News Roundup

The Drupal Bulgaria Meetup is set for May 22 in Sofia, bringing together developers, agencies, NGOs, and open-source enthusiasts for an evening of lightning talks and networking. Hosted by Geonovation with media support from The Drop Times, the event will explore the future of Drupal, emerging web trends, and local use cases. Attendees will enjoy snacks, drinks, and digital certificates, with participation open to both seasoned pros and curious newcomers.

Zend’s 2025 PHP Landscape Report reveals 38% of teams still use EOL PHP versions, yet many feel confident in their security. Migration and compliance remain top priorities, with 76% upgrading in the past year. The full report is now available for free on Zend’s website.

Germany’s IT Planning Council has formally committed to adopting the Open Document Format (ODF) as the standard for document exchange in public administration by 2027. The decision, highlighted by The Document Foundation, underscores the role of open standards in promoting digital sovereignty, reducing vendor lock-in, and ensuring long-term data accessibility. The Standardisation Board will oversee implementation, aligning Germany with broader European efforts to modernise government through open-source solutions.

The PHP Study Group returns for its 176th meetup on May 28 in Tokyo, offering lightning talks, community networking, and casual conversation over drinks. Open to PHP enthusiasts of all levels, with details on Connpass.

DXPR releases DXPR Builder 2.7, dubbed “Baby AI,” integrating a powerful AI engine that blends models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others into the Drupal content workflow. The update redefines content creation with real-time, context-aware AI editing inside CKEditor 5—offered free for small sites. Alongside the AI, version 2.7 delivers a redesigned interface, improved accessibility, and expanded inline editing features.

Webmardi will host a developer meetup on May 6 in Lausanne, featuring a French-language session on “Decoupled Drupal with GraphQL and Gutenberg” led by Christophe Jossart. The talk explores GraphQL as a unifying layer for scalable, flexible architectures. Developers can RSVP now via the Webmardi Meetup page.

Drupal GovCon 2025 has opened its Call for Speakers, inviting session proposals until 16 May 2025 for its event from 13–15 August in College Park, Maryland. The conference seeks talks focused on digital transformation, security, accessibility, and open-source innovation, emphasizing collaboration and fresh content. Presenters must submit complete proposals and follow the event’s Code of Conduct.

EvolveDrupal Summit returns for its eighth edition on June 6, 2025, at Microsoft's NERD Center in Cambridge, co-organized with Pantheon. Session proposals across CMS, AI, UX, and web development are open until May 7 via evolvedrupal.com. Highlights include 30+ expert sessions, lightning talks, networking events, and keynote speakers from Pantheon, MIT Sloan, and Acquia.

Dominique De Cooman, co-CEO of Dropsolid, urges the digital community to partner with Drupal makers over distributors as AI transforms the industry. He argues makers offer deeper expertise, flexibility, and innovation essential for future-ready digital solutions. In contrast, distributors risk falling behind due to packaged, less adaptable offerings.

Drupal 11.2 introduces a game-changing `order` parameter for hook implementations, giving developers precise control over execution sequences. Spearheaded by Karoly Negyesi, Andreas Hennings, and Nic Laflin, this major community effort spanned 23 issue branches and over 200 comments. Developers must now adopt the new system, with legacy support provided for smoother transitions.

DrupalCamp Burkina Faso 2025 drew 177 attendees from a pool of over 500 interested participants, spotlighting rising enthusiasm for open-source tech in West Africa. Led by Seferiba Salif Soulama, the event focused on Drupal development, AI integration, and regional tech networking despite financial and environmental hurdles. With ambitions to host Africa’s first DrupalCon by 2027, organizers see the camp as a launchpad for deeper community and institutional engagement.

JetBrains will host PHPVerse 2025, a free global virtual event on June 17 to celebrate 30 years of PHP. The event features expert talks, panels, and interactive sessions highlighting PHP’s evolution and future. Registration is open now for anyone passionate about PHP and web development.

The Drupal Association has released all major session recordings from DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 on YouTube. The videos cover keynotes, tech deep-dives, and community talks, making top-tier Drupal content freely accessible worldwide. The full playlist is now live for everyone to explore.

A new SNS Insider report forecasts the global digital accessibility software market to more than double by 2032, fueled by AI advances and rising regulatory demands. Website accessibility tools dominate, with SMEs and the Asia Pacific region set for the fastest growth. High costs remain a challenge, but AI-driven automation is easing adoption.

Alex Pott won the DrupalDevDays Mascot Contest with the most-liked photo featuring Franz Jozef, earning a free ticket to DrupalCon Vienna 2025. The contest is part of a community-building tour across Europe, encouraging social media engagement. As the mascot continues visiting events, there will be more opportunities to join the fun.

The Drupal community is exploring the feasibility of a Site Template Marketplace, led by the Marketplace Working Group with a decision expected by DrupalCon Vienna 2025. The group is evaluating key assumptions around demand, sustainability, governance, and commercialisation, emphasising transparent community involvement. Contributors are invited to engage via Slack prompts, RTC sessions, and surveys to shape the project’s future.

The Accessibility Club Summit 2025 has unveiled its full schedule for the May 24–25 event at THWS in Germany. Featuring a BarCamp and hands-on workshops, the summit unites Europe's accessibility advocates to share best practices and foster collaboration. Full details are available on the summit website.

DrupalCamp Ottawa 2025 returns May 2 at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It is a free, community-first event focused on accessibility, AI, and “All Things Drupal.” Organized by Coldfront Labs’ Salman Jaffery, the camp features keynotes, live demos, and beginner-friendly sessions, with support from a record number of sponsors. This year, the focus is on meaningful connections, open-source collaboration, and ensuring Drupal stays accessible and inclusive.

Laracon 2025 returns July 29–30 at The Mission Ballroom in Denver, offering two days of talks, demos, and networking for Laravel developers. Tickets are now available, with speakers and sessions to be announced soon. The event will be fully in-person with no virtual options.

The new Firebase UI module has been released on Drupal.org, bringing native support for Firebase Cloud Messaging to Drupal 10 and 11 sites. Maintained by Pirtpal Singh and the LN Webworks team, it enables easy, role-based push notifications directly from the Drupal backend. Designed for scalability and performance, the module invites community feedback for future enhancements.

SeaGL 2025 opens its Call for Presentations for the free, community-driven open-source conference happening November 7–8 in Seattle and online. Proposals across a wide range of FLOSS topics are welcome through June 15. Speakers can join either in person or via livestream.

Launching in 2013 from a casual tech book club chat, Talking Drupal has grown into a 500-episode, 12-year journey of consistent, community-led podcasting. What began with Stephen, Jason, John, Nic, and Jay has evolved through burnout, guest collaborations, evolving formats, and a shared goal to connect and inform the Drupal world. Episode 500 on May 2, 2025, brings together contributors old and new in a celebration of the show’s legacy and the vibrant open-source community it serves.

Roland Obermair, CEO of Roromedia GmbH, shared how Webform Booking and Webform Content Creator modules can streamline booking workflows in Drupal without heavy custom coding. These tools offer flexible scheduling, calendar integration, and automatic content creation for bookings, all within Drupal’s ecosystem. Obermair also suggested integrating Drupal Commerce for projects needing payment processing.

MidCamp 2025 returns to DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus from May 20–22, with organizers calling for volunteers to support event logistics, registration, and session management. Volunteers will earn Drupal.org contribution credit and get early access to vintage MidCamp swag, but must still purchase a ticket. Sign-ups are open now through MidCamp’s volunteer form and Slack channel.

DrupalCamp Colorado 2025 is now accepting session proposals through May 2 for its July 25–26 event at the Tivoli Center Ballroom in Denver. Organizers encourage both new and seasoned speakers, with priority for agency-client co-presentations. The camp features keynotes, sessions, and contribution time focused on Drupal, tech, and community collaboration.

Esteemed Inc. is rebuilding its ATS and CRM platform in Drupal 11, separating them into distinct installs using Recipes for different user groups. The overhaul includes a decoupled React front end, custom entities, and enhanced JSON APIs, aiming for better performance and AI-driven development. CEO Chris McGrath plans to open-source the Standard version and expand AI integration across Esteemed's digital ecosystem.

IT Care LLC has launched version 10.3.10.2 of the YMCA Website Services Distribution, bringing key updates for Drupal 10.3 and PHP 8.2 compatibility. The release enhances performance with UI improvements, bug fixes, and code cleanup, backed by collaborative efforts from YMCA organizations. Notably, a caching fix funded by YMCA of Northern Colorado & Southern Wyoming now benefits the entire network.