Forty-six free software meetups on six continents

The FSF invited free software supporters to organize in-person community meetups in their area during May 2026, or LibreLocal month, to bring people together to swap ideas, learn from each other, and celebrate free software. People were encouraged to organize events grounded in freedom to help spread the free software philosophy. Those who are organizing a meetup have listed their event details on a dedicated page. The list of all LibreLocals listed there continues to be updated.

"Advocating for free software and building community are important parts of our mission," said Zoë Kooyman, executive director of the FSF. "The excitement around last year's FSF LibreLocal meetups was so captivating that we knew we had to do it again. This year's response has been even bigger, with almost twice the amount of gatherings than last year and spanning six continents. The success of these LibreLocals speaks to how many people globally are interested in free software and ready to build community, and it demonstrates the strength of our movement," she added. "People getting together like this also proves how computer freedom and digital rights are on people's minds. When we reject freedom-restricting software and promote software that respects user rights, it helps further so many other basic rights."

Attendees at the LibreLocal meetup in Kinshasa in February 2026.

The FSF provided a range of resources to help LibreLocal organizers, which include a meetup guide with meetup ideas, tips, and tricks; a template for a safe space policy; and accounts of successful events from last year in two parts.

The FSF has been supporting these local events by publicizing them through the FSF's communications channels, which have substantial global reach, and staff members have joined events virtually. The FSF has financially supported some of the events, but notes organizers are going above and beyond to create noteworthy events by any measure, and is impressed with the global network taking shape. "The energy we feel from all organizers is extremely motivating and we look forward to seeing LibreLocal events spread even wider over the next years! We want to support these initiatives even more, so we'll be looking to build a network of sponsors for future iterations as we work towards May 2027," says Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni, FSF program manager.

Attendees at the community meetup in Toronto, Canada in 2025.

Several LibreLocals have already been held. Two of these meetups were held in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were organized by Narcisse Mbunzama, the national chapter leader of the Free Software Club in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Narcisse Mbunzama reported that, "both meetups recorded strong participation and meaningful engagement from diverse stakeholders, including students, software developers, researchers, and digital rights advocates. The activities contributed to reinforcing the local free software community, promoting digital autonomy, and fostering alignment with the global free software movement." The FSF provided support for these meetups.

William Goodspeed, the organizer behind the Beijing LibreLocal, reported that their meetup was double the size of last year's, and a number of very rich collaborative projects have emerged among the attendees.

Discussing the value of connecting people, de Silva-Weeramuni notes: "Free software supporters know that connecting with each other leads them to learn, experiment, and create great things that protect our individual and shared rights. The extraordinary contributions that free software has made to the world were born through such collaborations between like-minded people towards a freer society. This same global spirit of collectively building a better future is one of the inspiring things that we have once again seen unfold through this year's many LibreLocals. The LibreLocals of 2026 really have been an embarrassment of riches, and we are immensely grateful to each and every local organizer."

To stay updated on LibreLocal 2026 as it continues to unfold, subscribe to the FSF's newsletter or follow the FSF on Mastodon.

About the Free Software Foundation

The FSF, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF publishes the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the world's most popular free software license, and the only license written with the express purpose of promoting and preserving software freedom. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its websites, located at https://www.fsf.org and https://www.gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. The FSF is a remote organization, incorporated in Massachusetts, USA.

To learn more about the FSF, as well as to find more important information if you are a journalist or publisher, visit https://www.fsf.org/press.

MEDIA CONTACT

Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni
Program Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
campaigns@fsf.org

"Joy for free software in Kinshasa, DRC" © 2026 Narcisse Mbunzama of Free Software DRC. This photo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

"Tech Pizza Monday meeting in honor of FSF40" © 2025 Ryan Futures of TechPizzaMondays. This photo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.