Hacktoberfest 2025 is a global, month-long event occurring in October that invites developers worldwide to contribute to open-source projects, with an emphasis on inclusivity beyond code contributions. Participants can register anytime before October 31 and are encouraged to make at least six high-quality pull or merge requests on GitHub or GitLab projects marked with the "hacktoberfest" topic. Contributions can include code, documentation, design, testing, and writing. Successful participants receive digital badges, and the first 10,000 to complete the challenge earn a limited edition T-shirt. The event also highlights the importance of project maintainers, who are encouraged to prepare their repositories to welcome contributions by adding relevant labels and guidelines. Supported by sponsors like Major League Hacking (MLH), Hacktoberfest aims to foster the growth of the open-source community and encourages both newcomers and seasoned contributors to engage meaningfully.