Getting Started

Berlin, September 2026

Dear Processing Community Day Organizers,

I’m so glad you’re here.

Let me tell you a story. I promise to keep it short.

I first installed Processing in 2012 at a workshop in Paris, and immediately fell in love.

I was always intrigued by computers, and I even gave programming a brief try back in 1999, but I was more of a creative type, and it felt like coding was not for me. It was too complicated, too… “math-y”. I was not an engineer, after all.

But there, for the first time, in front of this blue square, pressing the play button, I finally realized I could make my own software! I didn’t have to ask someone else to write the code for me, didn’t have to worry that I was somehow “doing it wrong”, and didn’t feel like I had to ask for permission. It was a revelation, and it completely changed my life.

As it turned out, I was a little late to the party, and the Processing story started many years ealier. In fact, Processing’s first public release happened on August 9, 2001. That makes this year a special moment: it’s the 25th anniversary of the software that made many of us fall in love with coding.

To mark the occasion, we’re launching this new website, inspired by earlier initiatives, like freeartbureau’s Processing Cities, and the efforts of past Processing Community Day organizers.

And we’re inviting the global Processing and p5.js community to celebrate together by organizing gatherings around the world taking place in October, coming together in what I’ve been calling a big worldwide hug! What can I say, I’m cheesy like that.

On this page, you’ll find resources to help you organize your first (or second, or third) Processing Community Day, including a brand new Zine Library, featuring activity guides created by the community.

Whether you are an experienced organizer or this is your first time ever hosting a public event, I want to thank you for taking the time to organize a PCD in your community. Your efforts help bring new people into the world of creative coding, and that is something you should be proud of.

And if you’re just now finding out about Processing or p5.js, you’re not actually late to the party. In fact, the Processing/p5 community has a lot of new developments in the works, and now is a great time to get excited. I certainly am!

Have a great PCD, and happy 25th birthday to Processing!

Cheers,
Raphaël de Courville
PCD @ Worldwide Coordinator
Processing Community Lead

Theme adapted from Just the Docs, used under the MIT License.