Open Spaces

PyCon US 2025 offers more than just talks and workshops! It is a chance to engage with the community and contribute to shaping the event through opportunities like Open Spaces.

Open Spaces consists of self-organized gatherings occurring at one-hour intervals within designated rooms across the conference venue. While most of the conference is planned months in advance, Open Spaces are created "in real time" by PyCon US attendees throughout the conference.

Open Spaces let you self-gather, self-define, and self-organize any way you like. They're a chance for attendees to come together and discuss a wide range of topics, from technical subjects like computer security and data science, to fun activities like board games and AcroYoga.

So whether you're interested in Python-powered maker projects, diversity initiatives, or just want to connect with other attendees, Open Spaces at PyCon US 2025 are the perfect way to do it. Don't miss out on this unique and exciting part of the conference – be sure to show up and see what's happening!

How do I participate in an Open Space?

It's pretty easy: Just show up :)

During PyCon US, there will be Open Spaces boards near the Staff Office (Rooms 306/307). The boards act as a timetable for all the Open Spaces, so you know where and when to go for the Open Spaces you're interested in. If a topic is not listed yet, find an open time slot and submit it!

What Open Spaces are there?

There are Open Spaces on many subjects a bunch of PyCon US attendees would like to discuss. Since the PyCon US attendees are a diverse bunch, so are the Open Spaces. In past years, we've had a mani/pedi party, a feminist hacking space, an AcroYoga space, and a board games room. There are also plenty of the usual suspects of technical subjects, from computer security to your favorite Python project to professional occupations like DevOps.

Where and when are the Open Spaces?

The Open Spaces are in a set of dedicated rooms during all three of the conference days (Friday, May 16, Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18). Some rooms may be needed for other events during portions of some days; please consult the Open Spaces boards onsite for the final word on what's going on and where. The Open Spaces boards are near the Staff Office (Room 306/307).

How do I host an Open Space?

The best part? Anyone can host an Open Space! Open Spaces submissions will look a little bit different this year. Check back here closer to the conference or subscribe to PyCon US News! to find out how to submit your Open Spaces onsite.

Ideas for Open Spaces

Here are a few ideas for potential Open Space topics and activities:

  • Hacker space (maker projects) that use Python (e.g. in Raspbery Pis, iOT, home automation, robots / drones / blimps auto piloted with Python)
  • Hacking/networking/devops
  • Data visualization/science
  • Natural language processing and generation (e.g. chatbots)
  • Quantified Self
  • Diversity initiatives, for example a feminist hackerspace
  • A space for organizers - of conferences, workshops, diversity initiatives (Django Girls, PyLadies, etc.)
  • Framework specific Open Spaces, for example, Django or Flask
  • How to contribute to open source - a help / mentoring group for beginners
  • Git
  • Support - how to avoid burnout
  • Recruitment workshops

If there's a certain Open Space you'd love to see at PyCon US but you don't want to host it yourself, please add it to our list and maybe someone else will take up the topic and host an Open Space about it.

Planned Open Spaces

If you have an idea for an Open Space, and a day and time when you want to meet, please email us and we will list it here on this page. Please note that you will still have to add your session to the Open Spaces boards at PyCon US to officially book a time slot for your Open Space.

Email us with your idea!

Planned Open Spaces so far:

  • Community Organizers Space - Saturday, May 17th; 10AM - 12PM EST
    • Calling all Python community organizers! We want to sit down together and share what’s going well, what new tricks we’ve learned, and what’s been challenging in the area of organizing Python and Python adjacent communities. This year’s US event will be a double session and is intended to kick off a more collaborative and purposeful era of Python community organizer cooperation.
  • Supply-Chain Security - Saturday, May 17th; 10:30 AM-12:30 PM EST
    • Come learn what’s new and upcoming for supply chain security in the Python ecosystem. This open space will be relevant to both maintainers and users. A mix of longer presentations, lightning talks and open discussion will include overviews of new best practices and plans for the future.

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