How we celebrate "I Love Free Software Day" in Poznań, Poland
Not so long ago, the Free Software community celebrated the "I Love Free
Software Day". A day in which the FSFE, our volunteers and many other
organisations
and individuals thank all contributors for their commitment
to use, study, share and improve Free Software. Without them there is no
software freedom!
For the "I Love Free Software Day" in
2026, 22 events were organised across 12 European
countries. Several of them were
organised by the FSFE's local groups.
At these celebrations people came together to share their knowledge and
stories about Free Software, discuss and inspire others to study, use, improve and
share the software we all love. Each of these celebrations is unique and
showcases the commitment of our community, from local gatherings with
pizza and fun Free Software games to larger events addressing new people
with talks and networking.
The biggest "I Love Free Software" event in our 2026 celebrations took
place in Poznań (Poland) with around 80 participants. The event was organised
by the local FSFE group with the collaboration of their local university. Here,
they were allowed to use a lecture hall for presentations and they also had some time to
network afterwards.
"I Love Free Software Day" celebrations in Poznań, 2026.
One of the main organisers of the event was Paweł
Wiczyński, also known as ‘pomidor’. Paweł, is a founding member of
Knyfyrtel Poznan Hackerspace, and he
has been a Free Software enthusiast for a very long time. The first
time he got in touch with Free Software was when he was very young,
just about 10 years old. At that age he heard about GNU/Linux, a Free
Software alternative to Windows, and tried it out on his
computer. From there onwards he has been hooked and learned more and
more
about the FLOSS ecosystem.
FSFE: Hello Paweł, thank you so much for finding time to do this
interview. Let's start by getting back
to the roots, why do you believe Free Software is important?
Paweł, one of the FSFE Poznań coordinators: I think
that Free Software is important because it allows people to keep control
over the technology they use. Today, our lives are increasingly
dependent on various types of software. We use it every day on many
different devices. If we do not ensure that this software is free, we
allow entities, such governments, companies or corporations, to
control us. This is why I believe that Free Software should be promoted
and used wherever possible.
FSFE: How did you first hear of the “I Love Free
Software Day”? And what were your thoughts about this initiative?
Paweł: My colleague Damian, who is the FSFE coordinator
in Poland, told me about the "I Love Free Software Day" initiative. I had
not heard of this day before. I really liked it and thought it
would be great to join in. As a member of Knyfyrtel Poznan Hackerspace,
I enjoy organizing events for the community. And this was a great idea
to do something new that fits in with our mission.
I very like that the event is organized in many places across numerous
cities in Europe. I believe that such initiatives are truly needed,
because they make it possible to reach a much wider audience. By acting
together on an international scale, we can amplify the message and show
that the Free Software community is strong, connected, and active beyond
local borders.
FSFE:Why did you decide to organise an “I Love Free Software Day” event in 2026?
Paweł: We were inspired to organise this year's “I Love Free Software Day” by the success
of last year's edition and the enthusiasm of the community. We had
enough willing organisers to hold a large
meetup for the community.
Moreover, we have very good connections with the academic community in
Poznań. We wanted to use it to reach not only students, but also IT
professionals, enthusiasts, and regular users interested in Free
Software. Our goal was simply to bring these groups together in one
place and give them an opportunity to learn something new, network, and
get involved in Free Software initiatives.
"I Love Free Software Day" celebrations in Poznań, 2026.
FSFE: This was the second time you organised the local celebration in Poznań. How was
the event in 2026 compared to the event in 2025?
Paweł: That’s right. We organised “I Love Free Software Day” for the first time last year,
and we had no idea how many participants to expect. The reality exceeded
our expectations – there were about 50
people, and they almost did not fit in the room.
This year, the event was even bigger – there was more pizza, more
speakers, and more participants. Around 80 people attended, and this
time we made sure to book a larger room. We also carefully planned the
schedule to avoid delays, including an extra break for networking and
socialising. Additionally, we organised a campaign to write cards to
Free Software creators and maintainers.
FSFE: And in general, how was the 2026 celebration of the “I Love Free Software Day”?
Paweł: We organised the in the form of a meetup at
Poznań University of Technology – short 15-minute talks with additional
Q & A from participants. A total of six speakers talked about
various FLOSS projects and how they use it in their daily work. After
that, there was time for networking and refreshments with pizza and
drinks. Overall, the event was very successful – we received positive
feedback from the community, made new contacts and exchanged knowledge.
FSFE: How did you start the cooperation with the University?
Paweł: As Knyfyrtel Poznan Hackerspace, we already had the opportunity to
organise events in cooperation with scientific clubs at Poznań University of Technology. For
“I Love Free Software Day,” we leveraged these connections and invited them to collaborate.
Last year, our main co-organiser was PUTrequest_ team,
while this year it was Linux Academic Group. They handled all
the formalities, secured the venue, and arranged support from the university authorities. We really
appreciate working with the academic community and look forward to building even more joint initiatives
in the future.
FSFE: Did you use any of the materials the FSFE
provides for organising a local celebration?
Paweł: We had a lot of materials from last year –
stickers, posters, cards, and leaflets. We also printed some of the
stickers ourselves. Presentation templates used during the opening and
closing of the event were very helpful. It would surely be easier if
package arrived, but this year we managed without it.
FSFE: What would you recommend to others when they want to organise an
“I Love Free Software Day” celebrations and what are pitfalls you would say should be avoided?
Paweł: First and foremost, do not hesitate, just do it! All you need is a venue
and motivation. If possible, collaborate with local groups, students, and academic circles, as they
can help you attract participants. Take care of promotion – use social media, event aggregators, chats,
and online groups to advertise your event. Tell your friends to tell their friends. You can also create a
dedicated website and put up posters in the neighbourhood.
As for pitfalls, if you are organising an event at a university, be prepared for delays with formalities
and permits – handling these can take much more time than expected. Also, make sure to order promotional
materials well in advance; in our case, one month was not enough. Planning these details early will save
a lot of headaches and help the event run smoothly.
FSFE: Thank you for sharing your very hands-on advice! Just a quick follow-up here,
how many people are involved in organising the event?
Paweł: There were about 20 people who took part in the organisational meetings.
"I Love Free Software Day" celebrations in Poznań, 2026.
FSFE: Do you also organise additional events throughout the year and what
would be the next meeting where others can join you?
Paweł: Yes. We organise many different events, but our biggest one is
P.I.W.O. – Poznań Free Software Fest".
It is a free conference that we organise in cooperation
with the academic community in Poznań. It has over 20 years of tradition, but it was inactive for
over 7 years. The Knyfyrtel Poznan Hackerspace reactivated it last year – and it was a great success.
Almost 200 participants, 2 tracks, free pizza, LAN Party and lightning talks. This year, we are planning
another edition on an even larger scale. This year, it will be on 30 May
2026 at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, AMU in Poznań
(English website and social media).
FSFE: Is there a Free Software project, which you would
like to highlight and say ‘Thank you’ to?
Paweł: There are many Free Software projects that I use and would like to thank.
But if I had to choose one, it would be Thunderbird. It is my favourite email client. I have been using
it for years. And recently, it has been developing very dynamically. I really appreciate the Thunderbird
team and wish them continued success and growth with the project.
FSFE: Paweł, thank you very much for your time! I hope
there will be many more “I Love Free Software Day” celebrations in
Poznań.
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