Django Chat PyCon US 2026 - Elaine Wong & Jon Banafato
Mar 18, 2026
Jon Banafato, PyCon US chair who coordinates programming and logistics. Elaine Wong, PyCon US co-chair experienced in conference organization and inclusivity initiatives. They talk about schedules, two-day sprints, newcomer mentoring, maintainers prepping good-first-issues, new security and AI tracks, the Charlas Spanish track, open spaces, local community meetups, and behind-the-scenes venue logistics.
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Use Sprints To Make Your First Open Source Contribution
- If you're new to sprints, join a getting-started table or buddy system to work through your first OSS contribution.
- Organizers prepare new-contributor-friendly tickets and mentors ran hands-on workshops to onboard attendees quickly.
Prepare New Contributor Friendly Issues
- Prepare your project before sprints with clear 'good first issues' and contribution workflows.
- Carlton warns maintainers to pre-select tickets so volunteers can be productive instead of waiting at tables.
Summits Multiply Conference Depth
- PyCon US hosts many specialized summits (packaging, maintainers, education) that concentrate domain expertise into half- or full-day sessions.
- Jon and Elaine credit summits and dedicated reviewers for handling 1,000+ proposals this year.