Hacktoberfest 2026: Finding Your Place in Open Source

Understanding Hacktoberfest, Opportunities & Meaningful Open-Source Participation

Hacktoberfest is back, and 2026 brings a new chapter. But what does it mean for you, how has it changed, and where can you begin?

Join Cloud Native Ilorin for an engaging virtual community session designed to help you understand Hacktoberfest 2026, explore the opportunities around open source, and discover practical ways to participate meaningfully.

Whether you are just getting started, already building software, exploring AI, or interested in contributing to technology in other ways, this session will help you understand the landscape and identify your next step.

What we'll explore

• Hacktoberfest 2026: What it is, how it works, and what has changed this year.
• Finding your place in open source: Understanding how to get involved based on your interests, skills, and experience.
• Learning and building: Exploring the shift towards hands-on learning, experimentation, open-source AI, and open-weight models.
• Getting started: Discovering practical ways to learn, find relevant projects and activities, and take your first steps.
• Meaningful participation: Understanding why quality, collaboration, learning, and supporting open-source communities matter beyond simply counting contributions.
• Opportunities and next steps: Identifying ways to keep learning, connect with other contributors, and continue beyond October.

Who should attend?

This session is for you if you are:

• A student or beginner curious about open source.
• A developer looking to deepen your involvement in open-source communities.
• Interested in AI, open-weight models, cloud-native technologies, or building projects.
• Exploring how your existing skills can contribute to open-source work.
• Looking for direction, learning opportunities, and a community to grow with.

You do not need to be an experienced contributor to attend. Come with your curiosity, questions, and willingness to learn.

Why join us?

Open source is more than a collection of repositories or a number of contributions. It is about people learning together, building useful things, sharing knowledge, and sustaining the communities behind the technologies we use.

Through this conversation, we hope to make Hacktoberfest easier to understand, help you identify opportunities relevant to your interests, and encourage you to take a meaningful next step in your open-source journey.

Event Details

Session: Hacktoberfest 2026: Finding Your Place in Open Source Speaker: Ijeoma Eti Date: Sunday, 18 October 2026 Time: 4:30 PM West Africa Time (WAT, UTC+1) Format: Virtual Host: Cloud Native Ilorin

About Cloud Native Ilorin

Cloud Native Ilorin is a community focused on helping people learn, connect, build, and contribute within the cloud-native and open-source ecosystem. We aim to create an inclusive environment where beginners and experienced practitioners can share knowledge, discover opportunities, and grow into active contributors and community leaders.

Save your seat

Register to join the conversation, learn alongside the community, and discover where your open-source journey can take you.

Come curious. Leave with a clearer direction.

We look forward to seeing you there!