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Introducing LocalGov Bus Data: Bringing Bus Information into Your Council Website

We’re excited to announce the release of LocalGov Bus Data — a new Drupal module built with and for councils, now available for the entire local government community to use.

markconroy 10th Apr 2026

This is a guest post from the incredible team at DevBranch, a Drupal development team based in Lutsk, Ukraine.

Drupal Café Lutsk and Drupal Global Contribution Weekend (DGCW) have become regular opportunities to strengthen the Drupal community in Lutsk, Ukraine. Organized by the DevBranch development team, they connect developers and grow an active community both locally and within the global Drupal ecosystem.

Is Drupal Café Lutsk the biggest systematic free Drupal meetup?

Drupal Café Lutsk became one of the largest events of this kind and one of the world’s leading Drupal meetups. It all started with the desire to promote this CMF to local programmers.

This idea took shape as free and offline meetups. Their format included two speakers giving sessions on technical Drupal topics in an informal setting. Recordings of the sessions were streamed on Facebook, but the main emphasis remained on live interaction among participants.

The first Café, held on February 18, 2016, attracted nearly 40 attendees. Such a strong start inspired the organizers to continue their mission of introducing more people to Drupal. Their creative peak was to put Drupal’s founder, Dries Buytaert’s, portrait on the logo. To everyone's sheer surprise, Dries himself replied to the email with a confirmation! As a result, the announcement of the next Café had the aforementioned logo.

Drupal Café Lutsk (18.02.2016)

One of the key challenges in organizing the event was finding the right venue. Since the primary goal was to create informal communication in a comfort zone with no recruitment or headhunting, the choice fell on open-space venues to rent.

Drupal Café Lutsk (05.08.2021)

This, however, was only at the beginning. As the company grew, DevBranch built its own office in late 2021. One of its rooms was a conference hall, which became the permanent venue not only for Drupal Café Lutsk, but also for other similar events.

Drupal Café Lutsk (23.10.2025)

Now, Drupal Café Lutsk is held four times a year. To attract more attendees and broaden the audience, a third session (non-technical IT-related) was added. From that point on, the number of attendees steadily grew and eventually exceeded 100 per event. Thanks to this, has Drupal Café Lutsk become the largest free recurring Drupal meetup in the world?

The initiative also received support from software agencies like AnyforSoft and YozmaTech. Their contributions helped provide dinners/afterparties and photos.

Drupal Global Contribution Weekend (DGCW) in Lutsk - 100+ successfully closed issues every event annually!

Another important contribution to the community’s development is the Drupal Code Sprint, based on the Drupal Association initiative — the Drupal Global Contribution Weekend. The association’s goal was to convene Drupal developers worldwide annually to collaborate on core, modules, themes, and documentation.

Drupal Global Contribution Weekend in Lutsk (25.01.2020)

The DevBranch’s idea was to join this initiative by arranging a local event. Their partners and friends — Drupal companies from different parts of Ukraine — were invited to join the Drupal Code Sprint as sponsors, mentors, and participants. Organizers provide an office location and all the necessary equipment, along with overall event administration. Sponsors — AnyforSoft, ImageX, Lemberg Solutions, Five Jars, UniOne, Sigma Software, and Mint Innovations — cover direct expenses such as lunch, mentors’ presents, and participants’ souvenirs.

Following the tradition established by the Drupal Association, the day for Drupal Code Sprints was set for the last Saturday of January. Those interested in participating choose the role of developer or mentor, depending on their expertise and availability of drupal.org issues. At the end of an all-day marathon, both contributors and mentors receive pleasant bonuses: souvenirs and gifts.

Drupal Global Contribution Weekend in Lutsk (25.01.2025)

As a result, Code Sprints became an accessible way for Ukrainian developers to contribute to community issues as part of a broader global movement. Beginners can make their first open-source contributions under the guidance of more experienced developers, who, in turn, finally have the time to contribute themselves :)

The outcomes spoke for themselves: 100+ successfully closed issues every event annually!

Drupal Ukraine Community banner at Drupal events

With the start of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, all those initiatives were put on hold. Many Ukrainians were stripped of the opportunity to attend global Drupal events in person. To highlight the impact of the war, DevBranch cooperated with AnyforSoft to create a banner with a simple message:

"Ukrainian Drupal Community: Absent from In-Person Events since 2022".

It has already traveled to DrupalCon Barcelona, DrupalCamp Ottawa, Drupal GovCon, DrupalCamp Finland+Baltics, DrupalCamp Ghent, DrupalCon Portland, Drupal Dev Days Belgium, Drupaljam, and DrupalSouth Melbourne, adding Ukrainian context to the global Drupal community.

Behind this journey stands the support of the community and those who helped make it happen. Props to all the event organizers and Lenny Moskalyk for her enormous assistance with logistics and for making sure the banners were in place!

If you are an event organizer and want to support Ukraine in such a way, just drop an email to merge@dev-branch.com! They can help from providing design assets, to printing a banner, and handling delivery to your venue.

Drupal Ukraine Community banner at Drupal events

Summary

When organizing all of these events, one of the key priorities was to create lively and in-person communication and urge a local IT community to grow. For this reason, all events were held on-site. Accordingly, with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers deliberately suspended all such initiatives. Once regulations allowed gatherings in public spaces again, DevBranch brought back on-site events, taking care to provide attendees with masks and sanitizers.

However, this return to the in-person format took place shortly before the start of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. And only thanks to the Defence Forces of Ukraine, it eventually became possible to organize on-site events again. No event now takes place without the company’s traditional fundraising for the needs of the Ukrainian military.

Drupal Global Contribution Weekend in Lutsk (25.01.2025)

Thus, despite all obstacles and the challenging conditions dictated by today’s Ukrainian realities, Drupal Café Lutsk meetups and DGCW code sprints continue to bring developers together, promoting this CMF in Ukraine, attracting new participants, and helping experienced specialists continue to grow.

Over the course of 10 years, a proud number of events have been organized: 

• 30 Drupal Café Lutsk meetups;
• 10 Сode Sprints;
• 2 Drupal TriviaNights (inspired by the same venues at DrupalCons, Thursday evenings);
• numerous Upwork Freelance huddles.

All the local events highlighted Lutsk town as the Drupal capital of Ukraine! 

You can see photos from every event here: https://devbranch.ua/events

One day, DevBranch was asked, ‘Are you a Drupal development team, or an events agency?’
The reply was ‘Yes :)’

Managing a council website is a high-stakes balancing act where a single accidental “publish“ can impact public trust. Learn more about how LocalGov Drupal solves this problem for councils.

Drupal site-builders rejoice! We currently have two major page building projects approaching production-maturity: Drupal Canvas and Display Builder. In this article series, I compare the two projects by implementing real world use cases from the perspective of a site-builder.

DrupalCamp Grenoble begins today in Grenoble, France, bringing together more than 110 attendees for three days of sessions, keynotes, and contribution work. The event introduces a third English-language track alongside two French tracks, reflecting a broader European outreach while maintaining its Francophone roots. With topics ranging from Symfony’s evolution to security and sociotechnical reflection, the programme signals a balance between technical depth and community introspection.

Discover how 1xINTERNET and UICC apply responsible AI to real-world digital experiences. Webinar and podcast recordings are ready to watch!

A personal, powerful Driesnote shows how Drupal’s community, AI innovation, and leadership shape the future of digital experiences.

Overall SummaryOur 34th monthly meeting brought together a smaller-than-usual but engaged group of contributors to review the state of the UI Suite ecosystem. With Drupal's core freeze just six weeks away, we focused on what it takes to get our APIs — Style API, Design Tokens, and Icon API — across the finish line for Drupal 11.1 or 11.4. We also reviewed the rapid cadence of Display Builder beta releases, celebrated impressive adoption numbers for UI Icons, and opened an exciting conversation about AI agent integration with our UI Pattern suite. The session closed with a deep-dive discussion on how Display Builder can eventually work alongside or replace Paragraphs-based workflows for site builders.

Are you a Drupal enthusiast who’s ever thought, “I’m not expert enough to speak at DrupalCon”? You’re not alone. Imposter syndrome can affect even the most experienced developers, designers, and site builders. But here’s the truth: real-world experience matters far more than textbook expertise. Your lessons learned, project insights, and practical workflows are exactly what the community wants to hear.

Speaking at DrupalCon isn’t just about sharing knowledge. It’s a chance to grow personally and professionally. You’ll gain visibility in the Drupal community, advance your career through skill development and recognition, and connect with peers, mentors, and potential collaborators.

Don’t let self-doubt hold you back. If you’ve tackled real Drupal challenges, you already have a story worth sharing.
 

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                               Photo by PdJohnson

What Makes a Great DrupalCon Talk Proposal

When reviewers look at submissions, they’re seeking talks that are educational, clear, and actionable, not sales pitches. Here’s what makes a proposal stand out:

• Clear takeaway: What will attendees actually learn?
• Specific audience: Who benefits most from your talk?
• Drupal relevance: Make it explicit why this matters to the community.

Tips for a strong proposal:

• Avoid vague titles like “Drupal Tips & Tricks”
• Focus on outcomes rather than just features
• Be specific about your context, challenges, and solutions

Top Ideas for DrupalCon Rotterdam 2026 Talks

Need inspiration? Here are some trending topics that resonate with the community and demonstrate thought leadership:

• AI and Drupal: How AI tools can enhance content creation and user experiences
• Decoupled & composable architectures: Building flexible, modern sites
• Accessibility & inclusive design: Making Drupal sites usable for everyone
• Performance at scale: Lessons from high-traffic projects
• Real client success stories: Challenges, solutions, and wins
• Content workflows & editorial UX: Improving efficiency and satisfaction

Your unique experience in these areas could spark the next great DrupalCon session.

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                               Photo by PdJohnson

From Submission to Stage: How to Get Selected

Wondering how your proposal moves from idea to spotlight? Here’s a peek behind the curtain:

1. Choose the right track and format: DrupalCon has multiple tracks: technical, design, strategy, and more. Pick the one your talk aligns with.
2. Craft a compelling description: Clearly state the problem, your approach, and what attendees will take away.
3. Match difficulty level to audience: Beginners, intermediate, or advanced. Be honest to set expectations.
4. Focus on practical value: Share actionable insights, not theory alone.

Remember, clarity and relevance are key. The more concrete your examples and lessons, the stronger your submission.

Call for Papers: Key Dates & How to Submit

Don’t miss your chance to speak at DrupalCon Rotterdam 2026!

Deadline: 13 April 2026

Tracks: 

• Community Health
• Digital Sovereignty & Open Web
• Drupal CMS
• Development AI and Agentic Architecture
• Agency, Business & Marketing
• Success Stories and Innovation
• User Experience, Accessibility, and Design

Formats: Sessions (45 or 20 minutes), workshops (45 or 2x45 minutes), panels (45 minutes)

How to submit:

1. Visit the DrupalCon CFP page
2. Choose your track and format
3. Write your title and description with clear takeaways
4. Submit before the deadline!

Whether you’re a first-time speaker or a seasoned presenter, DrupalCon is the perfect platform to share your story, contribute to the community, and grow your career. Your insights matter, so step up to the mic and make your mark!

SUBMIT YOUR SESSION
 

Drupal's config schema YAML supports dynamic expressions inside square brackets that resolve to values from the surrounding configuration data at runtime. Most developers have seen them — [%parent.type] in field formatter schema is a classic example — but few understand exactly how they work or when to use them.

I found a Todoist task from December 4th, 2024: \Drupal\Core\Config\TypedConfigManager::replaceVariable blog post. (Yeah, you do not want to see my "Overdue" list.) I have no memory of what I was working on that day or why I went deep on this. But past-me clearly thought it was worth documenting, so here we are. If you've ever stared at [%parent.type] in a schema file and just accepted it as magic — this one's for you.

Struggling with taxonomy cleanup in Drupal? Read this blog to learn how the Bulk Term Delete module helps remove multiple taxonomy terms at once and improve admin efficiency.

In episode #547, guest JD Flynn joins us to discuss why developers don't choose Drupal, focusing on Drupal adoption, discoverability, and outdated perceptions from Drupal 6/7. JD cites survey data showing low interest among non-Drupal developers, arguing Drupal's biggest problem is invisibility and that developers often pre-filter it due to PHP stigma and friction getting started.

For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/547

Topics

• Welcome to Talking Drupal
• Meet JD Flynn
• Co Hosts Introductions
• Module of the Week: Native Observability
• Production Overhead Debate
• AI Patches and Etiquette
• Live Stream and Topic Setup
• Why Developers Skip Drupal
• Invisibility and Discovery
• Perception and Onboarding Friction
• Composer and Leaving the Island
• Perception Gap and PHP Stigma
• PHP Perception Versus Reality
• Why Developers Avoid Drupal
• Selling Drupal to Clients
• Instant Demos With Drupal Forge
• Discoverability in the AI Era
• Content Strategy Beyond Drupal
• PHP Stigma and Performance
• Community Effort and Live Streaming
• Marketing Drupal Out of the Box
• Wrap Up and Where to Connect

Resources

Why Developers Don't Choose Drupal (And What We Can Do About It) - https://www.fldrupal.camp/session/why-developers-dont-choose-drupal-and-what-we-can-do-about-it JD's stream - http://twitch.tv/jddoesdev Drupal is Great! Its Perception Might Not be. -https://picozzi.com/notebook/2025/jan/drupal-great-its-perception-might-not-be Drupal Forge - https://www.drupalforge.org/

Guests

JD Flynn - Crepdrop dorficus

Hosts

Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Rod Martin - DrupalHelps.com imrodmartin

Module of the Week Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu

Native Observability brings real observability into Drupal. Trace requests, inspect execution, analyze performance, and explore runtime behavior — directly inside your application.

No core patches. No external dependencies required to get started. Just install, enable, and start seeing what actually happens inside your system.

DrupalCon Chicago 2026 outlined concrete developments already moving through the current cycle toward DrupalCon Rotterdam. The keynote highlighted progress in Drupal CMS, expanded site templates and marketplace functionality, and ongoing work on artificial intelligence features that are now transitioning from demonstration to implementation.

Drupal CMS 2.1 builds on Drupal Core 11.3 and introduces support for preconfigured site templates. The keynote demonstrated eleven templates available through a basic marketplace, all installable directly from the Drupal CMS installer. This signals that both template distribution and marketplace functionality have moved beyond concept into early rollout.

The Context Control Center now appears close to production readiness. The keynote positioned it as a central source of truth for brand voice, target audiences, key messages, product details, and editorial guidelines used by AI agents. In one demonstration, the system generated an on-brand page from a marketing brief, while a second example used Google Analytics data in a proof-of-concept workflow to improve content performance after publication.

Not all demonstrated capabilities are fully mature. Several features remain in alpha or beta stages as development continues toward DrupalCon Rotterdam. At the same time, increased AI-assisted contribution is placing pressure on maintainers, alongside a direct reminder that contributors remain responsible for the code they submit.

With that introduction, let us move to the major stories from last week. 

CASE STUDY

• Tulare County Migrates 50 Sites to Drupal Using Acquia Site Factory

EVENT

• DrupalCon Rotterdam 2026 Opens UX, Accessibility and Design Track for Submissions
• International Splash Awards 2026 Submission Deadline Set for 16 June

DISCOVER DRUPAL

• Drupal Recording Initiative Seeks Support to Expand Global Coverage
• Drupal 12 Adopts Argon2id for Default Password Hashing
• Drupal AI Initiative Reports Growth and Product Progress Six Months After Vienna
• Canvas Multilingual Module Adds Translation Support to Drupal Canvas
• Lovable AI and Drupal Canvas Workflow Enables Rapid Page Assembly

ORGANIZATION NEWS

• CKEditor AI Integrates Into Drupal With Premium Features Module 1.8.0

PHP

• PHPantom 0.6.0 Introduces Fast, Low-Memory PHP Language Server Built in Rust

Additional developments from across the Drupal ecosystem were published during the week. Readers may follow The DropTimes on LinkedIn, Twitter, Bluesky, and Facebook for continuing updates. The publication also maintains a presence on Drupal Slack in the #thedroptimes channel.

Thank you.

KAZIMA ABBAS
Sub-editor
The DropTimes

Using AI Without Compromising Our Values mtift April 6, 2026 April 6, 2026 Photo by Curt Rochon, DrupalCon Chicago 2026. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 I went into DrupalCon Chicago suspicious of AI. I almost didn't go. What changed my mind wasn't a demo or a keynote. It was realizing the Drupal community already has what it needs: our Values and Principles. We just did not center them in the AI conversation.

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Where AI Moves from Experiment to Operation The Drupal AI Summit NYC, taking place on May 14, 2026

Photo by Gryffindor , CC BY-SA 3.0 Wikimedia

The conversation around AI is changing.

Not long ago, most discussions focused on what AI could do. That phase is largely behind us. Organisations are now dealing with a more difficult and more important question: how do you operate AI systems in a way that holds up over time, under real conditions, and with real consequences?

The Drupal AI Summit NYC is designed to address that shift directly. This is not a standalone Drupal event. It is co-located with apidays New York and Generation AI, placing Drupal into a broader ecosystem of technology leaders, platform owners, and organisations actively working through the realities of AI adoption at scale.

This is a different kind of conversation

This Summit is not structured as a traditional developer track, and it is not focused on early-stage experimentation. The intent is to create space for people who are already responsible for delivery and are dealing with the complexity that comes with it.

The audience includes CTOs, digital leaders, and platform owners who are navigating challenges such as governance, compliance, data ownership, and long-term operational stability. These are not theoretical concerns. They emerge quickly once AI is integrated into production systems and begin to affect real users, real data, and real outcomes.

We're In the Storm, This is the Way Through

AI is already embedded in how organisations operate, whether they realise it or not. It is present in content workflows, search systems, personalisation engines, and automation pipelines. In many cases, it has been introduced incrementally, often without a clear understanding of how data is being handled or where control ultimately resides.

This creates a gap between perceived responsibility and actual control.

The Drupal AI Initiative has been working to close that gap by focusing on approaches that are open, inspectable, and governable. This is not an abstract position. It is a practical requirement for organisations that need to understand how their systems behave, where their data is processed, and how decisions can be audited over time.

What the Summit will focus on

The programme is centred on real implementation work. The goal is to surface the decisions, trade-offs, and operational realities that teams encounter when AI moves beyond pilot projects and into production environments.

Sessions will focus on areas such as:

• AI implementations currently running in production within Drupal
• Architectural decisions and integration patterns that support long-term use
• Governance and compliance considerations in regulated environments
• Operational lessons learned from scaling AI systems
• Practical insights from projects that required course correction

The emphasis is on experience rather than theory. Attendees should expect to hear what actually happens when systems are deployed, maintained, and evolved over time.

This builds on the foundation established by the first Drupal AI Summit in Paris, which brought together global contributors to focus on practical architecture, governance, and real-world application of open source AI systems. 

Why is Drupal part of this conversation?

Drupal is not approaching AI as an external add-on. The work being done through the Drupal AI Initiative is focused on integrating AI directly into the platform in a way that preserves control, flexibility, and transparency.

That includes the ability to choose where models run, how data is processed, and how AI capabilities are embedded into content and workflow systems. It also reflects Drupal’s long-standing strengths as an open source platform built around extensibility, governance, and long-term ownership.

For organisations that need to operate AI responsibly, those characteristics are not optional. They are foundational.

Who should attend?

This Summit is intended for organisations and individuals who are already engaged in applying AI in meaningful ways and are now working through the implications of doing so at scale. In short, YOU SHOULD ATTEND.

It is particularly relevant for those who are responsible for platform decisions, architectural direction, or operational oversight, and who need to ensure that AI systems remain reliable, governable, and aligned with organisational requirements.

Join us in New York City

Early bird tickets are currently available for $150 until April 13. For an event of this scale, and with access to a much larger federated conference environment, that price is difficult to justify passing up.

The Drupal AI Summit NYC is an opportunity to engage directly with practitioners who are doing this work today, in environments where the stakes are real and the outcomes matter.

File attachments:  360-Madison-exterior_landscape-640x360.jpg

Digital success starts with understanding the problem, not selling tech. A discovery-led approach builds tailored, effective, long-lasting solutions.

Inspired by Mark Conroy's blog series, I’m starting a series of blog posts detailing Dripyard’s contributions. My hope is that it brings a bit of visibility to 1) inspire y’all to buy our themes, and 2) inspire folks to contribute on their own.

March 2026 was especially busy for us, as 1) we made a bunch of contributions to the Drupal CMS installer, 2) created a badass new module (see below), and 3) did a bunch of work at DrupalCon Chicago.

We’re all familiar with cookie consent banners — the popups asking us to agree to “cookies” that track data from our visits. They’re everywhere. And honestly, they’re a bit annoying.

But here’s the thing most organizations get wrong: they treat the banner as the entire conversation. Find a tool, install a popup, check the box. Done.

That’s backwards. The banner is just the visible output of a much more important process — understanding what your website actually collects, why it collects it, and whether anyone made a deliberate decision about any of it.

Drupal is evolving so quickly that it’s hard to guess what’s coming next, until the DrupalCon keynote by Drupal Founder, Dries Buytaert, warmly known as the ‘Driesnote’ pulls back the curtain. That’s the moment when the community leans in, ready to see the newest ideas take shape.

NOTE: To compensate against other articles on the web that contain hallucinations, here's a take from the author of the discussed code.