Looking back on WikiConference North America 2025

by , Community Lead of Credibility Coalition, Managing Editor of MisinfoCon blog, Marketing and Communications Lead of Hacks/Hackers. Past Japan News Editor of Global Voices.
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From October 16-19, more than 300 Wikimedians from across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and the New York region itself came together at WikiConference North America 2025 in New York City to discuss how free knowledge can empower individuals, encourage collaboration, and transform societies.

Taking photos of WCNA 2025 attendees in NYC. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC-BY-4.0.
Taking photos of WCNA 2025 attendees in NYC. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC-BY-4.0.

Despite a challenging start to the conference, attendees returned on Day 2 to attend dozens of presentations and talks at Civic Hall, including a highly entertaining Q&A with longtime Wikipedia supporter Craig Newmark.

WCNA 2025 plenary in Civic Hall auditorium. Image by Hari Adivarekar, CC BY 4.0.

Here’s just a few highlights for WikiConference North America 2025:

Culture Crawl 2025

Culture Crawl attendees at Poster House. Image by Ejgertz, CC BY-SA 4.0.

On Thursday, the day before WCNA 2025 officially started, Conference attendees made their way to 16 participating museums, libraries, galleries and other attractions including the Met, the Frick, and the Jewish History Museum.

Jewish History Museum. Image by Sdkb, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jewish History Museum. Image by Sdkb, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikipedians on a guided tour of Grand Central Terminal. Image by Nevin Thompson. CC BY 4.0
Wikipedians on a guided tour of Grand Central Terminal. Image by Nevin Thompson. CC BY 4.0

To get an idea of just how much culture Wikipedians enjoyed in New York City, be sure to check out the Culture Crawl photo galleries on Wikimedia Commons.

Craig Newmark’s entertaining Q&A with Annie Rauwerda (Depths of Wikipedia)

Annie Rauwerda and Craig Newmark. Image by Hari Adivarekar, CC BY 4.0.
Annie Rauwerda and Craig Newmark. Image by Hari Adivarekar, CC BY 4.0.

The two plenary keynotes this year were delivered by Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, on Friday, October 17, and by Craig Newmark on Saturday, October 18. Craig Newmark, best known as the founder of the classifieds website Craigslist, is also a longtime supporter of the Wikipedia movement through Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

Craig’s keynote on Saturday came in the form of an entertaining and playful Q&A session moderated by Annie Rauwerda, who has developed a cult following for the Depths of Wikipedia project.

Watch Craig Newmark’s Q&A (starts at 16:00).

A full schedule of in-person presentations, with more online

Presentations at Civic Hall in Union Square. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC BY 4.0.
Presentations at Civic Hall in Union Square. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC BY 4.0.

Some presentations from WCNA have been uploaded to the WikiConference North America 2025 livestream recordings category on Wikimedia Commons. More recordings will be available by the end of December, including some presentations from Friday, October 17 that were rescheduled to WCNA Virtual Day on Friday, November 24.

Check back on Wikimedia Commons as more recordings are uploaded.

Announcing WCNA 2026 in Edmonton, Canada!

Announcing that WCNA 2026 will be held in Edmonton, Canada. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC BY 4.0.
Announcing that WCNA 2026 will be held in Edmonton, Canada. Image by Nevin Thompson, CC BY 4.0.

WikiConference North America 2025 closed with a big announcement: next year’s meetup will be hosted by Wikimedia Canada in Edmonton, Alberta.

Legislature building in Edmonton, Alberta. By WinterE229 (WinterforceMedia), own work, CC0
Legislature building in Edmonton, Alberta. By WinterE229 (WinterforceMedia), own work, CC0.

Known as the Festival City, and home of the largest urban park in North America, Edmonton is Canada’s sunniest city, and is within driving distance of the Rocky Mountains.

Watch the announcement video here.

See more photos of the WCNA 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.

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