Written by Harun Momanyi, CEO of Tranquil Media Group. He has bylines on leading publications worldwide and has been a WordPress user and advocate since 2012.
This article is part of a paid partnership with Automattic, Inc. to promote WordCamp US 2026.
Five years ago, I moved my company website to WordPress. Not long after, Msafiri Magazine by Kenya Airways, one of Africa's leading inflight publications, contacted me to contribute. That was just the beginning.
Since then, Tranquil Media Group has worked with tech companies like Deel, Automattic, and Navan, and teamed up with hospitality brands like Kempinski, Park Inn by Radisson, and Four Points by Sheraton.
I was also recognized on the INMA 30 Under 30 in Leadership list, an award from the International News Media Association for top young media professionals around the world.
My LinkedIn following grew to over 30,000, and I built my brand using WordPress.
WordPress is not just for beginners. It is the same platform used by CNN, Bloomberg, NBCUniversal, News Corp, and even the White House.
A solo media company in Nairobi and some of the world's largest organizations both use WordPress. That speaks volumes about how WordPress was built and the people behind it.
The people who build, maintain, and shape WordPress meet once a year at WordCamp US 2026. In 2026, the event will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, from August 16 to 19 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Before I get into what the four days include and why it matters for your career, here is something you should know: use discount code AF26 at checkout to get $20 off your ticket.
Get your ticket at us.wordcamp.org/2026/tickets. For four days including meals, sessions, and a closing social, nothing else in the tech calendar comes close at this price. Now, let's dive in.
What makes WordCamp US 2026 unique
WCUS 2026 is not a typical corporate conference or a vendor expo with a keynote tacked on. It is an event where the people who build, maintain, design, publish, and sell with WordPress all come together in the same place for four days.
General admission is $100 and covers all four days. This includes Contributor Day, Showcase Day, sessions, workshops, lunch, sponsor booths, and the closing social.
If you use discount code AF26 at checkout, the price drops to $80. For four full days with meals included, there is truly nothing else like it in the tech calendar at this price.
The venue is the Phoenix Convention Center, fully air-conditioned, which matters when Phoenix in August is touching 40 degrees outside.
Downtown, you are within walking distance of restaurants, galleries, live music, and the Roosevelt Row Arts District.
The official hotel block is at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, just a five-minute walk from the venue.
Why freelancers and creators should attend
Here is something nobody tells you when you start out as a freelancer or independent creator: the hardest part of building on WordPress is not the technical issues. It is feeling isolated.
You are fixing bugs at midnight, figuring out monetization by yourself, pitching to brands without a guide, and growing your audience with no one to compare to.
WordCamp is the answer to that problem.
When you are in a room with 1,500 people who all use the same platform, things change. The developer next to you at lunch might have solved the exact plugin issue you have been struggling with for two weeks.
The agency owner across the table might be looking for a freelance writer who really knows WordPress. The blogger presenting on Monday's Showcase Day might have figured out the monetization model you have been thinking about for months.
These are real conversations. They are why people return to WordCamp every year.
For freelancers, one strong connection at an event like this can be worth more than months of cold outreach. I have seen this in my own career.
The bylines, brand deals, and collaborations I am most proud of did not come from a pitch deck. They came from relationships built over time with people who already knew my work. WordCamp brings that relationship-building into just four days.
Your four-day itinerary
Contributor Day on Sunday, August 16 is when you can work directly with the teams building WordPress Core, Design, Documentation, and Accessibility. If you have ever used WordPress and wanted to see how it works behind the scenes or give back to the project that supports your income, this is your chance.
You do not have to be a developer to join in. Writers, designers, and community builders are all welcome.
Monday is Showcase Day, when creators, agencies, and developers share real-world WordPress projects and the stories behind them.
For freelancers who want to see what is possible on the platform, this is one of the most useful days of the event. You are not watching a product pitch. You are seeing real work and hearing how it was done.
Tuesday and Wednesday are the main conference days. Topics include accessibility, web performance, content strategy, security, design systems, and a special track on AI in WordPress.
That last topic is especially important. The conversation about AI and WordPress is moving quickly, and the people leading these sessions are actually building at that intersection, not just commenting from the sidelines.
The event ends on Wednesday evening with a social from 7pm to 10pm. If you are introverted and four days of networking sounds tiring, this is the one session you should try to attend. The closing social is where the most genuine conversations happen, after the presentations are over and people are just talking.
This year's sponsors
WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and Pressable are some of the sponsors of WCUS 2026. For freelancers and creators, this means you can meet the teams behind the tools you use every day. If you have ever wanted to give feedback on a product, learn about a roadmap, or put a face to the support ticket you sent months ago, the sponsor booths are the place to do it. This kind of access is different from anything you get through email or forums.
Why you should attend this year
With the new Sunday-to-Wednesday schedule, your weekend before the event is free. You can fly in on Saturday, spend Sunday morning exploring Phoenix, and start Contributor Day that afternoon feeling fresh instead of jet-lagged. For anyone traveling internationally or from the East Coast, that extra time really helps.
Tickets are refundable until July 24, 2026, and you can transfer them if your plans change before August. There is no penalty for booking now and changing your plans later.
For five years, WordPress has been the foundation of my business. The brand deals, media partnerships, and recognitions all come from having a reliable home on the web. WordCamp US is where you can meet the community that makes this possible, ask questions, share your work, and leave with connections that move your career forward.
Get your ticket at us.wordcamp.org/2026/tickets and use code AF26 at checkout for $20 off. Phoenix is just six weeks away. There is still time to join.
