Redwoods in the UK, Fall 2026
It started in a quick chat with Luke and Connie over at zeroheight about their plans for Converge 2026.
These days, there aren’t a lot of in-person events focused on the design systems community, so we get excited when an organization steps up to make that happen.
In 2025, as Redwoods was just finding its feet, we found ourselves gathering in Bristol, UK for zh Converge. Luckily for us, there is a beautiful stand of Coastal Redwood trees just outside the city. A few emails later, we had two sponsors (zeroheight and Penpot) willing to buy us lunch and cover the rental of a HUGE bus to take us for a hike.
This all happened the day before the official Converge event and it was magical.
Hiking together gave us a chance to actually know some folks before we all found ourselves sitting together at the venue. Between sessions, we found each other. At lunch, we hung out. All of this organic community goodness was a signal that what the design systems community needed more than anything was simply time together.
And that brings us to October of 2026, one year later. This time, Converge is happening in Newcastle, and we want you to come hang out with us!
The plan
Since many Redwoods folks will be making the journey to England for Converge, we thought we’d make a couple stops along the way.
- London, October 19, 2026
- Manchester, October 20, 2026
- Newcastle, October 21 & 22 of 2026, alongside Converge
Here’s a bit more information about each stop.
Redwoods X London
On October 19, 2026 from 6–9pm, we’ll be gathering the design system nerds in London for some appetizers, drinks, and collaborative problem solving. This event is happening in partnership with Dessn and Sparkbox.
It’s free to attend, but there is very limited space, so request a ticket soon.
Redwoods X Manchester
On October 20, 2026, we’re joining forces with Sparkbox to gather the design system nerds in Manchester for a pub crawl, a hike, and dinner. It’s for anyone working on or with design systems who wants to spend some time in conversation with other system thinkers.
We’ll meet at 5pm at Northern Monk in the Northern Quarter for a pint, then walk to Vimto Park to find the redwood trees. Believe it or not, there are Redwoods in Manchester. From there we’ll land at Bundobust Brewery at 7pm for food and drinks, provided by Sparkbox.
There is limited space for this informal, fun event, so request a spot quickly.
Redwoods X Converge, 2026
On October 21, 2026, Redwoods will be hosting the opening night party for Converge. We’ve got a fantastic venue, a live version of The Question, and a slew of lighting talks from your peers. Zeroheight is buying the food and drinks, and we’ll be going strong, into the night. More details here as they become available. For now, make sure to get your ticket to Converge (be sure to use the Redwoods discount).
Converge Tickets (with Redwoods discount!)Thanks
To all the companies who are helping to make this fun stuff happen for the design system community, thank you!