From PGDays to PGCon/fs
A Journey Through PostgreSQL Events
• Introduction
• Community recognition (transparency, inclusivity, organisational balance)
• If I organise a PostgreSQL event — does it have to be recognised?
• Are community-recognised events better than those that aren’t?
• Conferences — a quick flyover (pgDays, pgConfs, FOSDEM, PGConf.dev etc.)
• PostgreSQL User Groups / meet-ups
• Key takeaways
• Which PostgreSQL event to attend?
Introduction
Working at a PostgreSQL-focused company for over 10 years takes you places. Specifically, it takes you to PostgreSQL community events that are very different than your standard commercial conference.
The dynamic of community events is different. They feel like a village fête, where people have known each other for ages. There’s familiarity, shared purpose, and a genuine sense of belonging.
At the same time, there are many different Postgres-focused events — community and commercial ones, small meet-ups, bigger pgDays, and even larger pgConfs - each with a slightly different audience and scope in mind.
So when I’ve been recently asked, “Which Postgres conference would you recommend going to?” I realised this might be a good topic for a post.
A quick note —here, I’ll mention a handful of events, predominantly in Europe, but there are, of course, many others Postgres-focused events out-there. From PG Down Under in Australia to pgDay Mexico to PGConf NYC 2025 to growing user group meetings in Madagascar and Armenia, and the virtual ones, such as POSETTE and Postgres meetup for all— Postgres is definitely having its momentum.
When you see 🔔 below, those are actions or deadlines worth noting.
Community recognition
Majority of PostgreSQL conferences can be found on PostgreSQL.org events page and of those some are community recognised (note a small gold medal next to their titles) while others aren’t.
Community event recognition indicates that an event complies with the PostgreSQL event recognition guidelines. Here are a few aspects of it.
Transparency
Being an open-source, PostgreSQL has always stood for transparency and inclusion, so the primary purpose of the community guidelines is to ensure that the processes (program review, talk selection, sponsor enrolment) are transparent, and do not favour any particular company or a speaker.
For example, once a call for sponsors is open, sponsorship opportunities are fixed. Organisers cannot offer any extended perks (such as larger booth space, extra logo placements, etc.) to companies willing to pay more, nor can they offer perks that were not originally listed in the call for sponsors.
Inclusivity
Being a community conference also means striving to be inclusive and adhering to a Code of Conduct (CoC), either PostgreSQL community one or a one developed by conference organisers. The event must list its CoC committee on the website and provide a way to contact the committee before, during, and after the event.
🔔 btw. if you would like to get involved in PostgreSQL diversity initiatives and supporting activities around PostgreSQL community events — the Diversity Committee currently has an open call for volunteers. https://www.postgresql.eu/diversity/diversity_committee/
Organisational Balance
Community recognition is also about having a fair representation within its organising members — no more than 50% of the Organising Committee members can be from the same company. Same applies to Talk Selection Committee (aka Program Committee). This ensures that the conference isn’t biased and not trying to promote specific company’s interests.
To note, if you have been invited to be on a Program Committee, it’s important to note that:
* Committee members don’t vote on talk submissions from their own companies.
* Program Committee members can submit their own talks to the conference —just not vote on them.
🔔 Above I only mentioned some key aspects of the recognition. If you want to learn more see: https://www.postgresql.org/about/policies/conferences/
If I organise a PostgreSQL event — does it have to be recognised?
The short answer is no. Community recognition of PostgreSQL events is not mandatory.
A company may choose to organise a PostgreSQL conference that follows the community-recognition standards — or it may decide to run an event without the community badge. While events organised by PostgreSQL Europe and PGUS place the utmost importance on complying with the community recognition guidelines.
Are community-recognised events better than those that aren’t?
Community recognition is not a stamp of conference program/content approval; rather, it reflects adherence to PostgreSQL community recognised organisational standards based on the principles of transparency and inclusivity.
This does not mean that non-recognised events are any less valuable, educational, or committed to promoting PostgreSQL. It simply implies that there may be additional commercial interests involved, and the organising company might use the event as a platform to highlight its own products or services.
As for profits from ticket and sponsorship sales: community-recognised events can be asked to report profits to the Core Team, while at non-recognised events, profits may go toward the organising company’s own initiatives — this is something that is not disclosed publicly.
While there’s no formal enforcement, it’s generally also expected from non-community recognised events that profits are reinvested into other PostgreSQL events and community-focused activities.
Fun fact: “PGDay”, “PGconf” titles are not exclusive to recognised events. Their usage is regulated by the PostgreSQL Community Association (PGCA) — the non-profit that manages and protects Postgres brand assets (e.g., trademarks) globally.
As a result of these factors, perceptions of recognised versus commercial events may vary. Some community members may prefer submitting their talks to recognised events, while certain companies may choose to sponsor one conference over another because of its community badge. This preference reflects both business considerations and ideological values.
Conferences— a quick flyover
There is a multitude of Postgres-focused events. Here are a few worth considering.
pgDays
PostgreSQL Europe, a European PostgreSQL non-profit, organises several annual pgDays across Europe, that are relatively compact in size (around 100–200 attendees). These are normally one- or two-track events, and tend to attract local community, although international speakers and attendees at those events are not uncommon.
BTW, if you’re unsure whether an event is organised by PostgreSQL Europe, check the footer of the event website — it usually says “Organised by PostgreSQL Europe” — like this:
Here are a few to highlight:
pgDay UK (8 September, 2026) — taking place in central London this event offers excellent networking opportunity thanks to its relatively small size.
If you are in the UK and looking for an opportunity to meet fellow PostgreSQL users and developers of Postgres (you can often find PostgreSQL Contributors among its speakers), recruiting in the UK or spreading the word about your company’s offering in British market — this is the place to be.
🔔 Call for papers for pgDay UK is open and will close on 12 May 2026
🔔 Call for Sponsors is also open
pgDay Paris (26 March, 2026)— a bigger event that traditionally takes place in Espace Saint-Martin, a beautiful space filled with Egyptian-inspired motifs, it normally gathers around 150 attendees from across France and beyond.
The conference’s main language is English, which attracts an international crowd. If you are submitting a talk or sending a colleague as a speaker, it’s also a great marketing opportunity as the event records the talks (with permission of speakers, of course). Take a look at this last year’s reel for an inspiration.
Also, Paris in spring is just stunning!
🔔 Call for papers for pgDay Paris is open and will close on December 19, 2025
🔔 Call for Sponsors is also open
Its French-speaking counterpart, PG Day France (3–4 June, 2026), is another great opportunity in French market. It rotates locations and in 2026 will take place in Toulouse.
🔔 Call for Sponsors for PG Day France is also open.
pgDay Lowlands (10 September, 2026) — Relatively new event taking place in September and planned to rotate between various Dutch and Belgian cities, pgDay Lowlands is a medium-sized pgDay (115 attendees last year) quickly became known for choosing quirky locations that create a unique atmosphere.
In 2025 it took place in Rotterdam Zoo, in 2026 it will be held in Utrecht, the venue is still to be announced, and there are hopes of hosting future edition of the conference on the island of Texel.
And it even has its own jingle!
It is an English-speaking event and attracts a broad European audience, alongside strong participation from the Netherlands and Belgium. The talks are recorded .
🔔 Take a look at this year’s freshly published videos on their YouTube channel).
Nordic PGDay (24 March, 2026) — as the name suggests, this PGDay mainly attracts PG communities from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. With around 100 attendees, it’s a mid-sized PGDay. If your company wants to strengthen its presence in the region, hire locally, or support teams moving to Postgres — sponsoring this event is a strong choice. For those looking to build connections in the Nordics or explore job opportunities there, it’s the place to be.
🔔 Call for papers will close on 6 January 2026
🔔 Sponsorship opportunities are also available
PGDay Austria is another PG event worth mentioning. Although I’ve sadly never attended myself, I’ve heard a lot about it. It has grown over the past few years and now attracts over 150 attendees from across Europe. Take a look at this year’s reel to get a sense of the dynamic atmosphere of the conference that take splace at the Schönbrunn Palace.
pgConfs
pgConf.DE (21–22 April, 2026) — started as local user group and has grown into one of the largest PostgreSQL events in Europe it attracts over 300 Postgres enthusiasts. It rotates across German cities and will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year in Essen.
The program for the conference is quite intense, normally includes four tracks over the course of two days with a mixture of talks in German and English (take a look at last year’s schedule to get an idea).
Thanks to its central European location, English-German language program and the overall size, it attracts a diverse audience from across Europe along with a wide range of speakers.
🔔 Call for papers for the conference closes on 19 December 2025
🔔 Call for sponsors is also open
Prague PostgreSQL Developer Day (27–28 January, 2026) — this conference has been running since 2008, is currently organised by the Czech and Slovak PostgreSQL Users Group, and is backed by a very active local community.
Steadily growing it is now attracts around 300 attendees, primarily a technical audience along with many students — making it a strong recruiting opportunity for sponsors.
The programme includes five workshops across three tracks on Tuesday, followed by 18 talks in three tracks on Wednesday (see the Program). This year, all talks are in English, and higher-than-usual attendance is expected — so get your ticket early!
PGConf.EU — This is by far the largest PostgreSQL event in Europe, held in a different country each year and bringing together around 800 PostgreSQL enthusiasts. (location for 2026 to be announced)
It has four tracks and spreads across three days for the main conference. In 2025, in Riga, Latvia we substituted a traditional Training day, that used to take place a day before the main event, with Community Events Day. This was extremely popular and will probably have a repeat in 2026.
To get a feel for the conference, take a look at the 2025 recordings.
The audience is very diverse, with speakers and attendees joining from across Europe, the US, and beyond.
Great event to sponsor, give a talk at and attend — you meet a variety of people, from junior DBA to those who are looking to move to Postgres, to PostgreSQL Developers and Core Team members.
The location for 2026 has not yet been announced, but once it is, you’d better start planning — tickets and sponsorships for it go like hotcakes.
PGConf.dev (19–22 May, 2026) — formerly known as PgCon, this event deserves special attention, as it is quite different from other PG events. It is a community-recognised conference that focuses specifically on the development of PostgreSQL (includes both code and community development).
If you’re interested in meeting PostgreSQL contributors, learning about new features, and taking part in discussions that shape the direction of PostgreSQL — head to Vancouver. And if you follow the hackers mailing list, you have a high chance to meet there many of the people from there.
In addition to shaping PostgreSQL’s technical development, the conference includes discussions on governance and the evolution of the community. It features panels and working groups that review upcoming features, proposals, and Commitfest goals.
If you want to see where PostgreSQL is heading next and meet the brilliant people shaping its code, this is the event for you.
You can also listen to this episode of Talking Postgres to hear about the conference from Melanie Plageman and take a look at the recordings from this year to better understand what the conference is about.
🔔 Submit your talk by 16 January, 2026
FOSDEM PGDay (30 January, 2026) and PostgreSQL Devroom at FOSDEM (31 January — 1 February, 2026) —these two may cause a bit of confusion because, although they sound similar, they are in fact very different events.
PostgreSQL Devroom (or this year’s — Database Devroom) at FOSDEM is a free, community-run track that is a part of the large FOSDEM conference.
FOSDEM conference is very high-energy, super busy conference taking place at University Campus of ULB in Brussels, Belgium. It’s a “two-day event organised by volunteers to promote the widespread use of free and open source software”. It is a free event and you don’t need to register — you just show up on the weekend and attend sessions that you like.
This structure… or lack thereof creates a unique, slightly chaotic, and very engaging atmosphere, as like-minded people from across Europe come together to celebrate open-source technologies at this giant open-source festival.
PostgreSQL normally has a stand there and a separate DevRoom that hosts PostgreSQL related talks. In 2026 Postgres will be sharing a room with other databases at Database Devroom.
🔔 Schedule will be announced soon (was expected on 15 December)
FOSDEM PGDay — is a more typical pgDay event, organised by PostgreSQL Europe on a Friday before FOSDEM conference. It is a separate, one-track, paid event that attracts around 200 attendees.
If you want a more structured, quieter and focused Postgres experience before the chaos of FOSDEM — attending PGDay is a good idea.
🔔 CfP was open until December 15, so schedule is expected to be published a few weeks later
🔔 Here is the Telegram chat you should join for connecting with other Postgres FOSDEM and FOSDEM PGDay goers.
PostgreSQL User Groups / Meet-ups
This post wouldn’t be complete without mention of local PostgreSQL User Groups, or PUGs. These are small, locally organised meetings run by 2–3 people, with the goal to nurture Postgres community within a particular city.
PUGs are informal after-work gatherings, typically featuring one or two talks, followed by open networking where people can stay and chat. They’re often hosted in a sponsored company’s offices or in communal spaces such as libraries, pubs, or even places of worship — where, of course, only the PostgreSQL faith is preached :)
As for how and why to start a local user group — well, that deserves its own post.
Key takeaways
- PostgreSQL Community organises a variety of local and global events.
Some of these can be found on postgresql.org events page, others are smaller, local user groups listed here (note: this is not an exhaustive list). There are also broader open-source conferences — such as FOSDEM or SCALE— where PostgreSQL has presence.
- There are PostgreSQL Community event recognition guidelines that are worth keeping in mind when planning to attend conferences or when considering organising one.
For organising companies, the choice is largely a question of market positioning and how freely they want to advertise their products and services. For attendees and speakers, it is more an ideological choice, and expectations management around the event’s focus, neutrality, and community-driven nature.
- Meet-ups/User Groups can be your first step into the PostgreSQL community— they are informal, small, free, after-work events that you can attend without much hassle (no flights to book, no conference budgets to justify, etc.).
Companies choose to sponsor local meet-ups to increase their visibility or/and hire in a specific region; individuals attend meet-ups to meet local Postgres comrades or/and to use the meet-up as a speaking opportunity — whether for a practice run before submitting to a larger event or simply to share what they’ve learned with their local PostgreSQL community.
- pgDays and pgConfs tend to target country-specific communities and vary in size.
They are great places to interact with country-specific PostgreSQL community and hear from both local and international speakers. For companies, these events offer a strong opportunity to promote their brand within PostgreSQL community and in a specific country and position themselves as open-source–friendly and supportive of PostgreSQL.
- PGConf.EU — is the largest Postgres event in Europe, rotating between countries and allowing local communities an opportunity to showcase their PostgreSQL commitment and grow their local communities.
It’s a great opportunity for brands to support PostgreSQL, get a decent exposure within the community, showcase their products and find potential prospects.
- FOSDEM — is the biggest open source conference in Europe and Postgres has presence there as well.
Giving a talk there or simply attending provides a great opportunity to meet pro-open source developers and DBA.
- PGConf.dev — is a developer conference — as in, a conference for people who develop PostgreSQL: both the code and the community.
If you are considering contributing to Postgres, or want to understand where PostgreSQL is heading to — this is a must attend!
Which PostgreSQL event to attend?
Ultimately, choosing which Postgres event to attend comes down to:
- your own interests and motivation (expanding your professional profile, networking, promoting a new feature or tool, sharing your Postgres knowledge, solving a technical problem, or exploring new job opportunities);
- your company’s goals (recruitment, demonstrating commitment to the community, positioning itself at the forefront of open source, showcasing its services, or finding new customers);
- practical constraints (travel budget, time availability, and ticket costs).
Finally, if you want to make sure you won’t miss an event or CFPs — subscribe to the community curated PostgreSQL Event Calendar or follow its Mastodon Account.
I hope this post inspires you to attend Postgres events, and I look forward to seeing you at one of them in 2026 🎉
