WordCamp Europe 2026 – Recap

WordCamp Europe 2026 was amazing! I always love attending WordCamps, but there is something truly special about WordCamp Europe. Bringing together thousands of WordPress enthusiasts from all over the world creates an energy that is hard to describe unless you experience it yourself.

This year, the event took place at ICE Kraków Congress Centre in beautiful Kraków, Poland, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of it. Kraków is a very clean and safe city, there are a lot of people walking and biking around and there are many young people living there as it is known to be a university city.

Arriving for WordCamp Europe 2026

My journey to Kraków was smooth, and I was excited from the moment I boarded my flight. WordCamp Europe is one of those events I look forward to every year because it offers the perfect mix of learning, networking, and spending time with friends from the WordPress community.

While checking into my hotel overlooking the famous Wawel Castle, I ran into my colleague from Costa Rica, Ericka Barboza and we started hugging as we had not seen each other since last year at WordCamp Europe 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. I then immediately started running into familiar faces as it always happens at WordCamps the minute you check into the hotel.  One of my favorite things about WordCamps is that no matter where in the world they take place, it always feels like a reunion.

After settling in, I walked to the venue, ICE Kraków Congress Centre, to get my badge and to meet with a member of my team, Rita Robles who was working at the photo table. I had never met Rita in person, but I felt like I had known her forever!  Contributor Day was in full swing that day and while walking around looking for our GreenGeeks booth, I said hi to several community friends like Raquel Manriques, Robert Windisch and so many others, before heading back to the hotel and to the pre-event social gathering taking place a nearby venue, Forum Fun & Food.

First Day of Camp

The first official day started bright and early.

After saying hello to the volunteers upon entering the venue, I headed to our booth with Ericka and met up with our other colleague Marco Berrocal who is also from Costa Rica.  We barely had a chance to say hi and right away we started talking to many attendees coming to our booth. Everyone was interested in GreenGeeks and especially how we match 300% of the energy consumed by our servers using wind energy credits and how we plant one tree for every hosting account created.  I found out that in Europe, many businesses request a “green” website as sustainability is a top priority here. 

One of my favorite parts of WordCamp Europe is seeing how much the WordPress ecosystem continues to grow.

As always, I enjoyed reconnecting with friends from hosting companies, agencies, product businesses, and the broader community. We said hi to Mark Westguard from Westguard Solutions, Devin Sears from Bluehost, Orestis Giannakis from rankingCoach, Billy Watenpaugh from MailChannels and we met new friends like Piero Aiello from Novamira, Harsh Bhatt from Nice Digital and Lidia Arroyo Vargas, a WordPress Developer also from Costa Rica.

The session lineup was outstanding with presentations covering topics ranging from WordPress development and performance to AI, accessibility, content strategy, and business growth.  We managed to attend two presentations: Ariel Ramos Ortega “Headless WordPress API security in 10 minutes” and Priscilla Collado Ramirez “Why WordPress feels overwhelming for beginners”. Both very interesting and great speakers as well.

One thing that stood out throughout the day was how many conversations centered around the future of WordPress and the opportunities ahead for our community.

Lunchtime and Networking

Lunch is always one of the best opportunities to catch up with people.

I spent time speaking with friends and colleagues from around the world, discussing everything from new projects and partnerships to the latest developments in WordPress. I had the chance to sit down with one of the organizers, Sebastian Misniakiewicz, and discuss topics ranging from our thoughts about WordCamp Europe, to the beauty of Kraków and Poland.

What I love most about WordCamp Europe is that some of the most valuable conversations happen outside the session rooms. The hallway track remains one of the best parts of the event.

Second Day of Camp

The second day flew by just as quickly as the first.

We had the chance to meet more community members and attendees from countries we had never visited before, all the way from Australia to the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and many more. One of the things that makes WordCamp Europe unique is the incredible diversity of perspectives and experiences represented throughout the event.

Throughout the day, we continued reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Every conversation reminded me why I love being part of the WordPress community.

Before I knew it, it was already time for the closing remarks.

The organizers thanked the volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees who made the event possible. Their dedication and hard work were evident throughout every aspect of the camp.

The Social Events

Of course, no WordCamp Europe would be complete without the social events.

The evening gatherings provided the perfect opportunity to relax after a busy day, enjoy great food, and continue conversations with friends from around the world.

On the first night, we attended the social dinner which is only for sponsors, speakers and volunteers. It was held at Forum Fun & Food. The atmosphere was already buzzing with excitement as people arrived from dozens of different countries. After nibbling on some delicious food and chatting with some of the other sponsors, we headed to the karaoke room.  With several members of the Italian WordPress community including Chiara Aiola, and Eleonora Anzini among others, all of us Italians sang the classic Italian song “Sara’ perche’ ti amo”. We all sang with such an Italian pride (yes, I am Italian).

The second night, we attended the Woo Community Meetup at the Aquarius Restaurant.  The restaurant is overlooking the Vistula River and the Wawel Castle.  It was a perfect evening. We took so many pictures as the light changed over the castle and a beautiful rainbow appeared.  That night, Ericka and I were with Ericka’s husband Fran, Priscilla Collodo Ramirez who was a speaker at the camp, her husband Juan and Rita from our team. We said hi to many people we knew from the community such as longtime friend Ruth Kalinka whom we had met at many camps and every WordCamp Europe.

Afterwards, we went to the Bluehost and Yoast Glow Party on the rooftop at the Panorama Forum. Although it was very loud and everyone was dancing, we managed to get caught up with several old-time friends including Robert Jacobi from Blackwall whom we had not seen in a while.

On the final night, we had a team dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant called Pod Aniolami located in the Market Square. We enjoyed Polish pierogi and Polish wines along with delicious fish and meat dishes.  Each of us spoke to the team and expressed our feelings about getting together and working as a team for this successful camp, and how much we love working at GreenGeeks! The evening got very emotional indeed.

After the delicious dinner, we went to the afterparty held at Forty Kleparz, one of Kraków’s most atmospheric spots where we spent time with community members, sponsors, and organizers, sharing stories from previous WordCamps and discussing plans for future events.

These moments are always among my favorite memories from any WordCamp.

Until Next Time

As the event came to an end, it was time for goodbyes.

Or rather, “see you later.”

One of the wonderful things about the WordPress community is that we never stay apart for long. There is always another WordCamp, another meetup, another opportunity to reconnect.

Another WordCamp Europe Is in the Books!

A huge thank you to the organizers, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and every member of the WordPress community who helped make WordCamp Europe 2026 such a memorable experience.  

We appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating an event of this scale, and we are grateful to everyone who contributed to its success.

Until next year…see you at WordCamp Europe 2026, in Málaga, Spain!