I Love Free Software Day
We often underestimate the power of a simple Thank you
. Free Software contributors do important work for our society and they deserve to be recognised. “I Love Free Software Day”, celebrated on 14 February, is the perfect opportunity for you to express your special gratitude and show your appreciation for Free Software.
Imagine a Free Software community that is welcoming and appreciates its contributors. This community is motivating and friendly in the interaction with each other. Imaging if somebody new or old wants to participate and be part of this Free Software community, they would send an email to the project’s mailing list with new ideas. The answer and reviews to this would be grateful and full of appreciation of the work done by the contributor. When a Pull Request in this community is reviewed, and the reviewers underline how grateful they are for the effort of opening it in the first place. Imagine a Free Software community that is thankful for their contributors, developers and of course their maintainers. Such a community can easily become reality, by simply saying Thank you!
The larger a Free Software project gets, the harder it is to maintain. On “I Love Free Software Day” we acknowledge the work done by each other for Free Software, even more we appreciate the work done for Free Software. We reach out and say Thank you!
to all the people maintaining and contributing to Free Software, to all the people advocating for Free Software: Thank you ♥
By doing so, we aim at creating a welcoming community in which not only seasoned enthusiasts feel safe to participate, but also new people are encouraged to join. A simple “Thank you” can motivate others to keep contributing to Free Software!
With a simple Thank you!
we appreciate the work and effort put into Free Software by its contributors
Free Software is not just any type of software: it is a community, it is software that empowers users and it is out there for all of us to use, understand, share, and improve. Let us foster the growth of a lovely and welcoming Free Software community, by celebrating the software that empowers us! ♥
I ♥ Free Software Day 2025: Hidden projects
“I Love Free Software Day” is a long-lasting tradition. On this day, we thank all the people behind Free Software projects or programs and let them know that their work does not go unnoticed. Let’s celebrate all the wonderful people working for Free Software together: join the “I Love Free Software Day” celebrations all over Europe. Get in touch with your local FSFE group and organise a fun meeting.
We are grateful to those who work and contribute to the Free Software
universe: developers, designers, translators, advocates, contributors,
users, and more. There are a lot of different Free Software
communities out there, with different values or different focuses in
their work. But we all contribute to Free Software and value the
freedom to use, study, share and improve software. Let's celebrate our
appreciation for Free Software and the people behind it with a simple
Thank you!
For this 12th edition of the "I Love Free Software Day" we have a special focus on Free Software projects that are not on the front line. In a world that is becoming more and more digital, Free Software is everywhere. It is in your car, on your router, on the servers that run our daily infrastructure. Often these projects are hidden so they do not get the focus they deserve to keep our daily lives up and running. This year our celebrations will focus on those hidden projects.
Join the celebrations for "I Love Free Software Day 2025"
You want to participate in the "I Love Free Software Day 2025"? Join any of the events listed below **more are coming soon** and follow us on social media to stay updated:
Celebrations and events in Europe
🇦🇱 Albania
- ⏰ 15.02.2025 11:00 (CET)
- 📍 KubFranceTirana, Pyramid of Tirana, Tiranë, Albania
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Tirana event is open for anyone curious about technology and Free Software
- Agenda:
- Presentation of LibreLabs
- Talks on I Love Free Software Day and why it matters
- Presentation of the Public Money, Public Code campaign and the progress so far
- Open discussion with free software advocates
🇦🇹 Austria
- ⏰ 14.02.2025 16:00 (CET)
- 📍 Lederergasse 18, 9500 Villach, Austria
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Carinthia event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Carinthia. There will be a small installation party featuring F-Droid, Linux, and more, we express our thanks to maintainers, and enjoy good coffee and cake together. It’s the perfect setting to chat about Free Software topics and also to install some! :) More information is available on our webpage.
🇩🇪 Germany
- ⏰ 13.02.2025, 18:00 (CET)
- 📍 Deutschherrnstr. 15-19, 90412 Nürnberg in the Schulungsraum, building K from NETWAYS.
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Nürnberg event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Franken. There will be talks and networking with pizza and drinks.
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You can register here. Registration for this event is now closed. - Agenda:
- Welcoming and I Love Free Software Day by Bonnie Mehring
- check_systemd by Josef Friedrich
- openSuse by Douglas DeMaio
- Geekofoundation by Patrick
- SUSE history and ESG by Dirk Müller
- OpenCloud by Klaas Freitag
- Pizza - Fun - Networking
- ⏰ 14.02.2025, from 14:00 till 16:00 (CET)
- 📍 Bezirkszentralbibliothek Spandau, Carl-Schurz-Str. 13 (Not far from Spandau railway station)
- What: Lectures, Linux and other Free Software to try out
- Please note: The event will be held mostly in German but many of the attendees can switch to English. The Berlin group of the Free Software Foundation Europe will meet for the I Love Free Software Day this year in the seminar room of the Spandau District Central Library. In addition to saying Thanks! together, there will be lectures on Free Software and hands-on notebooks with Linux for those interested in trying out Free Software. Details about the programme can be found on the page of the Berlin group in the FSFE wiki.
- Afterwards we want to look for a pizzeria nearby: if you want to join us, you are welcome to register without obligation so that we can make a reservation in advance if necessary.
- ⏰ 14.02.2025, 19:00 (CET)
- 📍 Chaos Computer Club Frankfurt e.V., more information about the event here.
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 CCC FFM event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Hesse.
🇮🇹 Italy
- ⏰ 10.02.2025, 20:00 till 23:00 (CET)
- 📍 Spazio77, via Dalmazia 77 - Dalmatienstraße 77 - Bozen-Bolzano - Italy
- The I Love Free Software Day from the Linux User group in Bozen-bolzano is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all South Tyrol Free Software enthusiasts. For more information visit our webpage.
- ⏰ 11.02.2025, 09:00 till 14:00 (CET)
- 📍 Via Leone XIII 48/d, 93100, Caltanissetta (CL), Sicilia
- The I Love Free Software Day from the FSFE local group in Sicilia is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Sicilians Free Software enthusiasts.
- ⏰ 15.02.2025, 14:30 till 18:30 (CET)
- 📍 Patronato Ss. Redentore primo piano, Este (PD)
- The I Love Free Software Day from the EsteLug in Este is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts. For more information visit our webpage.
- ⏰ 15.02.2025, 16:00 till open end (CET)
- 📍 Biblioteca Tiraboschi, via San Bernardino 74 (BG)
- The I Love Free Software Day from the Bergamo Linux User Group is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts. We will have a session about the famous Ada & Zangemann book. For more information visit our webpage.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- ⏰ 13.02.2025, 18:00 (CET)
- 📍 Level 2 Hackerspace 87 route de Thionville L-2611 Luxembourg, Europe
- ILoveFS Luxembourg is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts where you get the chance to: express your gratitude for Free Software, discuss the future of Free Software, and network with other community members over pizza and drinks. Reserve your spot now!
🇳🇱 Netherlands
- ⏰ 14.02.2025, 19:30 (CET)
- 📍 Hackerspace Nijmegen Villanovastraat 4 Nijmegen
- ILoveFS Netherlands is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts. We are happy to discuss the future of Free Software, and network with other community members over pizza and drinks. More information is on our webpage!
- Please register for attending the event
🇵🇱 Poland
- ⏰ 12.02.2025 19:00 (CET)
- 📍Warsaw Hackerspace, Żelazna 103A, 01-017 Warszawa
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Warsaw event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Poland. There will be a workshop, a discussion panel, and networking with pizza and drinks. You can learn more at the event website.
- ⏰ 13.02.2025 18:00 (CET)
- 📍 Wydział Informatyki i Telekomunikacji at Politechniki Poznańskiej, ul. Polanka 3, Poznań
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Poznań event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Poland. There will be lightning talks and networking with pizza and drinks. You can learn more at their website.
- ⏰ 14.02.2025 18:00 (CET)
- 📍 Sala 20, budynek C-3, Politechnika Wrocławska
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Wrocław event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Poland. There will be a workshop, a discussion panel, and networking with pizza and drinks. You can learn more at their website.
🇵🇹Portugal
- ⏰ 14.02.2025 22:00 till 23:00 (UTC)
- 📍 Celebrates the "I Love Free Software Day" online.
- See more information on their webpage
🇪🇸 Spain
- ⏰ 13.02.2025, 19:00 (CET)
- 📍 AKASHA Hub Barcelona, Carrer de la Verneda, 19, Local 1, Barcelona
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Barcelona event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Catalonia. There will be talks and networking with pizza and drinks.
- ⏰ 13.02.2025
- 📍 Makespace de Madrid (C Ruiz Palacios 7) 28020 Madrid, Spain
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Madrid event is open for everybody and we are happy to welcome all Free Software enthusiasts from Madrid. There will be talks and networking with pizza and drinks.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
- ⏰ 13.02.2025, 17:00 (CET)
- 📍Hackerspace Chaos Computer Club Zürich (third floor), Neue Hard 12, 8005, Zürich, Switzerland
- The I Love Free Software Day 2025 Zürich event is aimed at people who are interested in free software and who want to advocate for the ideals of free software. More information is available on our webpage.
🇬🇧 UK
- ⏰ 11.02.2025, 18:30 (GMT)
- 📍 Upstairs at KPA Clubhouse, 97 Horwood Road, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire
- More information is available on the local group's calendar
❤ Get active ❤
If you want to organise an event in your local area feel free to take a look at our toolkit toolkit for local groups. In this kit you find resources for organising your own I Love Free Software Day event. reach out to us via email. For "I Love Free Software Day 2025" we want to organise events dedicated for Free Software projects that are a part of our core infrastructure.
- Contact your local library and organise a talk about Free Software and the four freedoms
- Contact your local hackerspace and organise a Free Software meet-up with them
- Contact local Free Software companies and organise an event with them
- Reach out to your local Free Software group, local Linux User Group or digital rights groups and organise an event together!
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Say thanks
Think about a Free Software project that you are grateful for and that deserves more attention. Reach out to them on the 14th of February to say thank you. Organise a local group meeting or spread the word about Free Software. You can use our sharepics, stickers and balloons, or artwork, and merchandise for #ilovefs.
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Remember the good times
Which Free Software project did you use in the past year? What felt empowering? What was fun? For some inspiration have a look at others’ love statements and videos.
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Share your love
That’s the fun part! We have created a sharepic generator, with which you can easily create your very own sharepics and share your appreciation on social media (#ilovefs), in blog posts, pictures and video messages, or directly to the Free Software developers and contributors.
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Improve Free Software
Talking is silver, contributing is gold! Help a Free Software project with a donation, a translation or by assisting its users. If you can, please consider supporting our work with a donation to the Free Software Foundation Europe.
What is your contribution to this special day dedicated to the people who enable you to use Free Software? Will you use our stickers and balloons? Or make a picture or video with your new ILoveFS shirt? And what about celebrating software freedom with your colleagues and friends at a company gathering or public event? Whatever you do, show it to the world by using the #ilovefs tag. And if you have questions, just drop us an email.
Happy I Love Free Software Day everyone! ❤