Every React Native conference in 2026: dates and what to expect

If you ship React Native apps, conferences are where you meet the people building your tools. Core team members from Meta, library authors from Expo, Callstack, Infinite Red. I've spoken at a few of these, and the hallway conversations alone are worth the trip.

Five conferences worth your time are running in 2026. These are the dates, locations, and what each one does best.

App.js Conf — Krakow, Poland

Dates: May 27–29, 2026 Recurring: Annual (May) Website: appjs.co

App.js is the biggest React Native and Expo conference. Software Mansion organizes it in Krakow: three days of talks and workshops with creators from Meta, Microsoft, Shopify, and Amazon. The venue, the speakers dinner, the production quality. Software Mansion doesn't cut corners.

If you can attend one conference this year, make it this one. The Expo and React Native core teams treat App.js as a flagship event, so you hear about new features here before anywhere else.

Who should go: Anyone building with React Native or Expo. The audience skews toward experienced developers, but the talks cover everything from getting started to deep internals.

React Summit — Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dates: June 12–16, 2026 Recurring: Annual (June) Website: reactsummit.com

React Summit is the biggest React conference in the world, and it has a dedicated React Native track with top mobile developers. It's organized by GitNation and runs two parallel tracks over multiple days in Amsterdam.

A good option if your team works across both React and React Native. You get the broader React ecosystem (server components, Next.js, state management) alongside mobile-specific content.

Who should go: Full-stack React developers and teams that share code between web and mobile.

Chain React — Portland, Oregon, USA

Dates: July 30–31, 2026 Recurring: Annual (July) Website: chainreactconf.com

Chain React is the US React Native conference, organized by Infinite Red and Expo. Two days, single track, Portland. Infinite Red knows how to run a conference.

Chain React is smaller than App.js or React Summit, which means you get to talk to speakers and other attendees between sessions. The single-track format means everyone shares the same experience.

Who should go: US-based React Native developers who want a focused conference without the travel to Europe. First-time conference attendees will feel welcome here.

Agent Conf — Warsaw, Poland

Dates: September 17–18, 2026 Recurring: Annual (September) Website: agent.sh

Agent Conf is Callstack's successor to React Universe Conf (formerly React Native EU). After ten years of running React Native events, Callstack has pivoted the conference toward agentic development and autonomous systems — vibe coding, agent orchestration, multi-agent systems, and real-world adoption stories.

It's no longer a React Native conference, but it's run by the same team and aimed at the same builder community now wrestling with AI agents. If your work is heading toward agent-assisted engineering, this is where Callstack is pointing.

Who should go: Developers exploring how AI agents change the way software gets built — whether you're experimenting with coding agents or shipping agentic features.

React Native Connection — Paris, France

Dates: September 24, 2026 Recurring: Annual (September) Website: reactnativeconnection.io

React Native Connection is a one-day conference in Paris with French and international speakers. Well-organized, focused, and a good way to connect with the French and broader European React Native community.

The single-day format makes it easy to justify the trip if you're in Europe. Paris in September doesn't hurt either.

Who should go: European React Native developers, especially those who want a focused, one-day event without the multi-day commitment.

How to pick the right conference

If you're only attending one: App.js Conf or Chain React, depending on whether you're in Europe or the US.

If you want workshops: App.js Conf and Chain React both have strong workshop programs.

If you want the broadest ecosystem view: React Summit covers both React and React Native.

If you want something quick: React Native Connection packs a full conference into one day.

Getting your company to pay for it

Most companies have a conference budget, but you might need to make the case.

1. Frame it as professional development. You'll learn about new tools and patterns that apply to your current work. Name specific ones in your pitch.
2. Mention the networking. You'll come back with contacts, ideas, and awareness of where the ecosystem is heading.
3. Offer to share what you learn. Promise a lunch-and-learn or written summary when you get back. That multiplies the value for the team.
4. Start with the cheapest option. If your company hasn't sent people to conferences before, propose a one-day event first.

Speaking at conferences

If you've been thinking about submitting a talk, do it. I've submitted plenty of CFPs that went nowhere. A few got accepted. That's how it works.

• Be specific. "Performance optimization in React Native" is too broad. "How we cut our app's startup time from 4 seconds to 800ms" is a talk people want to see.
• Tell a story. The best talks have a narrative: the problem, what you tried, what worked. Audiences remember stories over bullet points.
• Include results. Numbers, benchmarks, before/after screenshots. Concrete outcomes make your talk stand out.
• Submit to multiple conferences. Rejection is normal. Send the same talk to several conferences to improve your odds.

Stay updated

Conference dates and lineups change. We keep an updated list on our conferences page with the latest information, or subscribe to the React Native Recap newsletter for biweekly updates on the ecosystem including conference news.