Your First DrupalCon: Chicago 2026 Sessions You Can’t Miss

Heading to your very first DrupalCon? Lucky you. There’s nothing quite like that first DrupalCon — the energy, the discoveries, the “wow, I’m really here” feeling. Chicago, “The Windy City,” warmly welcomes you to see which way the wind is blowing in Drupal: latest trends, community initiatives, practical know-how, and hands-on tips.

At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, you’ll connect with fellow Drupal users and builders, swap stories, and finally match faces to names you may have seen online. You’ll meet the contributors behind the features that shape Drupal today, and they’re easy to talk to. Just come to their session or catch them nearby. The Drupal community is made up of people who enjoy sharing what they know and helping move Drupal forward together.

With so much happening at DrupalCon 2026 and an impressive choice of sessions, it can be hard to know where to start, especially on your first visit. The sessions below are hand-picked for first-time attendees and offer a balanced mix of context, inspiration, and practical takeaways.

Top sessions for first-time attendees at DrupalCon Chicago 2026

  • “Drupal CMS, site templates and beyond” — by Pamela Barone and Cristina Chumillas

Want to discover the real gems of Drupal that everyone’s buzzing about? This helps you stay oriented and gives you shared reference points for meaningful conversations, collaboration, and deeper exploration throughout DrupalCon and after it.

First, meet Drupal CMS — a special, ready-to-go version of Drupal built with usability in mind. It’s designed so non‑tech users can jump right in and enjoy smooth, out‑of‑the‑box experiences.

Drupal CMS 1.0 wowed the community with its pre‑built feature sets called Recipes, smart AI tools, easier admin navigation, and friendlier content editing. Now, it’s time for Drupal CMS 2.0 to shine, and you have a chance to hear an insightful session about it.

Guided by top contributors to the project, Pamela Barone (pameeela) and Cristina Chumillas (ckrina), you’ll explore the standout features that make Drupal CMS 2.0 special. Among them certainly is Drupal Canvas — a new-generation page builder. Another feature that will definitely be discussed is the newly-implemented Site Templates that enable you to kickstart pre-configured sites for specific use industries or use cases.

Besides the ready‑to‑use features in Drupal CMS 2.0, you’ll hear about the areas of ongoing work, plans, and ways to contribute. And don’t wait too long to grab your seat — Pamela and Cristina’s sessions are known to pack the room, with people standing just to catch the insights.

  • “Drupal AI Initiative: A Year in Review with Panel Q&A” — by James Abrahams, Christoph Breidert, Dominique De Cooman, and Paul Johnson

AI adoption is yet another topic that will help first-time attendees feel in the loop with the Drupal community. Recent DrupalCons have featured jaw‑dropping demos: AI building page layouts from a prompt, migrating content between sites, generating webforms from a sketch, and much more. In Drupal CMS, AI is baked into the concept itself, with agents, assistants, and automators designed to take on the heavy lifting. 

The Drupal AI Initiative was launched in 2025 to organize, coordinate, and strategically guide AI adoption. It is in full swing, so it’s the perfect moment to attend this compelling session by its maintainers. Discover what AI capabilities have become available thanks to the Initiative, what to look forward to, and how to get involved.

And if you’re curious, stick around for the open “Ask Me Anything” segment in this session. James Abrahams (yautja_cetanu), Christoph Breidert (breidert), Dominique De Cooman (domidc), and Paul Johnson (pdjohnson) will be ready to answer your questions and share insights.

  • “Next steps for Drupal Canvas” — by Lauri Timmanee

We’ve already touched on Drupal Canvas, but it deserves a moment of its own. Canvas is on track to become the primary way page layouts are built across the entire Drupal ecosystem, so knowing how it works is a must.

Built with React, Drupal Canvas brings a visual, component-driven approach to Drupal. Among its features are:

  • intuitive drag-and-drop visual editing
  • reusable components that keep pages consistent and maintainable
  • predefined content templates
  • integration with top Drupal modules like CKEditor, Metatag, and Webform
  • a developer-friendly architecture and an in-browser code editor for creating components
  • AI integration for generating pages from prompts, as demoed at Driesnote Vienna 2025

Don’t miss this session by Lauri Timmanee (lauriii), one of the key maintainers and product leads behind Drupal Canvas. This is your chance to discover how it works, explore real demos, and see the exciting features to look forward to. 

Kicking off your contribution journey

Open‑source thrives because people show up — and in Drupal, every action counts. A small fix, a quick test, a bit of feedback — these tiny sparks can light up big changes. That’s the magic of contributing: each step adds to something larger, something shared.

In Drupal, those efforts don’t go unnoticed. Credits on drupal.org are one way your work is recognized — but the real reward is the respect and connection you’ll earn from a community that values every contribution.

DrupalCon is the perfect place to start contributing. Think of it as a launchpad — a welcoming space where you can learn, experiment, and make your first mark on Drupal.

Walk into a DrupalCon contribution workshop, and you’ll feel it right away — the buzz of laptops opening, sticky notes being scribbled, and people leaning in to help each other. It’s not just a session, it’s a hive of energy where newcomers and veterans sit side by side to move Drupal forward.

Contribution workshops

  • First‑Time Contribution Workshop — perfect if you’ve never contributed before. You’ll learn how to navigate drupal.org, find beginner‑friendly tasks, and collaborate with the community. Multiple sessions are available, so you’ll have plenty of chances to join.
  • Mentored Contribution Session — open to everyone, no matter if you’re brand new or already have some experience. You’ll work on real issues with guidance from seasoned contributors and maintainers, ask questions, and gain hands‑on practice while making a meaningful impact.

“How to Land an EPIC Contribution in Drupal (Without Losing Your Mind)” — by Mike Herchel and Matt Glaman

When it comes to discovering contribution opportunities, you might also find it very useful to attend this lively session by two seasoned and famous Drupal contributors. Mike Herchel (mherchel) and Matt Glaman (mglaman) will pull back the curtain on how contributions happen that might eventually become epic in Drupal.

So how does a future contribution start? Maybe you spot a bug, or you feel the urge to improve how something works. From that moment of drive, the journey begins — identifying the issue, pitching your idea to the right people, assembling a team, doing the work, navigating communication hurdles, and finally pushing your contribution across the finish line.

You’ll hear real stories of stubborn bug fixes, ambitious features, and the persistence it takes to get changes into Drupal core, Drupal CMS, or major contributed projects. Expect practical advice, case studies that show the highs and lows, plenty of humor, and the kind of motivation that makes you want to do something epic yourself.

Driesnote by Dries Buytaert

The central keynote of DrupalCon is a can’t‑miss session for everyone. For first‑time attendees, it’s an especially exciting chance to see Drupal’s founder in person and hear his insights.

You’ll get a firsthand look at the features, initiatives, and updates preparing to define Drupal’s next chapter. It’s a moment to see the bigger picture, feel the energy of the community, and glimpse what lies ahead together.

Each year, the Driesnote comes with its own creative theme — from space missions to Drupal villages — always kept secret until the big reveal. Whatever the theme this year, the Driesnote is guaranteed to be a breathtaking performance, delivered by the one speaker who knows how to keep the audience engaged, fascinated, and full of anticipation.

The Driesnote is where DrupalCon truly begins — vision, energy, and surprises from Drupal’s founder. Grab your seat in the big auditorium, right where the whole community will be gathering.

“Drupal in a Day” — by Acquia

The skill‑sharing spirit of the Drupal community shines brightest when welcoming new talent. Seasoned gurus are happy to help newcomers learn Drupal.

Can you really learn Drupal in a single day? You’ll keep uncovering its powerful site‑building capabilities as your journey continues, but one day can give you a real taste of Drupal — enough to explore its fundamentals and see what makes it one of the world’s leading open‑source CMS platforms.

Drupal in a Day at DrupalCon Chicago 2026 is a free, hands‑on workshop designed for beginners. This includes university or college students, or just anyone who is curious about Drupal and wants to see how it all comes together. No prior experience needed — just bring your laptop and a bit of curiosity.

Guided by experienced Drupalers, you’ll roll up your sleeves to build a site from scratch, pick up practical skills, and leave with a certificate, new connections, and the confidence to dive deeper. Who knows — this could be the first step toward a future Drupal career, where you’ll be the one teaching others or contributing to the next big Drupal feature.

Spots are limited, so register early if you want to join in.

Final thoughts

These sessions can help you get your bearings, spark new ideas, and show how the pieces of Drupal fit together today, and where they’re headed next. In addition to the sessions on this list, there is a great variety of others you might enjoy depending on your background. Pick what catches your interest, follow your curiosity, and leave room for a few surprises along the way.

Besides the sessions, it’s a great idea to visit the Expo Hall for informal chats with solution partners and companies using Drupal. Many first‑time attendees find the networking between sessions just as valuable as the sessions themselves.

With its welcoming spirit, DrupalCon has a way of turning first sessions and first conversations into lasting connections. Make your first visit exciting, and let your journey with Drupal be truly epic!

 

Authored By: Nadiia Nykolaichuk