Paris hosts Wikimania 2026 as Wikipedia celebrates 25 years of free knowledge

Paris, France, 22 July 2026 - This week, Paris hosts Wikimania 2026, the twenty-first edition of the flagship annual conference that celebrates Wikipedia, Wikimedia projects, and the global community of volunteers (Wikimedians) who make them possible. Taking place from 21-25 July 2026, this marks the first time the annual gathering is hosted in France with more than1,200 anticipated attendees in-person from around the world. This edition of Wikimania is hosted by Wikimedia France; WikiFranca; and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects.

The conference comes at a historic moment for the website, as Wikipedia celebrated its 25th birthday in January, marking a quarter-century of free, trusted, and human-built knowledge for the world. Created in 2001, Wikipedia has grown into one of the most popular and trusted websites in the world, with more than 67 million articles across over 300 languages. Every month, nearly 250,000 volunteers contribute their time to create, improve, and curate information across Wikipedia. Through an open, transparent, and collaborative process, volunteers work to ensure that knowledge remains neutral, reliable, and accessible to everyone.

The theme of Wikimania 2026, "Liberté, Équité, Fiabilité" (Freedom, Equity, Reliability), will guide discussions on the future of free knowledge at a time when artificial intelligence, disinformation, online trust, and access to information are reshaping the digital landscape.

"As Wikipedia celebrates 25 years, we're entering a new era for knowledge. Artificial intelligence is transforming how people discover and consume information, making human collaboration more essential than ever," said Bernadette Meehan, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. "Wikimania is a venue to celebrate the human endeavor that makes Wikipedia possible: the thousands of volunteers who work together across borders to create, improve, and steward information the world can rely on."

"Wikimedia France is pleased to host Wikimania 2026, the world's largest gathering of contributors, researchers, and advocates of free knowledge," said Rémy Gerbet, Executive Director of Wikimedia France. "At a time when our information ecosystem is facing unprecedented challenges, this year's conference will serve as a key forum for reaffirming the digital commons as an essential foundation for technological sovereignty and trustworthy information. We demonstrate that a decentralized movement fostering community autonomy is a guarantee of resilience and innovation; we have proven this over the past 25 years and will continue to do so in the future."

Across five days, the Wikimania programme will include keynote sessions, workshops, community meet-ups, policy discussions, cultural events, and technical collaborations focused on the Wikimedia projects and the wider digital knowledge ecosystem.

Programme highlights include:

• Wikipedia's 25th anniversary: Sessions reflecting on how Wikipedia has evolved from an experimental online encyclopedia into a global public resource, and what the next 25 years of free knowledge may look like.
• Wikipedia in the age of AI: Discussions on how generative AI is changing the way people search for and consume information, and how Wikimedia projects can continue to support reliable, human-centred knowledge online.
• The Wikimedian of the Year Awards: Presented by Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, these awards recognise exceptional volunteer contributors from across the Wikimedia movement.
• Public policy and digital rights: Conversations on online safety, content reuse and attribution, privacy, open-source technology, and the role of digital public goods in democratic societies.
• The Wikimedia community in France: Sessions and activities highlighting the work of local volunteers, cultural institutions, and partners who contribute to the growth of free knowledge in France and beyond.
• Wikipedia Puzzle globe activation: As we continue to celebrate Wikipedia's 25th birthday year, volunteers will create a one-of-a-kind 100 m² puzzle made up of nearly 950 pieces, forming the iconic Wikipedia globe. This will be one of the largest puzzles to ever be built in France.
• The Team Challenges Wikimania Hackathon: Professionals from all backgrounds will collaborate on ten key technical challenges that directly address the complex problems encountered daily on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

Wikimania 2026 will be offered in a hybrid format, offering an opportunity for a global audience to engage in the rich discussions in-person and virtually. To ensure participation of people from various countries, the conference will be translated into multiple languages including Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. The event will also be available to watch live on virtual streaming platforms. Follow the event on social media using #Wikimania2026. The full programme for Wikimania 2026 is available online.

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About Wikimania

Wikimania is the annual gathering that brings together the global community of volunteers who make Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects possible. It is a space for Wikimedians to connect, share ideas, learn from one another, and shape the future of free knowledge. The first Wikimania was held in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005, and the event has since become the flagship international conference of the Wikimedia movement.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. We support the people, technology, and policies that enable reliable information to be shared with the world. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA. Visit our website to learn more about the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikipedia.

About Wikimedia France

Wikimedia France is the non-profit organization that develops and promotes Wikimedia's free knowledge projects, including Wikipedia, across France. Its mission is to enable everyone to freely access and contribute to the sum of all knowledge. To defend a collaborative, open, and alternative web, the association conducts national advocacy for digital commons. It builds cultural, scientific, and educational partnerships, while providing logistical, legal, and human support to its community of thousands of volunteers. Active for over 20 years, Wikimedia France works to make free knowledge an essential pillar of democracy.

About WikiFranca

WikiFranca is the Wikimedian association that brings together various French-speaking groups, both formal and informal, of the Wikimedia Movement. WikiFranca currently brings together 27 member groups from 3 continents. Its aim is to encourage activities in French on the various Wikimedia Projects, both online and in the field, and to promote collaboration and cooperation between French-speaking Wikimedians around the world, by offering support for their activities or organizing collaborative international projects.