{"id":819,"date":"2026-02-22T16:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=819"},"modified":"2026-03-02T18:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T02:22:25","slug":"whats-it-like-to-attend-a-wordcamp-highlights-from-wordcamp-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/whats-it-like-to-attend-a-wordcamp-highlights-from-wordcamp-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s it Like to Attend a WordCamp? Highlights from WordCamp Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a seasoned developer or someone who just started their first blog, attending a WordCamp can be a transformative experience. Based on the highlights from <strong>Web Hosting Canada\u2019s<\/strong> trip to the first-ever <strong>WordCamp Canada 2024<\/strong> in Ottawa, here is a glimpse into what it\u2019s really like to be part of this community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. A Community That Welcomes Everyone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most consistent themes of WordCamp is how open and accessible it is. Attendees noted that you don\u2019t need a specialized degree or years of training to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A Renaissance Experience:<\/strong> People from all walks of life attend\u2014from speakers talking about the importance of community to those who run &#8220;Kids Camps&#8221; to get the next generation involved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Life-Changing Connections:<\/strong> For many, like speaker Aayita Jackson, joining a WordCamp isn&#8217;t just a networking event\u2014it\u2019s a life-changing entry point into a global community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Witnessing the Future of the Web<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WordCamps are the best place to see how the platform is evolving. At the 2024 event, there was a major focus on making web creation more intuitive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The AI Revolution:<\/strong> New AI-powered WordPress tools were showcased, designed to automatically build content and create images on the fly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lowering the Barrier to Entry:<\/strong> Innovations in AI are making it possible for non-developers to see a functional website in just two minutes, solving the old headache of having to redesign every time you change a theme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"854\" data-attachment-id=\"822\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/whats-it-like-to-attend-a-wordcamp-highlights-from-wordcamp-canada\/full-house-scaled\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"full-house-scaled\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?fit=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C854&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1280%2C854&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Full house for a session during WordCamp Canada 2025.\" class=\"has-border-color has-custom-white-pale-border-color wp-image-822\" style=\"border-width:1px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1280%2C854&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/full-house-scaled-1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Learning Beyond the Code<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just about plugins and themes; WordCamp covers the ethical and social side of the web:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Accessibility Matters:<\/strong> Experts held panels on digital accessibility, ensuring that people with disabilities can not only consume content but also become creators and publishers themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Democratizing the Web:<\/strong> The core philosophy of the event is that WordPress is built <em>by<\/em> the community, giving everyone a chance to contribute to its future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve been on the fence about attending, remember that WordCamp is designed to help WordPress become &#8220;easier and easier out of the box&#8221; for everyone. It\u2019s a place to gather, meet the teams behind the tools you use, and find your place in the WordPress ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x--iON7144E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Curious about WordCamp? From AI innovations to life-changing community connections, see what happens when the WordPress world gathers in Canada. Watch now!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3657560,"featured_media":821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attendees","category-updates"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/02\/standing-room-only-scaled-1.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3657560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=819"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1068,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions\/1068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}