PyCon US 2026 offers more than just talks and workshops! It is a chance to engage with the community and contribute to shaping the event through opportunities like Open Spaces.
Open Spaces consists of self-organized gatherings occurring at one-hour intervals within designated rooms across the conference venue. While most of the conference is planned months in advance, Open Spaces are created "in real time" by PyCon US attendees throughout the conference.
Open Spaces let you self-gather, self-define, and self-organize any way you like. They're a chance for attendees to come together and discuss a wide range of topics, from technical subjects like computer security and data science, to fun activities like board games and AcroYoga.
So whether you're interested in Python-powered maker projects, diversity initiatives, or just want to connect with other attendees, Open Spaces at PyCon US 2026 are the perfect way to do it. Don't miss out on this unique and exciting part of the conference – be sure to show up and see what's happening!
How do I participate in an Open Space?
It's pretty easy: Just show up :)
During PyCon US, you can view the Open Spaces Schedule. If a topic is not listed yet, find an open time slot and submit it!
What Open Spaces are there?
There are Open Spaces on many subjects a bunch of PyCon US attendees would like to discuss. Since the PyCon US attendees are a diverse bunch, so are the Open Spaces. In past years, we've had a mani/pedi party, a feminist hacking space, an AcroYoga space, and a board games room. There are also plenty of the usual suspects of technical subjects, from computer security to your favorite Python project to professional occupations like DevOps.
Where and when are the Open Spaces?
The Open Spaces are in a set of dedicated rooms during all three of the conference days (Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17). Some rooms may be needed for other events during portions of some days; please consult the Open Spaces boards onsite for the final word on what's going on and where. The Open Spaces boards will be near the registration desk in the Main Entrance Lobby.
How do I host an Open Space?
The best part? Anyone can host an Open Space! Open Spaces submissions are once again digital! Starting on Thursday, you will be able to sign up for Open Spaces at PyCon US via us.pycon.org. The link to book your open space will be available during the conference.
Signups for a given day will open the day before, and is allowed up to 1 hour before the current time!
Ideas for Open Spaces
Here are a few ideas for potential Open Space topics and activities:
- Hacker space (maker projects) that use Python (e.g. in Raspbery Pis, iOT, home automation, robots / drones / blimps auto piloted with Python)
- Hacking/networking/devops
- Data visualization/science
- Natural language processing and generation (e.g. chatbots)
- Quantified Self Diversity initiatives, for example a feminist hackerspace
- A space for organizers - of conferences, workshops, diversity initiatives (Django Girls, PyLadies, etc.)
- Framework specific Open Spaces, for example, Django or Flask How to contribute to open source - a help / mentoring group for beginners
- Git
- Support - how to avoid burnout
- Recruitment workshops
If there's a certain Open Space you'd love to see at PyCon US but you don't want to host it yourself, please add it to our list and maybe someone else will take up the topic and host an Open Space about it.
Planned Open Spaces
If you have an idea for an Open Space and a day and time when you would like to meet, you can log in to your us.pycon.org/2026/ account and submit this proposal form here to have it listed below. You must be registered for PyCon US 2026 to submit an open space proposal.
PLEASE NOTE: Filling out this form does not book your open space. You will still have to submit your Open Space via us.pycon.org/2026/ when at PyCon US to officially book a time slot and a room for your Open Space. The link to book your open space will be available during the conference.
Accelerated Python Open Space
Have questions about how to add acceleration to your project? Bring any and all questions, concerns, hurdles, dreams, aspirations, etc., to this casual, "Connect with Experts" session following the AI Track When: Friday, 6pm-7pm Where: Rm 202C (Just down the hall from Ballroom A where the AI Track will be hosted; we'll walk over together)Accessibility at Python Events
The PSF Diversity and Inclusion Working Group is developing practical accessibility guidelines for Python meetups, conferences, workshops, and community events. Our goal is to make the guide concrete and useful. We also want to ensure that event accessibility fosters inclusivity and belonging, and meets the needs of the entire Python community. If you have suggestions, examples, resources, or lessons learned, we’d love to hear from you.
Agentic/Vibe Coding
Open space for Python developers exploring agentic coding and vibe coding. Let's gather and share experiences, tips, favorite tools, and some vibe coding horror stories.
BeeWare
Ever wanted to write an application for your phone using Python? Or to write a GUI application for your laptop and package it so someone else can run it without installing Python? Come along to the BeeWare Open Space to find out more, and to try out the BeeWare tools in person. Or - want to share ideas about how you are already using (or want to use) BeeWare? The core team will be there to discuss your ideas.
Board Game Bonanza
Pythonistas like games. Games fun. Come have fun game time! If you want to share what games you are bringing or where folks might be playing check out https://hackmd.io/@crazy4pi314/pycon26-boardgames
Build cross-platform apps in Python with Flet
Come chat with the Flet team and learn how to build web, desktop, and mobile apps with a single Python codebase. Let's have an open conversation about the future of Python app development in the era of AI — and why Flet may be a compelling choice for both humans and coding agents building modern applications. We can also talk about packaging and distributing Python apps across web, desktop, and mobile platforms: current solutions, real-world challenges, platform limitations, performance considerations, and infrastructure costs.
Building Agents with Microsoft Foundry
Sharing how we build agents or LLM applications using model endpoints hosted on Microsoft Foundry and using the suite of tooling provided by Foundry including our Agent Framework, Azure SDK for Python, etc.CivicTech
Let's talk about tech that powers governments, municipalities, and activists. It's never been more important to have reliable, best-effort secure, and best-effort resilient technology to support activist causes where you live, across the country, and across the world.Conference Organizer Discussion
Do you organizer a conference or other technical event (or want to?) Come by and share tips, tricks, and stories with each other and network with other organizers.
DjangoSocial
A social meetup where Django is the conversation starter. Come along, meet up with your friends from the conference or make some new ones. Meet at the The Auld Dubliner next to the venue on Friday 15th from 7pm.
Hbomberguy Fan Meetup (Unofficial)
Do you like the YouTuber hbomberguy? Do you want to talk about his videos with other nerds? Come join us at this unofficial fan meetup! We'll talk about our favorite videos and how some of the ideas discussed in hbomberguy's videos and fan community relate to the world of open source software.
Ice Cream Selfie Flash Mob with Mariatta
Let's celebrate 10 years of ice cream selfies with Mariatta. We'll walk to Long Beach Creamery together (10 minutes walk). Order your own ice cream (vegan options available). Then we'll take a selfie together as one big group. Walk back to conference whenever you're ready (anytime after the photo). By participating, you agree to have your photo taken and posted on social media and on Mariatta's personal website at https://mariatta.ca/posts/ice_cream_selfies/
Improv Threatre
Join us for an hour of communication games, scenes, and shameless silliness. Whether you've never set foot on stage or if you're a seasoned improviser, bring your imagination we'll handle the rest!Juggling
No experience necessary! We will teach you. Yes, actual juggling: physical objects under the influence of gravity, but you are their master!
LGBTQ+ Social
Come pull up a chair, say hello, and hang out in a welcoming environment. Chat about anything, or just sit back and listen. Friends/allies welcome. There are dozens of us!Learn How To Run For Office! (Or support someone who is!)
Ever wanted to be involved in politics but had no idea what to do or where to begin? Come to get a crash course on what it's like to run for a local election!
Let's talk Rust!
“Let’s talk Rust!” is an open space session for Python developers curious about Rust and the growing overlap between the two communities. Many Rustaceans start their journey in Python, and many Python developers are increasingly drawn to Rust and we can talk about what motivates the interest. From there, let's share personal stories and practical advice on getting started with a language that’s powerful, but often perceived as complex and hard to learn. Participants are invited to discuss learning strategies, favorite resources, and the tools that make the transition smoother. Whether you’re just Rust-curious or already experimenting, this session is a chance to exchange experiences and insights in an informal, collaborative setting. Come with questions, opinions, and your own journey to share.
Litestar: The Web Framework
Come chat with the maintainers of the Litestar organization! We will talk about Litestar, Advanced Alchemy, SQLspec, Polyfactory, and more!
No Starch Press: Meet the Python Authors
Join No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock and some of our Python authors for a casual meet and greet. Confirmed authors include Al Sweigart (Automate the Boring Stuff with Python) and Brian Ward (How Linux Works), with additional authors likely to be confirmed soon. Stop by to chat, ask questions, and grab some No Starch swag — all Python-curious folks welcome.Orb Pondering
Bringing back the Open Space from PyCon US 2024, come learn about Tarot, and astrology, and how you can explore both with Python.
Picture for Juggling open space?
(sorry)
Python Game Development
Come talk about game development with Python! What tools/libraries are you using? What works well and what hasn't worked so well? How can Python game development be improved?Python Lesson Planning (industry & academia)
Likely sub-discussions:- top-down versus bottom-up
- depth/breadth & completeness
- cognitive load
- motivating learners
- … in the age of LLMs
Python With 💗ART
Python is for everyone! That includes all the artists--amateur, novice, intermediate, professional, curious... Stop by and meet other artists. Showcase, conversation, music, and more...
Security for Open Source project maintainers
Gather with fellow open source project maintainers to discuss current challenges, feedback, or tool suggestions regarding security for open source Python projects. Vulnerability reporting, forge and workflow security, standards: it's all on the table for discussion. This open space is intended primarily for open source maintainers and current/potential open source contributors. Listening in is welcome. No product pitching, please.
Web Scraping
This open space session is for Python developers interested in scraping, browser automation, and data extraction. We’ll discuss tools like BeautifulSoup, requests-html, Playwright, and other Python-based scraping solutions, along with real-world challenges like JavaScript-heavy pages, changing HTML, rate limits, anti-bot systems, and ethical considerations.conda x PyPI: Building Bridges That Actually Hold
The Python packaging ecosystem has two main package index types, two metadata formats, two resolver conventions, and increasingly one user base that expects them to work together. If you have ever hit a wall trying to get PyPI and conda packages to coexist, you belong in this room too. We'll open with a hands-on look at conda-pypi, now in beta: native wheel installation directly into conda environments, no conversion required. Bring your environment, try it live, and tell us what breaks. From there, the agenda is yours. Likely threads: Name mapping as shared infrastructure: parselmouth is one of the more mature implementations, but the ecosystem needs an agreed source of truth. What would it take to standardize this across pip, uv, and conda? pip and uv going the other direction: what would conda-awareness look like in PyPI-native tools, even partially? Lockfile interoperability: pylock.toml is now a final standard. Can conda participate by consuming the PyPI portion of a lock or emitting one? What is missing for mixed conda and PyPI environments? What should stay separate? Not everything needs to merge. Where is independence the right answer? A great outcome is leaving with a clearer picture of where the real blockers are, what work is already underway, and where collaboration across tools could actually move things forward.