The registration for the FSF40 celebration is open. We hope you'll
join us for the festivities on October 4, 2025, at the Wentworth
Institute of Technology in Boston, MA, USA!
"4 decades, 4 freedoms, 4 all users" is the slogan of our fortieth
anniversary year. Throughout 2025, we're celebrating the fortieth
anniversary of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) with several
initiatives from LibreLocal month in May to the in-person
celebration in October to a free software hackathon in November.
All these activities aim to bring the international free software
community together, celebrate forty years of activism and all that
we've achieved together, and discuss what we can do next to make the
world freer. When we look back to 1985, we can see just how many
stepping stones on the road to software freedom we've already laid
together. We're eager to continue building the road ahead with you.
Are you ready?
On October 4, 2025, the day when the FSF actually turns forty, we
invite you to celebrate the free software philosophy with us at our
home base in Boston, MA, USA. After one year of working almost
entirely remotely, we are especially excited to welcome you back for
this occasion!
To those coming from abroad: we are aware that not everyone can enter
the US, and we are deeply sorry if this affects you! We know that
there are also many free software enthusiasts who cannot leave the US
and would not be able to follow the event to another country. Please
know that we did not take the decision to stay in Boston lightly.
Boston is the FSF's home base, and for the fortieth anniversary we
thought it fitting to celebrate close to where everything began. We
promise you: we will organize more events in countries where those who
can't enter the US will be able to attend in person in the future. We
invite you to email us at [email protected] with suggestions of
where you want us to have events next and what type of events you
would like to attend. If you will not be attending the live
celebration in Boston, we'd love to see you join virtually via
livestream.
The program, which is jam-packed with talks and roundtable discussions
by important community members, starts at 10:00 EDT and will run
through 17:30 EDT. The celebration will be followed by the annual
associate member meeting from 17:45 to 19:00 EDT. After the associate
member meeting, we cordially invite you to hang out at a local bar
with us to round the celebration off.
Please register
As with most of our events, students and FSF associate members attend
the FSF40 celebration gratis. Not an associate member? Join
today for $12 per month ($6 for students), or register for FSF40
at our nonmember rate (details below). If you become an associate
member, you support us in advocating for your user rights and
help us organize community events to aid free software enthusiasts all
over the world in staying connected and realizing that they're not
alone but part of a big community. Furthermore, you can enjoy all the
benefits that we grant our associate members. FSF associate
members will also be invited to participate in the annual
associate membership meeting.
No matter if you attend the FSF40 celebration as an associate member
or not, in person or online, please register in advance so we can
anticipate how many people will be welcoming. Knowing this helps us
plan the proper resources needed to host both the virtual and the
in-person event.
Registration levels
In-person Participant: enter at no cost as an associate member or
opt to pay the regular price.
Come to Boston and enjoy the unmatched in-person event experience. The
event will be held at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, the same
lively campus where LibrePlanet 2024 was held. Meet friends, both old
and new; see the speakers up close and personal; and chat casually
with fellow advocates during coffee breaks.
Associate members and students enter free of charge; nonmembers can
register for the FSF40 celebration at our nonmember rate of $50. You
will only be admitted to the in-person celebration if you have
registered as an in-person participant. Register to the in-person
event now.
Online participant: registration is gratis.
The "Online Participant" level grants you general access to watch the
talks and workshops online on fsf.org/events. As always, we will
broadcast the talks and workshops via a fully free software
livestream. Everyone will be able to join the discussion via the
general #fsf IRC channel on Libera.Chat. Registration is gratis and
helps us plan the amount of server space we need, and it is useful to
know expected participation numbers as we reach out to prospective
volunteers for things like moderation. It also ensures you won't be
left out of any important communications about the event. Register to
the online event now.
Stalwart: your financial support helps us create a memorable event.
No matter if you attend online or in person, your additional financial
support helps us create a memorable event for many people all over the
globe. With your $200 USD contribution, you fund essentials like our
fully free servers and hosting, gratis admission for students, and
refreshments for attendees. You also make it possible for us to devote
the substantial amount of time necessary to organize everything. For
supporting the event at this higher level, you receive our specially
designed and ethically manufactured FSF40 T-shirt and you can meet
with multiple FSF staff members to chat about a free software topic of
your interest. You will also get an hour of free licensing
consultation, or advice in any other field where we might be able to
help.
Sponsoring and exhibitors
Present your brand, company, or organization to the more than two
million annual unique web visitors on fsf.org. Your support will help
sustain and energize the free software community, and thereby raise
your company's profile among developers, students, activists, legal
and policy experts, free software and technology enthusiasts, and
potential employees.
Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities can be found in the FSF40
sponsorship prospectus or in this informational flyer.
All materials must be submitted by September 15, 2025, to
guarantee inclusion at the celebration. Please don't hesitate to
contact me at [email protected] with any questions you may have.
Volunteer remotely or in person
We are looking for volunteers who can either support us on-site or
online. We'll be looking for people who can help us with the GNU Press
booth, registration, and room monitoring, all important tasks that help
make the event a success. While volunteering, you can learn from others
and thereby further refine your organizational or technical skills. To
thank you for volunteering, you'll receive an FSF40 T-shirt free of
charge. For in-person volunteers, we'll also serve lunch on October
4. Please email [email protected] and let us know whether you want
to volunteer in person or remotely.
Register for the FSF40 celebration today, network with other free
software supporters, and join us in celebrating forty years of
commitment to software freedom!
I hope to see you at the FSF40 celebration on October 4!
