Meta Connect 2026 opens TONIGHT. CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stage at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on September 23 for the opening keynote, with day-two developer sessions locked for September 24. Engadget and Road to VR both published WATCH GUIDES today — and the window to tune in is measured in HOURS, not days.
Per Engadget’s Yoni Yardeni (September 23) and Road to VR’s Scott Hayden (same day), Meta is inviting everyone to join VIRTUALLY. Register on Meta’s Connect site with a name, email, and country, or stream on the Meta for Developers Facebook page. Engadget notes TRANSLATIONS will be available for non-English speakers during the livestream.
Keynote Tonight. Developer Day Tomorrow.
The schedule is tidy. September 23 at 7 PM ET is the Zuckerberg keynote. September 24 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT brings the Developer State of the Union, plus sessions across four tracks: VR, AI GLASSES, AI, and HORIZON. Meta says those sessions will also land ON DEMAND after they run.
Meta’s own Connect pitch promises “latest breakthroughs in AI technologies, AI glasses and VR.” Engadget’s live blog (Cherlynn Low and Karissa Bell) adds that boots are on the ground in Menlo Park, with coverage starting slightly before the keynote.
What Reporters Expect — Not Confirmed
Nothing on stage is shipping until Meta says so. With that caveat: Engadget, citing The Information, says Meta is EXPECTED to unveil CAMERA-FREE smart glasses — internally dubbed LUNA in prior reporting — with six microphones aimed at Meta AI and Muse. Reuters (September 23) separately reports camera-free styles amid rising privacy pushback, alongside a refreshed Ray-Ban Meta line.
Road to VR flags the rumored PROJECT PHOENIX mixed-reality headset as the other headline bet — slim form factor, compute puck in prior leaks — and notes it is still unclear whether Phoenix is positioned as a Quest successor or a separate line. Treat every rumor as UNCONFIRMED until the stream starts.
Why It Matters for Metaverse Watchers
Connect is Meta’s annual XR calendar spike. Last year’s event stacked Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, Oakley Meta Vanguard, and Ray-Ban Display. Tonight’s keynote is the cleanest live look at whether Meta doubles down on glasses, teases the next headset generation, or both. We will cover CONFIRMED announcements after they hit — not before.
Sources: Engadget / Yoni Yardeni — How to watch Meta Connect 2026; Road to VR / Scott Hayden — Keynote livestream times; Engadget live blog; Reuters via SRN News — camera-free glasses expectation; Meta Connect.