reading, but you learn much more by talking to people. And there are a lot of people to talk to here.
This year, moreover, we didn’t just go as attendees. We went with a mission.
Contributor Day: the Plugins table
Thursday the 4th was Contributor Day: several huge rooms with several tables for each project team (Core, Polyglots, Documentation, Playground, etc.) and hundreds of people contributing at the same time.
Francisco led, along with other colleagues, the Plugins team table. The Plugins team reviews and approves every plugin that enters the official WordPress.org repository, and also manages security notices and directory guideline violations.
In this case, Francisco introduced a new dynamic for the table: performing new reviews of recently approved plugins to see if they comply with specific elements of the guidelines.
This way, participants can step into the shoes of a plugin reviewer for a day and begin to understand the process by only having to review a specific element, unlike the team which has to take hundreds of things into account.
The talk: how to get your plugin ready before submitting it
On Friday, Francisco gave a workshop together with David Perez: Get your plugin ready for submission to the directory.
The idea stems from a shared frustration: between the two of us, we have reviewed more than 25,000 plugins, and the reasons why a plugin gets stuck in the queue are repeated over and over again. They are not architecture or design problems: they are specific and perfectly avoidable things.
In the workshop, we reviewed the most common guideline and security issues we see in plugins and how to avoid them. From the plugin name to a code sanitization problem.
If you develop plugins, or are thinking about publishing your first one, the full video is on WordPress.tv:
Roberto, behind the camera
Roberto joined the photography volunteer team this year. Which sounds like “taking photos,” and it is that, but it’s also about being aware of where something is going to happen before it happens, carrying the equipment all day, and listening to quite a few talks (although often only halfway).
Photos of a WordCamp are not a decorative extra. They are the material with which the community later recounts what happened, with which those who don’t yet dare to come are encouraged, and with which in five years we will remember who was there. Everything is published under a free license on the official WordCamp Europe Flickr, so take a look: there are thousands.
It is also a convenient way to contribute for those who think that “they don’t know how to program and therefore cannot contribute.” You can contribute in many ways, and this is one of the most visible.
Hallways, sponsors, and a bag that wouldn’t close
There is an unwritten rule at WordCamps: the best conversations happen in the hallways. The talks… they are recorded and you can watch them from your sofa; what you can’t see from the sofa is running into someone who solved exactly the problem you have this week two years ago.
This year we spoke with well-known people from the community and, above all, with new people: individuals who are starting to engage with the WordPress community. Those conversations are what ensure the community will still exist in ten years.
In the sponsors’ area were Pressable, WordPress.com, Elementor, Google, Jetpack, Rank Math, Woo, WP Rocket, Weglot, and company. Francisco stopped by the SiteGround stand, which has returned to WordCamp Europe. We have a special affection for SiteGround because we have known them for a long time and they also sponsor Francisco to continue his work on the plugins team.
And yes: we came back with swag. Quite a lot. T-shirts, socks, stickers, notebooks, bottles, and some gadgets whose usefulness we are still investigating. The suitcase on the way back weighed significantly more than the one on the way there.
And at night, a party
A lot of side events are organized around WordCamp Europe: a picnic, sponsor parties, and the official closing after party. We were at a few.
It may seem like an accessory to the event, but it’s just the opposite: it’s where what started in a hallway is consolidated. Many of the people we write to on Slack today to ask a question are people we met at two in the morning in a place with the music too loud.
Krakow—the city exists too!
The event was at the ICE Kraków, a stone’s throw from the Vistula River and the historic center. It would be a shame to go all the way to Poland and not leave the venue, so we did some sightseeing:
- The Rynek Główny, the largest medieval market square in Europe, with the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) in the center.
- The St. Mary’s Basilica and its trumpet call every hour on the dot, which stops abruptly mid-note. (It looks like the lad has had a turn, but it’s intentional. There’s a legend behind it.)
- Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter, now full of bars and life.
- The MOCAK, Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, otherwise Francisco wouldn’t have returned in peace.
And for food, pierogi
We followed recommendations and ended up eating at a traditional Polish cuisine spot: pierogi (the filled dumplings, which are ordered by the dozen and disappear just as quickly). Delicious.
And what is the use of this for us (and for you)?
We are asked from time to time why we invest several days and money in going to an event from which we don’t return with clients under our arm. The short answer: because we return with insight.
We work daily with other people’s WordPress sites: we maintain them, clean them when they get a bug, optimize them, and develop functionalities for them. Being inside the project—reviewing plugins, talking to those who write the core, seeing where everything is going before it arrives—is what makes the difference between following a recipe and understanding what you are touching.
And that’s also why we contribute to WordPress; part of our time goes to the project that feeds us. It seems like the least we can do.
See you in Malaga
The next edition, WordCamp Europe 2027, will be in Malaga, from May 27 to 29 at the FYCMA. At home. So there’s no excuse: if you’ve ever been curious to see how the software that powers your website works from the inside, this is the year.
And if you go, let us know. We’ll buy you a coffee and tell you where to start contributing.
Because, as you know: a WordCamp isn’t over until you write about it.