— Published on Feb 24, 2026 04:45 PM

The FSF invites free software supporters to organize in-person community meetups in their area during May 2026 to bring people together to swap ideas, learn from each other, and celebrate free software. People are encouraged to organize events that help spread the free software philosophy and are grounded in freedom.

"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. That success also speaks to the decades of dedicated advocacy by the global free software community in promoting software that respects user freedom," she added. "People across the world understand more and more that when they reject freedom-restricting software, and instead promote software that respects user rights, they help guarantee so many other basic rights. The passion we see in local communities throughout the world makes it plain to see that the movement that began just over four decades ago continues to strengthen and grow."

Attendees at the LibreLocal meetup in Kinshasa in February 2026.

After the inspiring success of the 2025 LibreLocal meetups (the first year of LibreLocal), the FSF is once again calling on free software supporters to fill the month of May with LibreLocal 2026 meetups. Those who want to organize a meetup can list their event on a dedicated page, which also provides a range of resources to support local organizing and outreach.

The FSF will support these local events by publicizing them through the FSF's communications channels, which reach a substantial amount of people across the globe. FSF staff members will be joining events virtually or in-person as well, when possible. The FSF has also committed to financially assisting meetups (the size and amount of supporting grants is limited). The deadline to apply for funding is March 15, 2026.

The FSF published a whole 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.

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

In response to last year's call, local free software supporters exceeded all expectations by organizing twenty nine LibreLocal meetups across five continents. The meetups were held in Brazil, Canada, the Canary Islands of Spain, China, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Kenya, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Many of these countries saw organizers hold meetups in multiple different cities, ranging from informal conversations while enjoying a coffee, tea, or beer, to multi-day conferences.

The LibreLocal initiative lit a fire under meetup organizers globally, with events being held continuously since May 2025. Two LibreLocal meetups were held in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in early January and early February 2026. 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.

"At the FSF we can't wait to see all the meetups the free software community will put together for LibreLocal 2026. If last year was any indication, this May will be full of inspiring and meaningful connections," said Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni, the FSF's program manager. "Local free software supporters know that connecting with each other leads them to learn, experiment, and create great things together that protect our individual and shared rights. The extraordinary contributions that free software has made were born through the collaborations between like-minded people who come together to build towards a free society."

To keep updated on LibreLocal 2026 as it unfolds, subscribe to the FSF's newsletter or follow the FSF on Mastodon.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation (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.