Grafana Labs conducts company-wide hackathons three times a year, providing employees a week to step away from their usual tasks to innovate and create freely. These events, averaging 130 participants and producing over 150 projects within eight months, foster a competitive yet collaborative environment where creativity thrives without the constraints of regular work mandates. Hosted by Grafana's podcast, "Grafana's Big Tent," the hackathons encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and are celebrated with presentations at company all-hands meetings. Projects range from fun experiments, like running Doom on Grafana, to significant contributions added to the product roadmap. The hackathons are gamified with judging and prize money, adding an element of competition, though the main motivator remains the opportunity for creative expression and collaboration. This initiative allows Grafana employees to pursue personal interests, solve practical problems, and maintain the innovative spirit that characterizes the company.