Mumbai, India, has been selected as the host city for WordCamp Asia 2026, as announced at the recently concluded WordCamp Asia 2025 in Manila, Philippines. This marks the third edition of WordCamp Asia, following previous events in Bangkok, Thailand (2023), and Taipei, Taiwan (2024).
WordCamp Asia 2025 Highlights
The 2025 edition was a major success, drawing over 1,400 attendees from 71 countries, with around 47 speakers. Contributor Day saw participation from 700+ attendees and 37 dedicated table leads.
The event also had several new programs that caught the attention of the attendees. The Human Library was available this year, too, with 16 expert “books” (experienced WordPress contributors) available to share their experiences and a total of 64 sessions were “borrowed”.
The new Career Corner and Social Corner offered valuable networking and career growth opportunities while fostering meaningful connections within the community while YouthCamp was specially designed just for kids and teens aged 8-17 years old. Dynamic 10-minute lightning talks – Solutions Spotlight – happened live at the Sponsors Hall stage during breaks.
A Drama-free WordCamp
Unlike the last WordCamp US, WordCamp Asia was totally tame. Instead of “spiciness,” the event focused on “uniqueness.” However, a notable moment occurred during the Q&A session when Taco Verdo (whose product Progress Planner was banned by Matt along with Joost de Valk) questioned Matt about WordPress’s openness to change during the Q & A session.
Matt responded diplomatically, stating that only “other behavior” could lead to bans, not discussions about change, and chose not to engage further in the conversation.
India’s Thriving WordPress Community
India has a thriving WordPress community and according to the WordPress Meetup global trends report (January 2023 to June 2024) published by the WordPress Community Team, Mumbai recorded the highest engagement for in-person events along with Ahmedabad.
During the closing keynote, Matt Mullenweg expressed his support for an Indian WordCamp, suggesting that India could host one of the largest WordCamps, potentially surpassing events in Europe and the U.S. Notably, before his speech, he had shared plans on his blog to visit the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest Hindu pilgrimages in India.
However, concerns have been raised about potential visa challenges for attendees from neighboring countries. Katie Keith of Barn2Plugins highlighted the difficulties WordPressers from Pakistan and Bangladesh might face when traveling to India.
With Mumbai set to host WordCamp Asia 2026, the Indian WordPress community is gearing up for what could be one of the most significant WordCamp events yet.