Hacktoberfest 2023: Let's Make Positive Impacts, Learn & Grow Together in Open Source!
Tags: hacktoberfest23, opensource, webdev
Published: 2023-10-01 12:00:00

The time that we're waiting for is here! Welcome, Hacktoberfest! 🎃

Virtual Coffee’s first Hacktoberfest was in October of 2020, and that experience transformed how we thought of Virtual Coffee and led to the organization we are today. 

![pumpkin GIF](https://media.giphy.com/media/V0Q1tGSdbaXLTMRkpf/giphy.gif)

## What is Hacktoberfest?

[Hacktoberfest](https://hacktoberfest.com/) is an annual event in October by DigitalOcean to support open source. It's an event where you can show your support and love by contributing to open-source projects that are meaningful to you.

Participating in this event allows you to learn and sharpen your skills to enhance your career, gain more experience collaborating with others, and meet new people with your interests.

## How to Participate and Complete Hacktoberfest

If you're interested in participating in this event, you can [register](https://hacktoberfest.com/auth/) anytime between September 26 and October 31.

And to complete the Hacktoberfest, you need to have **four** pull requests accepted in repositories with the "Hacktoberfest" topic that you can find in their "About" section or get your pull requests that you submitted in October labeled as "hacktoberfest-accepted" by maintainers. 

## Virtual Coffee: Hacktoberfest Initiative 

As an open-source community, Hacktoberfest has a special place in our hearts and is one of the events we look forward to!

Since our first-ever challenge in October 2020, we have grown so much in supporting our members who participate in Hacktoberfest through our Virtual Coffee: Hacktoberfest Initiative. We have three tracks in this event:

### Maintainers

During Preptember, we supported our maintainer members in preparing the repository(ies) they wanted to include for Hacktoberfest by following our [maintainer's repository checklist](https://virtualcoffee.io/resources/developer-resources/open-source/maintainer-guide#repository-checklist). 

This month, we encourage them to answer the contributors' questions, review the pull requests (PRs), and validate and merge them following the contest rules.

### Contributors

We support our contributors' members with weekly check-ins and open channels in our Slack dedicated to Hacktoberfest for them to ask questions and help.

We're also looking forward to hanging out with our members in the Hacktoberfest co-working room on Zoom, which is open 24/7 during October to discuss open source and Hacktoberfest!

### Mentors

We invite our members with experience in open source to volunteer as mentors to help other members who need guidance in open source. Then, we pair a mentor with a mentee (contributor or maintainer). They provide support through a 1:1, a pairing session, asynchronously on Slack, or whatever works best for them!

## Make Positive Impacts, Learn & Grow Together

Open source is more than code contributions. It's an opportunity to learn, grow, and make positive impacts. Answering questions, mentoring others, and creating content about open-source projects are valuable ways to support open-source.

It would be great if you can complete the Hacktoberfest. But it is also okay if you don't have four pull requests merged during Hacktoberfest. The experiences and lessons you get from contributing and supporting open source are what matters the most.

## Final Words

This year, Hacktoberfest is moving away from the t-shirt rewards. Although fun and motivating, contributing to open-source projects and participating in Hacktoberfest is much more than getting free swag. So, don't let this put off your spirit to make positive impacts in open source.

Let's make this year's Hacktoberfest a kickstart for your continuous growth in tech by supporting open source!