ASLA 2026: The Highlights, the Memories, the Photos

That's a wrap on the Action! in LA. Browse the official photos and relive what 6,300+ attendees experienced at ASLA 2026.

Over 6,300 attendees came together in Los Angeles for the ASLA 2026 Conference on Landscape Architecture-and the city delivered. From September 16-18, the Los Angeles Convention Center was packed with landscape architects, students, emerging professionals, allied professionals, and exhibitors, all moving under this year's theme: Action! Design in Motion. Work in Progress.

Three days of education, field sessions, a buzzing EXPO floor, and one memorable celebration after another added up to an unforgettable week. Here's a look back at the highlights.

ASLA 2026 by the Numbers

A General Session That Set the Tone

The week shifted into high gear on Wednesday afternoon at the Novo Theater with the ASLA 2026 General Session, The Stories We Build Together: Designing What Happens Next. Wall Street Journal bestselling author and strategic storytelling expert Kindra Hall took the ASLA stage for the first time, anchoring this year's theme with a high-energy keynote. She showed how landscape architects can use narrative to build collective will, translate complex ideas for broad audiences, and make invisible work visible.

ASLA President Brad McCauley, FASLA, PLA, and ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA, shared highlights from a year of growth and impact for the Society. The General Session was sponsored by Landscape Structures.

The stage also hosted a milestone for the profession: CLARB's $500,000 contribution to the ASLA Fund to launch the CLARB Exam Success Grants. The three-year, reimbursement-based program helps eligible L.A.R.E. candidates in financial need cover exam costs-about $545 per section-removing financial barriers on the path to licensure. The program is funded by CLARB and administered by the ASLA Fund.

The evening carried straight into the ASLA 2026 Professional and Student Awards Ceremony, presented by PlayPower, honoring the year's most accomplished projects and the visionary student work that will shape what comes next.

Learning in the Room and on the Ground

Attendees filled their schedules from more than 120 education sessions across seven tracks: Biodiversity; Climate Action; Design Process; Equity and Inclusion; Lead, Grow, Thrive: Advancing Your Career & Practice; Project Implementation; and The Future of the Public Realm. From AI in professional practice to lessons from the LA wildfires, sessions gave attendees new tools to bring back to their firms, agencies, and classrooms-and CEUs along the way.

Then the learning moved outside. Across two days of field sessions on Thursday and Friday, attendees explored sites across Los Angeles, seeing firsthand how landscape architects are shaping one of the country's most dynamic regions. Learning Labs and EXPO programming rounded out the week with hands-on, small-group experiences.

Missed a session you wanted to catch? Session recordings are available-watch ASLA 2026 session recordings to revisit the education you missed.

An EXPO Floor Full of Energy

The EXPO was the beating heart of the week. Attendees met with hundreds of exhibitors, discovered the latest products and materials, and connected with the companies that bring landscape architects' designs to life.

Beyond the exhibitors' booths, the floor was packed with programming where attendees could learn and gather. Explore everything that happened on the floor through EXPO Programming.

Thank you to every exhibitor and sponsor who made the EXPO a must-visit destination.

Connections That Last Long After the Sessions End

Some of the week's best moments happened between sessions. Students kicked things off on Tuesday with the Sketch LA '26 Student Sketch Walk, hosted by the ASLA Southern California Chapter, sketching the city's iconic landscapes alongside peers from across the country.

Thursday brought a full day of gatherings. The Women in Landscape Architecture (WILA) Walk started the morning, and the Professional Practice Networks Meet & Greet connected attendees around shared areas of practice. Alumni reunited with classmates at the ASLA Alumni Tailgate, sponsored by Hunter/FX Luminaire. That evening, the Fellows and Honors Gala, sponsored by BCI Burke, celebrated the 2026 class of ASLA Fellows and Honors recipients.

On Friday night, attendees closed out the conference at The Belasco for the ASLA x Land8 Wrap Party-That's a Wrap: The Final Act in LA-sponsored by Lappset, RubberBond Solutions, TrekFit, and AGS Stainless. It was the perfect finale: one last chance to celebrate the week, trade contact info, and say goodbye to new friends.

Relive the Week: Photos and Sizzle Reel

Official photos from the General Session, field sessions, the EXPO floor, the Fellows and Honors Gala, the Wrap Party, and more are now on Flickr-plus a sizzle reel that captures the energy of the week in LA.

When sharing ASLA 2026 photos, please credit Nobile/Morris Photography, Freddie Caldwell (@fc3.photos), Lydia Thompson, ASLA, or LACC Media Center based on the image file name.

Spot yourself in the albums or snap your own photos around LA? Post your favorite ASLA 2026 memories and tag @NationalASLA and #ASLA2026-we'd love to celebrate with you.

Thank You, and See You in Chicago

To every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, sponsor, volunteer, and the ASLA Southern California Chapter as our host: thank you for making ASLA 2026 an unforgettable week. The work is in motion, and we can't wait to see where it goes next.

Mark your calendars for the ASLA + IFLA 2027 World Conference in Chicago, September 21-24, 2027.