Join Core at WordCamp Asia 2026 Contributor Day (April 9, Mumbai & Online)

On April 9th, 2026, the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Teams will gather at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, India, for Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ at WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia — alongside the WordPress 7.0 release celebration.

This is both a milestone moment and a working day. For more details, check the full event schedule.

WordPress 7.0 Release (rescheduled)

The WordPress 7.0 release cycle is extended, check the Extending the 7.0 Cycle post. This means that we will not have a release party on Contributor Day, but this also opens an opportunity to contribute to the 7.0 release right on Contributor Day.

To understand what needs to be done for 7.0, check the The Path Forward for WordPress 7.0 post.

Testing and real-world validation are valuable at all times. Consider preparing a local or staging copy of a real site to test WordPress 7.0 thoroughly. Sometimes new features or bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes are working fine for themselves but can cause side effects or incompatibilities in some circumstances. So testing in different browsers, on different environments, or, for example, with old versions of GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ to see if there will be no conflictconflict A conflict occurs when a patch changes code that was modified after the patch was created. These patches are considered stale, and will require a refresh of the changes before it can be applied, or the conflicts will need to be resolved. can bring new insights.

Basic level testing should include checks for all essential system functionality, such as:

• Post creation
• Media handling
• Categories and taxonomies
• Editor interactions
• PluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. compatibility
• Theme behavior

Real environments surface real issues.

👉🏻 To find out more about contribution in testing, check the Core Test Team at WCAsia 2026: Contributor Day post.

Meet the Core teams table leads

These experienced contributors will guide you during the day on dedicated tables and online in SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ 🙌🏻

👉🏻 We are looking to have more online table leads. Please leave a comment if you are ready to lead one of the tables online at the time of the event.

What About Tickets?

If you are planning to work on TracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. tickets or Gutenberg issues, be mindful that:

• Work started on Contributor Day may land in 7.1 or later.
• That’s normal.
• Open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. is iterative.

We encourage contributors to pick tickets that can make progress in a few focused hours — while remaining flexible in case release-related priorities arise.

Core Includes Gutenberg and AI

At WordCamp Asia, Core work will also include:

• Gutenberg (the Editor)
• Testing efforts
• Documentation improvements
• Performance and accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
• Core AI exploration (where applicable)

Contributors interested in AI-related efforts are encouraged to review the AI Team handbook beforehand.

Prepare at home 🏠

Contributor Days are significantly more productive when environments are ready.

Please set up in advance:

• Docker or local environment
• Node.js / npm
• Composer
• WordPress develop repository
• Test suite
• A working local installLocal Install A local install of WordPress is a way to create a staging environment by installing a LAMP or LEMP stack on your local computer.

Download dependencies ahead of time. Shared conference Wi-Fi can slow installations considerably.

If you intend to focus on testing, prepare:

• A local copy of a real site
• Or staging environments

Prepared contributors contribute. Unprepared contributors troubleshoot setup all day.

Docker / WordPress Development

To get started right away working with us on WordPress and the Gutenberg Editor, please make sure your technical setup is ready. You’ll need a laptop and access to all the accounts we’ve linked for you above.

WordPress Core

If you’d like to contribute directly to WordPress Core, you should start by forking the WordPress Development Repository. Then, make your changes in your own branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch".. Once ready, submit a pull request referencing the related ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. number. The system will automatically detect the number and link your patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing. to the corresponding ticket.

➡️ Go to the repository
➡️ follow instructions in the README.md

WordPress Gutenberg Editor

To contribute to the Gutenberg Editor, you don’t necessarily need Docker. Simply fork the Gutenberg repository, make your changes in a new branch, and submit a pull request. The only requirement is a recent version of Node.js. But we do RECOMMEND setting up a local environment to test changes BEFORE submitting a PR.

➡️ Go to the repository
➡️ Setup instructions can be found here

For Experienced Contributors

We especially encourage experienced Core contributorsCore Contributors Core contributors are those who have worked on a release of WordPress, by creating the functions or finding and patching bugs. These contributions are done through Trac. https://core.trac.wordpress.org to:

• Help onboard newcomers
• Pair on tickets
• Guide first patches
• Support testing coordination
• Share context

Contributor Day is one of the strongest entry points into long-term contribution. Mentorship on this day has lasting impact. Consider becoming a “Contributor Buddy” — follow WordCamp Asia 2026 news to find our more about this initiative 🙌🏻

For New Contributors

If this is your first time:

• You do not need to know everything.
• You do need curiosity and preparation (The software installation we keep talking about).
• You are welcome.

And if you can’t travel — you can still contribute online.

Core work happens daily in Slack and Trac.

Continue Beyond April 9

If Contributor Day sparks your interest, join the New Core Contributor Meetings held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 17:00 UTC. Check the meetings schedule.

These sessions help newcomers:

• Understand workflows
• Ask questions
• Find tickets
• Build confidence

Contributor Day is not about collecting badges.

It’s about becoming someone who shape WordPress. It is a step to your new identity of someone who does and achieves more 💪🏻

In an era where AI can assist with code, what remains uniquely human is collaboration, judgment, and community stewardship 💭

That is what Core contribution builds.

We look forward to collaborating in Mumbai — and online 🫶🏻

Thanks to @isabel_brison, @rutviksavsani, @james-roberts and @jeffpaul for reviewing the article.

#wcasia2026, #contributor-day