diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..de52145427636
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+name: Release Readiness
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: 'The pandas version to release.'
+        default: '1.1.3'
+        required: true
+      # push-tag:
+      #   description: 'Push tag on success?'
+      #   default: 'false'
+      #   required: true
+
+jobs:
+  build-sdist:
+    name: Build the sdist and maybe push the tag
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      TAG: v${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
+    steps:
+    - name: Setting git user to Pandas Development Team
+      run: |
+       git config --global user.email "pandas-dev@python.org"
+       git config --global user.name "Pandas Development Team"
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install packaging
+    - name: Checkout pandas
+      uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      with:
+        fetch-depth: 0
+    - name: Tag the release. (This doesn't push the tag)
+      run: |
+        python ./scripts/tag.py $TAG
+        git log -n 5
+    - name: Update for build environment
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update
+        sudo apt-get install -y build-essential
+        sudo apt-get clean
+    - name: Setting conda path
+      run: echo ::add-path::$CONDA/bin
+    - name: Update conda
+      run: |
+        conda config --set quiet true --set always_yes true
+        conda update -n base -c defaults conda
+        conda list
+    - name: Update conda environment for build process
+      run: |
+        conda install -y cython
+        conda clean --all
+        conda list
+    - name: build the sdist
+      run: |
+        rm -rf dist
+        git clean -xfd
+        python setup.py clean --quiet
+        python setup.py sdist --formats=gztar --quiet
+    - name: Store sdist archive as artifact
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
+      with:
+        name: pandas-${{ github.event.inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+        path: dist/pandas-${{ github.event.inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+        if-no-files-found: error
+
+  pip-test:
+    name: Pip Test
+    needs: build-sdist
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+    - name: Setting conda path
+      run: echo ::add-path::$CONDA/bin
+    - name: Update conda
+      run: |
+        conda config --set quiet true --set always_yes true
+        conda update -n base -c defaults conda
+        conda list
+    - name: Create conda environment
+      run: |
+        conda create -n pip-test -y python=3.7 numpy pytz python-dateutil pytest pytest-mock hypothesis nomkl
+        conda clean --all
+        conda list
+    - name: get sdist from artifacts
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v2
+      with:
+        name: pandas-${{ github.event.inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+        path: pandas/dist/
+    - name: Create wheel
+      run: |
+        source activate pip-test
+        python -m pip wheel --no-deps --wheel-dir=pandas/dist pandas/dist/pandas-${{ github.event.inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+    - name: Install pandas
+      run: |
+        source activate pip-test
+        python -m pip install --no-deps --no-index --find-links=pandas/dist --only-binary=pandas pandas
+        conda list
+    - name: Test
+      # test_missing_required_dependencies: https://github.com/pandas-dev/pandas/issues/33999
+      run: |
+        source activate pip-test
+        python -c "import pandas; pandas.test(extra_args=['-m not clipboard', '--skip-slow', '--skip-network', '--skip-db', '-k not test_missing_required_dependency'])"
+
+  conda-test:
+    name: Conda Test
+    needs: build-sdist
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      PANDAS_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
+    steps:
+    - name: Setting conda path
+      run: echo ::add-path::$CONDA/bin
+    - name: Update conda
+      run: |
+        conda config --set quiet true --set always_yes true
+        conda update -n base -c defaults conda
+        conda list
+    - name: Create conda environment
+      run: |
+        conda create -n conda-build -y conda-build conda-verify gcc_linux-64 gxx_linux-64
+        conda clean --all
+        conda list
+    - name: Checkout pandas
+      uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - name: get sdist from artifacts
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v2
+      with:
+        name: pandas-${{ github.event.inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+        path: dist/
+    - name: Conda Build and Test
+      run: |
+        source activate conda-build
+        conda build --numpy=1.17.3 --python=3.8 ./recipe --output-folder=dist
+
diff --git a/conda.recipe/bld.bat b/conda.recipe/bld.bat
deleted file mode 100644
index 284926fae8c04..0000000000000
--- a/conda.recipe/bld.bat
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-@echo off
-%PYTHON% setup.py install
diff --git a/conda.recipe/build.sh b/conda.recipe/build.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index f341bce6fcf96..0000000000000
--- a/conda.recipe/build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-$PYTHON setup.py install
diff --git a/conda.recipe/meta.yaml b/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index e833ea1f1f398..0000000000000
--- a/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-package:
-    name: pandas
-    version: {{ environ.get('GIT_DESCRIBE_TAG','').replace('v', '', 1) }}
-
-build:
-    number: {{ environ.get('GIT_DESCRIBE_NUMBER', 0) }}
-    {% if GIT_DESCRIBE_NUMBER|int == 0 %}string: np{{ CONDA_NPY }}py{{ CONDA_PY }}_0
-    {% else %}string: np{{ CONDA_NPY }}py{{ CONDA_PY }}_{{ GIT_BUILD_STR }}{% endif %}
-
-source:
-    git_url: ../
-
-requirements:
-  build:
-    - {{ compiler('c') }}
-    - {{ compiler('cxx') }}
-  host:
-    - python
-    - pip
-    - cython
-    - numpy
-    - setuptools >=3.3
-    - python-dateutil >=2.7.3
-    - pytz
-  run:
-    - python {{ python }}
-    - {{ pin_compatible('numpy') }}
-    - python-dateutil >=2.7.3
-    - pytz
-
-test:
-  requires:
-    - pytest
-  commands:
-    - python -c "import pandas; pandas.test()"
-
-
-about:
-  home: https://pandas.pydata.org
-  license: BSD
diff --git a/recipe/meta.yaml b/recipe/meta.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f5e514f6af106
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+{% set version = environ.get("PANDAS_VERSION") %}
+
+package:
+  name: pandas
+  version: {{ version }}
+
+source:
+  url: ../dist/pandas-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+
+build:
+  number: 0
+  script: python -m pip install --no-deps --ignore-installed .
+
+requirements:
+  build:
+    - {{ compiler('c') }}
+    - {{ compiler('cxx') }}
+  host:
+    - python
+    - pip
+    - cython >=0.29.13
+    - numpy
+  run:
+    - python
+    - {{ pin_compatible('numpy') }}
+    - python-dateutil >=2.6.1
+    - pytz >=2017.2
+
+test:
+  requires:
+    - pytest
+    - pytest-mock
+    - hypothesis
+  commands:
+      # test_missing_required_dependencies: https://github.com/pandas-dev/pandas/issues/33999
+    - python -c "import pandas; pandas.test(extra_args=['-m not clipboard', '--skip-slow', '--skip-network', '--skip-db', '-k not test_missing_required_dependency'])"
+
+about:
+  home: http://pandas.pydata.org
+  license: BSD 3-clause
+  license_file: LICENSE
+  summary: 'High-performance, easy-to-use data structures and data analysis tools.'
+
+extra:
+  recipe-maintainers:
+    - jreback
+    - jorisvandenbossche
+    - msarahan
+    - ocefpaf
+    - TomAugspurger
+    - WillAyd
diff --git a/scripts/tag.py b/scripts/tag.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3767f99044352
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tag.py
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Tag a pandas release.
+
+This does not push the tag.
+"""
+import argparse
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+from packaging import version
+
+
+def check_tag(tag):
+    assert tag.startswith("v"), f"Invalid tag '{tag}', must start with 'v'"
+    ver = version.parse(tag.lstrip("v"))
+    assert isinstance(ver, version.Version), f"Invalid tag '{tag}'"
+    if "rc" in tag:
+        assert ".rc" not in tag, "RC tags should be formatted like '.0rcX' "
+    return tag
+
+
+def checkout(tag):
+    if tag[-1] == "0" or "rc" in tag:
+        # off master
+        base = "master"
+    else:
+        base = ".".join([tag[1:].rsplit(".", 1)[0], "x"])
+
+    subprocess.check_call(["git", "checkout", base])
+    # subprocess.check_call(["git", "pull", "--ff-only", "upstream", base])
+
+
+def commit(tag):
+    subprocess.check_call(["git", "clean", "-xdf"])
+    print(f"Creating tag {tag}")
+    subprocess.check_call(
+        [
+            "git",
+            "commit",
+            "--allow-empty",
+            "-m",
+            "RLS: {}".format(tag[1:]),
+        ]
+    )
+    subprocess.check_call(["git", "tag", "-a", tag, "-m", "Version {}".format(tag[1:])])
+
+
+def parse_args(args=None):
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(__name__, usage=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("tag", type=check_tag)
+
+    return parser.parse_args(args)
+
+
+def main(args=None):
+    args = parse_args(args)
+    checkout(args.tag)
+    commit(args.tag)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())