The Drop Times: Bringing Drupal Learning Closer to Home: Southwestern Ontario Drupal Camp 2026

We feel that it’s important to be able to bring good quality professional development opportunities to people where they are.Woolwich Web Works, Megan’s company, is also sponsoring the event. She explained that supporting a regional DrupalCamp gives smaller businesses an opportunity to contribute to the community while helping local professionals access training and networking opportunities.

Why Local Drupal Events Matter

Financial support from sponsors has allowed the organisers to offer free admission for both days. Megan thanked Acquia, Woolwich Web Works, Coldfront Labs Inc., Cinder Systems Corp., Consensus Enterprises and Sonic Cat Studios for their contributions.

Megan said many students registered for Saturday’s training have also signed up for Friday’s sessions. Their participation will give newcomers an opportunity to meet established Drupal practitioners and become familiar with the community before beginning the hands-on programme.

Returning for its second edition on 23 and 24 October 2026, Southwestern Ontario Drupal Camp is expanding into a two-day event while keeping admission free. Organiser Megan McDermott told The DropTimes that the event aims to bring professional development and community connections closer to Drupal users who cannot easily attend larger conferences.Megan said many of the company’s clients send team members to the camp despite not having dedicated professional development budgets. She considers free regional events particularly useful for organisations that may be unable to support attendance at larger conferences.

Drupal in a Day Joins the Programme

Megan also sees the gathering as a way to introduce Drupal to other people working in web development and digital services. Students are an important part of that outreach, particularly as the organisers add a dedicated training programme this year.Saturday’s contribution activities will welcome both developers and people working in other disciplines. The official programme identifies content strategy, project management, testing, design, user experience and accessibility among the areas where participants can contribute.This is the first time the camp has offered Drupal in a Day. The programme is designed to give students and newcomers hands-on experience with Drupal, including an introduction to its core features and an opportunity to build a working website. Experienced community members Jordan Thompson and Martin Anderson-Clutz will serve as instructors.She also acknowledged the commercial considerations behind small-business sponsorship. Megan hopes attendees will leave with a positive impression of Woolwich Web Works and consider its services in the future. Her comments illustrate how community support and business visibility can coexist within the sponsorship arrangements of a regional Drupal event.

AI, Accessibility and Drupal Development on the Agenda

The published schedule also includes sessions on accessibility, Drupal CMS, development workflows, AI-assisted coding, site building and security considerations. Topics range from maintaining accessible websites to Drupal orchestration, coding agents and practical development techniques. The programme offers a mix of introductory material and specialised discussions for experienced practitioners.Megan said the organisers recognise that travelling to major conferences represents a substantial commitment of both time and money. Professionals with family responsibilities or limited access to training budgets may find it particularly difficult to participate. Bringing an event to their own region offers an alternative without requiring extensive travel.

How Local Sponsors Help Keep the Camp Free

Travel costs, limited training budgets and family commitments can make events such as DrupalCon difficult to attend, according to Megan. The organisers see regional gatherings as an opportunity to make learning more accessible while connecting experienced Drupal professionals with students and other web creators. This year’s expanded programme combines technical sessions, networking, introductory training and community contribution activities in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.Supporting a local event is a great way for a small company like ours to make a big impact and support the regional Drupal community.

With a second day added and its first Drupal in a Day programme scheduled, Southwestern Ontario Drupal Camp 2026 will offer learning opportunities for experienced practitioners, students and newcomers. Registration remains free, with optional donations accepted to support the event. Further details are available on the official registration page.

Friday’s programme will feature a keynote from Aidan Foster, whom Megan identified as one of the leads of the Drupal AI Initiative. His session, “The AI Survivors’ Handbook: Should we adapt to AI or should it adapt to us?”, will examine how individuals and organisations can respond to artificial intelligence while retaining human judgement.The camp is hosted by the Waterloo Region Drupal Users group, which has been meeting since 2007, with support from the Drupal Canada Association. The 2026 edition builds on the first Southwestern Ontario Drupal Camp, held in 2025.The camp will begin on Friday, 23 October, with presentations and networking at Kitchener Public Library. Saturday, 24 October, will introduce Drupal in a Day training at Conestoga College’s Waterloo campus, alongside contribution activities for the wider community.