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August 16-19, 2026 | Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, ArizonaWordCamp US 2026 returns for another year, this time in Phoenix, Arizona, for four days, August 16 to 19. It comes at a moment of real energy for WordPress, as artificial intelligence reshapes everyday workflows, the business of building and maintaining sites is shifting, and new people keep discovering the platform every day. Four tracks address this moment, covering AI, Honing Your Skills, Technical WordPress, and Beginner WordPress. Between them, there is something for everyone, whether you lead an agency, freelance for local clients, write code for a living, or are building your very first site. Whatever draws you in, you will leave Phoenix better equipped and better connected than ever.
Phoenix itself rewards anyone who adds a day or two to their trip. The capital of Arizona sits in the Sonoran Desert and pairs a lively downtown with a rich arts and food scene. The Roosevelt Row arts district is known for its galleries, murals, and independent restaurants. It is also home to one of the largest art walks in the region. Nearby, Chase Field and the Footprint Center host professional baseball and live shows, and the surrounding desert offers striking scenery at places like Papago Park and the Desert Botanical Garden.
Start with Contributor Day
The week begins with Contributor Day, a full day set aside for giving back to the project that makes everything else possible. Attendees will gather in teams to improve WordPress itself, from Core code and documentation to design, training, accessibility, and translation.
WordPress is so unique because we’re not just a product; we’re a movement.
Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Cofounder
Contributor Day is open to everyone, whatever your skills, and whether or not you have ever contributed before. Come and experience the open source collaboration that is at the heart of the project. Signing up in advance helps us prepare our veteran contributors and provide you with the best experience.
Explore Real-World Projects on Showcase Day
Day 2, Showcase Day, is dedicated to real-world WordPress projects and focuses on how teams develop features, manage publishing, and run demanding sites at scale. It brings to life the kind of work collected in the WordPress Showcase, the directory of standout sites built on the platform, from global brands like Disney to community publishers and institutions like NASA. Past WordCamp US Showcase days have brought teams from the likes of Wikimedia and CANCOM to explain how they manage large, high-traffic systems. Other sessions took a builder’s perspective on catching bugs faster with automated testing and even running the Block Editor inside a custom app.
Dive Into Two Conference Days
The two main conference days will bring a full slate of sessions across four tracks. First among them is the AI track, which treats the technology as a tool to handle with care rather than a headline to chase. Its sessions set guardrails for AI-assisted development, prepare for a web where AI agents become the visitors a site must serve, and weigh the legal and ethical questions of putting AI tools in the hands of clients. Speakers from companies like Elementor will be taking a look at where the web is heading, while keeping the focus on what teams can adopt today without giving up control of their work.
The Technical WordPress and Honing Your Skills tracks cover the craft and business of building with WordPress. On the technical side, sessions dig into modern development workflows, automated testing with tools like the browser-based WordPress Playground, and plugin pipelines. The Honing Your Skills track adds practical guidance on pricing, maintenance, and how the agency model is changing as clients ask for more. The Beginner WordPress track keeps the door open for newcomers, with approachable sessions that make your first WordCamp less daunting. Hands-on work runs through all of these tracks, so alongside the talks, attendees will find workshops and working sessions where they can build something real and leave ready to apply it to their own projects.
Not all of the value happens in the session rooms. On the show floor, the Happiness Bar is a free, drop-in help desk where you can sit down with a volunteer WordPress expert and work through whatever has you stuck. The Sponsor Hall next door is where many of the best unplanned conversations happen, and its Career Corner gives anyone weighing their next move a relaxed place to browse the job board, meet company reps, and see who is hiring across the ecosystem.
Plan Your Trip to Phoenix
Getting to Phoenix is straightforward. The Phoenix Convention Center sits in the heart of downtown, less than five miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and about 15 minutes away on the Valley Metro light rail. WordCamp US has a room block at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, close to the convention center, so book your hotel before the block fills, and reserve your ticket if you have not already. The full event lineup and details live on the WordCamp US 2026 site, and the conference closes with an evening social before everyone heads home.
Help Us Spread the Word!
Whether attending in person or following along online, share your experience and help welcome others to the WordPress community. Use the #WCUS and #WordPress hashtags to tell your story on social.
WordPress Planet
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Almost exactly one month ago, Mitch McConnell was hauled onto an ambulance and hospitalized.
Some of the least trustworthy voices on America claimed to have had extensive, closely timed conversations with him.
Many — perhaps even most — have believed the former Senate Majority Leader to be dead.
Now, McConnell’s office has put out a statement and a dubious photo, claiming that he is alive. Is it true?
PHTOO ONE
On Sunday, July 12, McConnell’s office released an image, allegedly both authentic and recent, featuring the Kentucky Senator.
The photo shows the 84-year-old Republican on a hospital bed beside his wife, Elaine Chao.
Conspicuously, the only real detail in the photo is the sports section of the Sunday edition of the Washington Post.
Though the text is conspicuously blurry, the photo does appear to match the real thing. (It could be a fake image, like multiple previous “photos” of the Senator following his hospitalization were proven to be, though those were crucially not from his office.)
In addition to the photo, McConnell’s office released a statement, allegedly from McConnell himself.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con…
Mitch McConnell said in his first public statement since he was hospitalized nearly a month ago that he was “briefly unconscious” after he suffered a fall.In the statement, accompanied by a photo of McConnell smiling in a hospital chair alongside his wife.
— Deborah Lynn (@mrsdeborahlynn.bsky.social) July 13, 2026 at 8:13 AM
McConnell, who vanished from the public eye on June 14 after being hauled away in an ambulance via stretcher,
In the lengthy statement, ostensibly from McConnell, it is clarified that he did not suffer “a heart attack or stroke.”
Rather, the statement claims that he was taken to the hospital after a fall and was “briefly unconscious.”
This statement came out 28 days after his hospitalization. That’s four weeks to the day, and a full lunar month.
The words attributed to McConnell claimed that the Senator had “had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia” but has been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center.
PHOTO THREE
It is easy to look at those doubting the authenticity of this statement on McConnell and say that this is political opportunism.
After all, if McConnell is proven to have died before August 3, Kentucky can hold a special election to fill his Senate seat.
However, many of the loudest voices expressing doubts about the veracity of McConnell being alive and well aren’t coming from the Left.
Rather, conspiracy theorist and Trump-supporter Laura Loomer and numerous other Republicans, some in office and others with Fox News credentials, aren’t buying it.
“How come Mitch McConnell’s staff won’t release a video of him?” Loomer tweeted. “A photo could have been taken at any time. I call BS. The American people aren’t stupid.”
We wouldn’t advise people to believe Loomer’s word for just about anything. There are few polite words that accurately describe her.
However, there are reasons to question this statement and photo.
Why does McConnell look so healthy after pneumonia compared to a few months ago? Why didn’t he record even a short video to reassure his constituents in Kentucky?
We’ve been leery of definitively stating that McConnell is getting the Weekend at Bernie‘s treatment. Tortoises can live for a very long time, after all.
For now, he could very well be just as alive as he claims. That said, he and his office don’t seem to be very good at proving it. Why could that be?
Mitch McConnell ‘Proof of Life’ Photo Invites Doubts & Ridicule from Both … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
The Broadway community is in mourning.
Josh Grisetti, who was known for his turn in Something Rotten! and his role on season five of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, died by suicide on July 10, his…
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Get ready for more summer fun.
That’s because Ciara Miller has confirmed she’s returning to Summer House following the Bravo series’ dramatic season 10 conclusion, which saw the 30-year-old…
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Some of your favorite mixed drinks – mai tais, cosmos, and margaritas, for instance – likely fall into this vintage cocktail classification.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Reading Time: 2 minutes
We have tragic news to report out of Hollywood today:
Sam Neill — the beloved actor best known for his starring role in Jurassic Park — has passed away at the age of 78.
News of Neill’s passing comes courtesy of a statement from loved ones who described themselves as his “whanau” — the Maori word for extended family.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing,” said the statement posted to the actor’s Instagram page.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
Neill had been battling a rare form of blood cancer but announced in 2023 that he was cancer-free.
“They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care,” continued the statement from Neill’s loved ones.
“More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
No cause of death has been revealed at this time.
Countless friends and fans have paid tribute to Neill on social media, including New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
“For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today — one of our greatest cultural exports,” he said on X.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed those sentiments, explaining that Neill had “earned a special place in Australian hearts.”
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that gave strength to his every performance,” he said on X.
In addition to his work in the Jurassic Park franchise, Neill appeared in numerous other films, including The Hunt For Red October and The Piano.
He had recurring roles in several prominent television shows, including Peaky Blinders, appearing as Major Chester Campbell on the show’s first two seasons.
Sam Neill is survived by his four children. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this enormously difficult time.
Sam Neill Cause of Death: ‘Jurassic Park’ Star Was 78 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
If launching a relationship on social media is a carefully choreographed dance, Chloé Lukasiak knows every last move.
And when she shared a carousel of pics with her 7.8 million Instagram…
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The world of cinema has lost a beloved star.
Sam Neill, who portrayed Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, died in Sydney, Australia, on July 13, his family confirmed. He was 78.
“Sam…
E! Online (US) – Top Stories