Based on the previous proposal around the 2024 Major Release Timing, it’s time to call for volunteers. Since there are release dates for the upcoming three releases, let’s formalize the 6.5 release squad and begin shaping the other two squads of the year ahead. Knowing who will participate in 6.6 and 6.7 in advance will let folks shadow previous releases and allow for better preparation and mentoring.

WordPress 6.5 Schedule

Milestone	Date
Alpha (trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. open for 6.5 release)	October 17, 2023
BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 1	February 13, 2024
Beta 2	February 20, 2024
Beta 3	February 27, 2024
Release Candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). 1	March 5, 2024
Release Candidate 2	March 12, 2024
Release Candidate 3	March 19, 2024
Dry Run	March 25, 2024
WordPress 6.5 General Release	March 26, 2024

WordPress 6.5 call for volunteers

The WordPress 6.5 release squad is still looking for diverse volunteers in every role.

Ultimately, each volunteer will only participate in a single role, and each role aims to have two to three people; past releases have shown that while it’s beneficial to share the responsibility with other people, there are diminishing returns when there are too many folks involved.

The following names are not assignments, only the summary of folks who have volunteered so far:

• Release Coordinator: Héctor Prieto
• CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Tech Lead: Pascal Birchler*
• Editor Tech Lead:  Dave Smith
• Core Triagetriage The act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. Lead: Rajin Sharwar
• Editor Triage Lead: Anne McCarthy*
• Documentation Lead:
• Marketing & Communications Lead:
• Test Lead: Anne McCarthy*, Vipul Ghori, Patrick
• Design Lead:
• Performance Lead: Pascal Birchler*

(*) People who have volunteered for more than one role. Their participation will be adjusted to a single focus depending on the release squad’s needs.

As of today, every role has openings; if you are interested in participating, please leave a comment below by January 12th.

WordPress 6.6 and 6.7 timeline

These are the updated release dates for WordPress 6.6 and 6.7:

• WordPress 6.6 Beta 1 is planned for June 4, and the general release for July 16 (no changes since the original proposal).
• WordPress 6.7 Beta 1 is planned for October 1, and the general release for November 12. The dates have been pushed one week to consider WordCamp US 2024 (September 17-20) and give some breathing room in between.

Please bear in mind these dates are not fixed and might change as the year progresses. This early planning aims to provide clarity around the release timeline and shape the upcoming release squads in advance.

WordPress 6.6 and 6.7 call for volunteers

Since we have a rough idea of the WordPress 6.6 and 6.7 dates, let’s start shaping their release squads. Please volunteer in the comments below if you would like to participate in these releases, being mindful of your availability throughout the year before committing. Needless to say, if your availability changes later due to unforeseen circumstances, adjustments to the squads can be made.

Thanks to this early planning, we will experiment with starting the next default theme as early as 6.6, so if you are interested in working on the successor of the amazing Twenty Twenty-Four, please raise your hand in the comments.

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Thanks to @cbringmann and @chanthaboune for reviewing this post.

#planning #6-5 #6-6 #6-7