SymfonyDay Chicago 2025: A Celebration of Community
On March 17th, the Symfony community met in Chicago for SymfonyDay Chicago 2025. The event, held on St. Patrick's Day, was both a celebration of Symfony and a moment to support Ryan Weaver in his fight against cancer. It was more than just a conference — it was a gathering around a valued member of the community.
A Special Day in Chicago
Beyond the code, this year’s edition carried a deeper significance: a collective show of support for Ryan Weaver, a pillar of the Symfony community. Every moment—from the keynote to the closing discussions—was a reminder of how much Symfony is shaped not just by technology, but by the people who contribute to it.
The Green City
The event landed on St. Patrick’s Day — and in Chicago, that means the whole city turns green. It gave SymfonyDay a special vibe, a little something in the air that made the day feel different.
By the way, can you guess which of these things doesn’t actually happen?
Symfony Family
Held at Google’s Chicago offices, the event had the relaxed, familiar rhythm of a community catching up — with just the right mix of talks, hallway chats, and unexpected reunions.
Some folks had never met in person before. Others hadn’t seen each other in years. And a few familiar names from Symfony’s early days even came out of retirement (well, almost) to join the fun.
Talks & Takeaways
The talks were thoughtful, practical, and often surprisingly funny. Speakers covered everything from low-level performance tweaks to big-picture architectural choices. No sales pitches, no filler — just real people sharing what they’ve learned.
Fabien's Keynote
Fabien Potencier opened the day with a clear message: Symfony’s future is bright, but its soul is — and always will be — its community. His talk blended vision, gratitude, and just the right amount of humor. A perfect start.
Symfony's Cutting Edge
Taming Symfony DependencyInjection
Nicolas Grekas 🇫🇷 – Key Member of the Symfony Core Team
Nicolas gave a deep dive into DependencyInjection. He shared ways to simplify service configuration, improve app performance, and write cleaner, more maintainable code — with practical tips developers could apply right away.
Streamlined JSON: Symfony's JsonEncoder for Modern APIs
Mathias Arlaud 🇫🇷 – Co-founder of Bakslash
Mathias introduced the new JsonEncoder (renamed in Symfony 7.3. He explained how it makes working with large JSON payloads easier and faster, and showed how it helps developers build efficient, modern APIs with less overhead.
The Symfony Console Gets a Facelift!
Robin Chalas 🇫🇷 – CEO of Bakslash
Robin walked through recent improvements to the Symfony Console. He focused on usability — showing how new features make it easier to build and manage command-line tools. The updates aim to save time and reduce friction for developers.
Symfony in Action
Unleash the Power of Symfony Messenger
Kris Wallsmith 🇺🇸 – Vice President of Engineering at Vacatia
Kris gave a clear and practical look at Symfony Messenger. He explained how to build asynchronous systems using message queues and middleware, making it easier to manage complex workflows without adding unnecessary complexity.
Quickly Build Your Scalable API Ecosystem
Brent Shaffer 🇺🇸 & Hector Mendoza 🇲🇽 – Engineers at Google
Brent and Hector shared how to use Symfony alongside Protocol Buffers and gRPC to build scalable, high-performance APIs. Their session covered everything from defining API contracts to generating client libraries — with a strong focus on reliability and efficiency.
Building an Automated Trading System with Symfony
Jonathan Wage 🇺🇸 – Founder of TradersPost
Jonathan gave a behind-the-scenes look at how he used Symfony to power an automated trading platform. He broke down how Symfony handled real-time data, trading logic, and risk management — showing its flexibility in high-demand environments.
Spotlight on Symfony UX
Frontend Made Easy: Symfony UX for Backend Devs
Andreas Braun 🇩🇪 – Lead Engineer at MongoDB
Andreas showed how Symfony UX makes it easier for backend developers to create interactive interfaces. Using tools like Turbo and Stimulus, he demonstrated how to keep frontend logic simple and integrated — without switching stacks.
Symfony UX is not about Front-End
Simon André 🇫🇷 – Developper at SensioLabs
Simon — author of this article and macOS Keynote survivor — made the case for choosing simplicity and leaning on what browsers already offer: modern HTML, CSS, and native APIs. But he mostly used the moment to thank Ryan for everything he’s brought to Symfony and the people around it.
It’s About People
Throughout the day, each speaker shared a personal story, an anecdote, or a word of thanks for Ryan Weaver. They spoke of how he had helped or supported them, shared a happy memory, or even recounted a challenging time.
These personal tributes echoed Fabien Potencier's message from the opening keynote: the essence of an open-source framework isn't just the code; it's the community.
Ryan, in turn, thanked everyone for their incredible support. Even in the world of technology, human connections are what truly matter.
SymfonyDay Chicago 2025 was a reminder that the strength of Symfony isn’t just in the code — it’s in the people who build it, share it, and support each other along the way.
A big thank you to everyone who made SymfonyDay Chicago 2025 happen: Google for hosting, SensioLabs for organizing, the sponsors for their generous support, and all the speakers and attendees. You created a truly special day.
December 2025: SymfonyCon Amsterdam — celebrating 25 years of Symfony. It’s going to be something special. Hope to see you there.
