Build a Block Theme in WordPress
Details
We're going to work through some of Birgit Pauli-Haack's block theme development workshop from WordCamp Asia 2026. (Slides) Birgit has shared her work at The Gutenberg Times and bundled related resources on GitHub. There’s even a blueprint you can import into Studio or WordPress Playground — both are built with WebAssembly (Wasm). With Playground, you can instantly run and build things in WordPress entirely within your browser. This is a good project for beginners and seasoned developers alike.
We're not focusing on using AI tools for this project, but you sure can use 'em if you've got 'em! Jonathan Bossenger has a nice walkthrough for one of the ways you can build block themes with an LLM, by using [WordPress.com MCP tools](https://developer.wordpress.com/docs/mcp/) and Claude.
Please bring a laptop; this is a hands-on workshop.
Event Schedule
- 5:30 PM — Catch up, food, and drinks
- 6:00 PM — Workshop
- 7:00 PM — Wrap-up
- 7:30 PM — Clean up and head out
- 8:00 PM — Building closes
Next Speaker/Topic: TBD
Have a topic you'd like to cover, or want to speak or present a demo?
Leave a comment or get in touch!
The YEG WP Meetup happens monthly on every fourth Wednesday.
Learn more at wpyeg.org.
