What is the TYPO3 Surfcamp?

Participants: around 30 young TYPO3 enthusiasts up to the age of 30, supported by experienced mentors and a dedicated organizing team

Location: In the very south of Fuerteventura, with the perfect mix of concentration and relaxation.

Task: To implement a TYPO3 extension from scratch in just one week - in interdisciplinary teams accompanied by mentors, professional input and a good dose of teamwork.

Goal: To promote a new generation of TYPO3 developers. For us, this means learning from each other, developing TYPO3 further, networking - and having a really good time in the process.

Seven teams, one mission: FC Bigfoot 2025

This year, the TYPO3 Surfcamp was held under the common umbrella theme of FC Bigfoot - a project that was brought back to life in 2024 and has now been further developed this year.

During this week,seven interdisciplinary teams took on various challenges within the FC Bigfoot universe - all with the aim of creating sustainable added value for the TYPO3 ecosystem. Here is an insight into the projects:

• Restaurant Toolbox: table reservation, digital menu and flexible opening hours in one easy-to-use module.
• WaveCart: A user-friendly store extension with product variants, discount codes, simple check-out and invoicing.
• Plugsy: A feature for aggregating and displaying external data sources for integrators and editors.
• Surfey: An intuitive backend module for creating and managing surveys - without any programming knowledge.
• MemSy: A comprehensive membership management system for simple user administration.
• Event Management: An extension for planning recurring events including time zone support.
• Marketing Enablement: Presentation-ready pitch decks for agencies - industry-specific, bilingual (DE/EN) and ready for use in the TYPO3 Sales Enablement Hub.

Work hard, play hard - our daily camp routine

Our daily routine was intensive but well thought out. An exemplary daily schedule was as follows:

09:30-12:00: Team Daily & Dev Time
11:30-12:00: Mentors' Daily
12:00-13:00: Team Activities (e.g. Aquafusion, Volleyball)
13:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-18:30: Surfing (~2h) + Dev Time (incl. Mentor Mixer)
19:00-20:00: Dinner
20:00-20:30: Team Recap & Lightning Talk
from 20:30: Quiz Night, Coding Night or Chill-Out-Session

Surfing was on the agenda for at least three afternoons - the perfect balance to the intensive project work. And yes, the sore muscles were guaranteed from both surfing and all the coding.

Lightning Talks: knowledge straight from the pros

In the evenings, there were regular Lightning Talks - short, compact knowledge sessions by our mentors, who gave us an understanding of exciting topics from the TYPO3 world and beyond. Among other things it was about:

• Lit - modern web components in use
• Playwright - automated testing in practice
• Content Blocks - the future of page building in TYPO3
• Data Handler - deeper insights into the TYPO3 data model
• Core Contribution - how to actively contribute to the TYPO3 core

Contribution Night: Core Contribution at your fingertips

A special highlight was the Contribution Night: Together we learned step by step how to set up the TYPO3 core repository, prepare and submit a pull request (PR) - including practical first-hand tips. For many of us, it was our first real contribution to TYPO3 Core - and a great moment that showed how open and supportive this community is.

What did we achieve?

Our main goal was clear: to get a functioning TYPO3 project up and running in just one week. And we achieved this - each team delivered a tangible, practical result by the end of the week. The energy that was generated in this short time was impressive.

A special highlight was the final presentation in the live stream in the keynote of the TYPO3Camp Vienna. Each team had the opportunity to present their own project, supported and moderated by Benjamin Kott.

This moment showed what is possible when motivated people with a shared vision and a good dose of team spirit work together. This can also be seen in the impressive figures that Susi Moog compiled for us:

🚗 6 days (+ arrival and departure)
🏄‍♂️ more than 3 days of surfing
👥 7 teams
✅ 6 team recaps
👤 approx. 1,000 hours of work
📄 629 commits
🖥️ 28 presentations

What are we taking with us?

"Work hard, play hard " - this phrase probably sums up our week best. After all, if you work hard during the day, you can switch off in the evening with a clear conscience - or continue coding. The balance provided by joint activities, especially surfing, was not just relaxation, but part of an overall feeling: hard work, real success and shared experiences.

Setting up a new project in a completely fresh team in just one week is an enormous challenge - professionally, communicatively and organizationally. But it is feasible and it works if everyone pulls together.

In addition to the technical progress, it was above all the teamwork that made a lasting impression on us. We were able to make many new contacts in the TYPO3 world, exchange ideas with other participants and learn from each other.

We are already looking forward to seeing you again - for example in the summer at the TYPO3 DevDays or the next Surfcamp.

And one thing is certain: we have now really arrived in the TYPO3 community.