DevFest 2026 Goes Global with 800 Events and a Hard Focus on AI Agents

Key points

• DevFest 2026 runs from 1 October to 31 December 2026 across more than 800 events in 115 countries.
• Events are organised by Google Developer Groups, local volunteer chapters backed by Google.
• This year's theme is "Build, Secure, Scale: Developers and Builders in the Agentic Era," focused on AI agents: software that can carry out multi-step tasks on its own.
• Attendees get hands-on time with Google tools including Gemini, Google AI Studio, Firebase, Android and Flutter.
• Nearly a million developers are expected to attend worldwide.

DevFest is back for another three-month run, aimed squarely at the people building the next wave of AI helpers.

Google Developer Groups, the volunteer-run local chapters that put on the events, will host more than 800 gatherings across 115 countries between 1 October and 31 December 2026, with nearly a million developers and hobbyists expected in total. Each local group picks its own agenda, so a DevFest in Lagos will look different from one in Warsaw or Jakarta.

What is DevFest actually about this year?

The headline theme is "Build, Secure, Scale: Developers and Builders in the Agentic Era." In plain English: AI agents, software that can carry out tasks on its own, like drafting code or answering customer emails without a human clicking through every step.

Organisers want attendees to leave having actually built something. Expect live codelabs, workshops and agent-athons, which are hackathons focused on building AI agents in a weekend sprint.

The tools on show come from across Google's stack: Gemini (Google's flagship AI model family), Google AI Studio (a web tool for prototyping with those models), Google Antigravity, Google Cloud, Firebase (a platform for building apps), Android, Flutter, Angular and Web MCP.

Why the focus on security this time?

Because agents can do things, not just say things. An AI that can run code or move files is a bigger risk if it goes wrong than a chatbot that only replies to messages.

Google is pushing three ideas at this year's events: building is easier than ever; what you build must be safe and responsibly designed; and the infrastructure to run it at scale is available from day one.

That last point is a sales pitch. Google wants developers building agents on Google Cloud rather than a rival. Still, the security angle is fair: 2026 has already been the year plenty of teams learned what happens when an AI agent is handed too much access with too few guardrails. Google's own watermarking work, which we covered on 9 September, is part of the same responsible-AI thread running through everything the company is showing developers right now.

Who is DevFest actually for?

Anyone who writes code or works alongside people who do. Events range from beginner-friendly intros to deep technical sessions, and each local Google Developer Group tunes its programme to what its city needs.

That community shape is what makes DevFest worth watching. It isn't a slick corporate keynote in San Francisco. It's a schoolteacher in Nairobi running a Flutter workshop or a student group in São Paulo hosting a weekend agent-athon.

My read: the agent pitch is everywhere this year, and most of it is marketing. DevFest is one of the few places a curious beginner can sit down, build a tiny agent themselves, and decide whether the hype matches what the tools can actually do. That's worth a Saturday.

You can find a nearby event through the DevFest directory on Google's developer site. Search #DevFest on your social platform of choice to see what local groups are planning.

Common questions

Do I need to be a professional developer to attend?

No. Many DevFest events are aimed at beginners and students, and local organisers often run intro sessions alongside advanced workshops.

Is DevFest free?

Most DevFest events are free or low-cost because they are run by volunteers, though ticket policies are set by each local Google Developer Group.