AWS - Modern CDN Wizardry: Mastering the Magic
2025-11-04 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Toronto) | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

🚀 Ready to master the magic of modern content delivery?

Make everything your users touch online from photos to full web apps, APIs, and interactive experiences better, faster, more secure.

Join us on Tuesday, Nov 4 at 6:30 PM at Hackforge HQ & on Zoom for the next Windsor AWS User Group Meetup:

🎩 Modern CDN Wizardry: Mastering the Magic

Get ready to uncover the secrets behind lightning-fast, globally optimized experiences that feel like pure magic.

⭐Deliver massive global static sites at ultra-low cost⚡Accelerate dynamic APIs across continents🧙Secure entire workloads before traffic hits your backend🧙 Add intelligence, personalization, and edge-powered compute that makes apps feel instantly responsive

Whether you build for scale, speed, or security, this session will show you how to turn the edge into your competitive advantage.

🗓️ Date: Tuesday, Nov 4⏱️ Time: 6:30 -8 PM📍 Location: Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Suite 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via ZoomSeats fill fast — RSVP today and bring a friend who loves tech!

Come learn, connect, and level up your AWS cloud skills with Windsor’s growing cloud community.

🎁Plus, you will win some exclusive AWS swag just for joining us!

End of Year Mixer
2025-11-07 20:00 - 22:00 | ekō, 261 Pelissier St, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 4K2, Canada
📍 ekō (261 Pelissier St, Windsor, ON)👥 In Person Only💲 Free

Hackforge is closing out the year in style with snacks, stories, and a little bit of geeky fun! Join us for our End-of-Year Mixer as we celebrate all things open source, local tech, and community collaboration.

We’ll be hanging out at ekō, downtown Windsor’s hi-fi high dive, so come on out ready for some fun and friends, both new and old. Expect a laid-back evening filled with good vibes. Whether you joined us for Linux installs, A.I. talks, mapmaking adventures, or glowing art nights, we’re raising a glass to everyone who made this community shine.

We’ll be raffling off some awesome “It Was DNS” 3D-printed signs at 9 PM! Everyone in attendance will get a ticket, totally free! Each ticket includes your name and email, so if you need to leave early, you’ll still be in the running.

This is a 19+ Event.Snacks provided free.Guests are welcome to purchase their own drinks at the bar.

📆 Nov. 7🕦 8PM📍 ekō (261 Pelissier St, Windsor, ON)🎟️ Please RSVP below (drop-in style in effect, but we’re nerds and like to have numbers)💲FREE!

OpenStreetMap: Note Resolution
2025-11-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥 In Person Only💲 Free

When someone is unable to enter data directly into OpenStreetMap, they have the option to offer the information as a “Note.” Notes might be business information, details about road surface quality, or pointing out an error in the data. These geo-tagged text strings offer an account-free, low-barrier-of-entry method for people to contribute to OSM.

Notes make their way into OSM through a few methods. Certain projects – like onosm.org – focus entirely on sharing info to OSM as notes. OSM.org allows users to enter notes directly through the web-browser – no need to even open iD! Numerous mobile apps also offer notes as a form of data entry, as some data is just too finnicky to enter via mobile.

However they all got there, Windsor and Essex County currently feature somewhere around 40 open notes. So this month we’re going to work on cleaning those up! Some of these notes are relatively new, while others have been sitting around for a while. We’ll gather in-person at Windsor Hackforge from 6 – 8 PM on Tuesday, November 11th to take care of as many as we can. Whether you’re new to OSM or have been around for a minute, we’d love to have your help and input!

📆 Tuesday, November 11🕦 6 – 8 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)🎟️RSVP below

What I Learned Building My Own AI Agent: An Evening with Doug Sartori
2025-11-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Ever wondered what it takes to build your own AI agent from scratch? Join Doug Sartori (Parallel 42 Systems) for a behind-the-scenes look at what he’s learned on his journey creating a fully functional AI assistant using Python.

Key Takeaways:

🔌Connecting your AI to tools☁️Cloud vs. local models for this use case🔒Security and privacy considerations

Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a Python tinkerer, or just curious about the future of personal agents, this talk will give you the insights (and cautionary tales) you need to start your own build.

📆 Nov. 14🕦 6-8PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Suite 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

Celebrate GIS day!
2025-11-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

This event is an official esri GIS Day event! Curious about the spatial side of data science? Announcing the launch of Windsor-Essex GIS (weGIS), a brand-new Hackforge group dedicated to the dynamic and ever-evolving world of geographic information systems! And there’s no better time to kick this thing off than GIS Day (November 19th), a global celebration of GIS as a technology and industry.

Join Theo Walschots on this special day as he goes over a primer on GIS, the goal of Hackforge weGIS, as well as what kind of content and events you can expect in the future. This group is for all experience levels and will aim to be as accessible as possible by leveraging free, open-source software. Please don’t hesitate to come out!

After the debrief there will be time for cake and discussion as we celebrate yet another thriving and successful year in GIS! 🎂🌎Learn more about GIS and GIS Day at www.gisday.com🎂Did we mention there will be cake?

📆 Nov 19🕦 6-8PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

LUG November Social
2025-11-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: November 27, 2025🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

Building Smarter Chatbots
2025-11-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Modern AI is powerful but it doesn’t know your business.

In this live demo, Raneem Ghalion, AI Business Strategy Consultant (Adopli AI) will demonstrate how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) connects a language model to your own data for accurate, context-aware answers.

You’ll see a working prototype built live, understand the workflow (LLM + vector database + pipeline), and leave with a clear checklist to ship your first data-aware chatbot.

Key takeaways:

How retrieval + generation work together

Minimum viable RAG stack (LangChain, Pinecone, Bedrock, n8n)

Steps to connect your own docs and deploy

Format: 20-min intro → 45-min live RAG build (LLM + vector DB + data pipeline) → 20-min Q&A → 15-min networking

📆 Fri., Nov. 28, 2025🕦 6-8 PM📍Hackforge HQ & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

DOSember
2025-12-12 18:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥 In Person Only💲 Free

Step back into the world of classic computing with DOSember!

Celebrate the charm of DOS-era gaming and coding through hands-on activities, retro challenges, and pure nostalgia. We’re bringing back the look, feel, and spirit of early PC culture, right down to the text-based screens and pixel-perfect games that defined a generation.

Whether you’re a veteran of the command line or brand-new to the world of DOS, this throwback event has something for everyone. Explore the tools and tricks that powered early computing, rediscover the games that shaped PC history, and experience the creative limitations that sparked so much innovation. DOSember is all about having fun, learning something new, and reconnecting with where modern tech began.

Please install DOS Box on the machine you intend to bring so you’re ready to go!

What’s in store:• Retro playtime• Hands-on coding• Meet fellow enthusiasts

📆Dec. 12, 2025🕦6-9 PM📍In-Person at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Suite 210)🎟️RSVP below

LUG December Social
2025-12-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: December 18, 2025🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

TTRPG Day @ Hackforge (INVITE ONLY)
2025-12-20 00:00 - 23:59 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥 In Person Only (Invite-Only)💲 Free

Complete the 2025 Community Survey and enter to win a seat at Hackforge’s Invite-Only TTRPG table!There’s an empty spotIn our Adventure PartyYou up to the task?

Complete the surveyAnd win the draw to join usLuck be on your side

Word on the street is that Doug is dicing up something delicious!

👉Survey here📆 Dec. 20, 2025📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210)

LUG January Social
2026-01-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: January 8, 2026🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

From BASIC to Modern: Porting Classic Games to Modern Systems
2026-01-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Ever wondered what it was like to make games in the early days of personal computing, when you typed code straight from a book and hit “run”? Retro Code Revival is a hands-on event inspired by the classic BASIC Computer Games era, and the 1973 book 101 BASIC Computer Games by David H. Ahl, where simple ideas, clever logic, and creativity mattered more than graphics or hardware power.

In this event, we’ll take old school, text-based, and early computer games and bring them into the present. Participants will explore how these games worked, and how they can be ported to modern systems. Whether you recreate the game faithfully or give it a modern twist, the goal is to learn, experiment, and have fun while preserving the spirit of early game design.

This is a collaborative, beginner-friendly space for programmers, gamers, and curious tinkerers alike. You don’t need to be an expert, just interested in how old ideas can live again on new systems.

What You’ll Take Away:🎮 How to make a modern version of a classic game💡 A better understanding of game logic, constraints, and design fundamentals🤝 New skills and inspiration going into Global Game Jam 2026

📆 Jan. 13, 2026🕦 6-8 PM📍Hybrid (Hackforge HQ @ 300 Ouellete Ave, Suite 210) and Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

Shader Playground: Create Stunning Visuals in Your Browser
2026-01-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥In Person Only 💲 Free

Using GPUs? For graphics??? In this economy? Shader Playground is a hands-on event where you’ll dive into the world of GPU programming right from your browser. Using Shadertoy, you can experiment with live graphics code, tweak samples, and see your changes instantly. It’s a fun way to explore how graphics run on GPUs instead of CPUs, letting you create vibrant visual effects and animations with surprisingly little setup.

This event is perfect for anyone curious about graphics programming or creative coding. You’ll get to play with existing shaders, build your own visual experiments, and learn the tricks behind dynamic, real-time graphics. No experience is required, just an interest in making things look amazing on screen and a willingness to tinker.

What you’ll take away:– Hands-on experience writing GPU-based pixel shaders in GLSL and creating visual effects– A fun way to see and learn how graphics programming takes advantage of parallel execution– Inspiration and skills to experiment with your own creative coding projects and give you more tools for your Global Game Jam experience

📆 Jan 16, 2026🕦 6-8 PM📍In-Person at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210)🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below

Exploring Map Data in Game Development
2026-01-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥In Person Only 💲 Free

In preparation for the 2026 Global Game Jam, OpenStreetMap Windsor-Essex invites you to an interactive workshop exploring how open geodata can be used in videogames.

While it might seem obvious to use the map data for…maps…That isn’t the only option! OSM can be utilized in text-based games, to determine POIs in mobile AR games, to generate geocentric quiz games, and more!

This session will combine:

✨Inspiration: See games that creatively use OSM data and brainstorm other ways to integrate geodata into your own projects.

🧪Hands-on Experimentation: Try out OSM-based game development using Godot, Unity, Blender, or the tools you know best. Tutorials and resource links will be provided, but attendees are welcome to test out their own methods and ideas.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Collaboration: Work with other participants to tackle challenges, share ideas, and learn from each other.

You’ll leave this workshop with a deeper understanding of how open geodata can enhance your game design and development process—and maybe even meet potential teammates for the Global Game Jam!

Tips for getting the most from this workshop:

Explore OSM Basics: Familiarize yourself with what OpenStreetMap is and its data structure. Recordings from past events on our YouTube channel can be a great starting point.

Temper Your Expectations: This workshop builds on existing knowledge of game, software, or web development – it’s hands-on and experimental, not a step-by-step tutorial. Beginners are welcome, but come ready to explore and experiment!

Prepare Your Tech: Bring your laptop with your preferred tools and platforms pre-installed so you can jump straight into experimentation.

📆 Tuesday, January 20, 2026🕦 6:30 – 8:30 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below

Basics of the Zettabyte File System (ZFS)
2026-01-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

At this month’s LUG event, we’ll be exploring the basics of the Zettabyte File System (ZFS) as well as discuss whether it would be a good choice for the root file system. All skill levels are welcome, but some basic knowledge of Linux will make the material easier to understand.

What to Expect:

Go over the basic concepts of ZFS

Explore core features of ZFS like: compression, redundancy, and encryption

Take a look at the pitfalls & benefits of using ZFS as a root file system

Learn about “out-of-tree” modules and DKMS

Discover why you’d want to use the ZFSBootMenu bootloader

Complete a demo Arch Linux install

📆 Jan 22🕦 7-9 PM📍 Hybrid at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

GLOBAL GAME JAM KICKOFF
2026-01-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Kick off Global Game Jam with us at Hackforge HQ or online via Discord and get ready for an exciting week of creativity, collaboration, and game development! This opening event sets the tone for the jam and gives you everything you need to dive in with confidence, whether you’re a first-time jammer or a seasoned pro.

We’ll get the engines running by watching the official Global Game Jam keynote together. During this keynote, the theme will be revealed! There will be time afterwards to discuss the theme and iron out any nerves. Got questions? Bring them with you! This isn’t our first rodeo and there will likely be many Game Jam vets present to help us answer any questions that are burning in your brain, making sure everyone’s confident moving forward. Next, we’ll focus on team formation. Participants can pitch ideas, share skills, and connect with others, and organizers will be on hand to help set teams and make sure no one is left out. Whether you come with a plan or are looking for collaborators, this is where teams come together.

Before kicking off development, we’ll wrap up with an important AI policy announcement, outlining what is and isn’t permitted during the jam. Once that’s covered, it’s time to get in the jam and start creating.

Hackforge welcomes folks from anywhere who are interested in creating any kind of game. Design and develop as part of a team or a solo jammer – whatever you prefer! All ages are welcome to participate, but anyone under 17 must be on a team with a parent or guardian.Throughout the week of the Jam, there will be opportunities for hybrid and virtual open work hours with your team. We’ll cap off the week with a Closing Party to put on final touches, submit your game, then show it off!

Open to all, not just participants!

📆 Jan 26, 2026🕦6PM-8PM📍Online via Discord🎟️Register for Global Game Jam at globalgamejam.org

Come for the knowledge, stay for the community, and get ready to make something incredible! 🎨👾

Global Game Jam Meetup-Day 2
2026-01-30 16:00 - 19:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Hybrid work hours during Global Game Jam 2026 are open, flexible sessions set aside for participants to spend time working on their games together in a shared space, or online via Discord. These hours are all about giving you the room, time, and community to collaborate, experiment, and make progress on your project.

During work hours, you’re encouraged to:

Work actively on your game, either solo or with your team

Collaborate, brainstorm, test ideas, and share feedback with other jammers

Use the space as a focused, supportive co-working environment

Staff will be on-site to open the space and help with basic needs, but these sessions are intentionally unstructured. There won’t be scheduled activities, presentations, or facilitated programming during work hours and staff will not be casually available, as they will be busy completing work. This time is yours to use in whatever way best supports your creative process.

If you’re interested in talks, workshops, or guided events, please see our other events, and consider joining our Discord or subscribing to our newsletter at hackf.org/join-our-newsletter. In-person work hours are simply a chance to come together, settle in, and build something great.

📆 Friday, Jan. 30🕦4-7 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave. Unit 210) & Online via Discord

Register for Global Game Jam at globalgamejam.org

Global Game Jam Meetup-Day 1
2026-01-30 17:00 - 19:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Hybrid work hours during Global Game Jam 2026 are open, flexible sessions set aside for participants to spend time working on their games together in a shared space, or online via Discord. These hours are all about giving you the room, time, and community to collaborate, experiment, and make progress on your project.

During work hours, you’re encouraged to:

Work actively on your game, either solo or with your team

Collaborate, brainstorm, test ideas, and share feedback with other jammers

Use the space as a focused, supportive co-working environment

Staff will be on-site to open the space and help with basic needs, but these sessions are intentionally unstructured. There won’t be scheduled activities, presentations, or facilitated programming during work hours and staff will not be casually available, as they will be busy completing work. This time is yours to use in whatever way best supports your creative process.

If you’re interested in talks, workshops, or guided events, please see our other events, and consider joining our Discord or subscribing to our newsletter at hackf.org/join-our-newsletter. In-person work hours are simply a chance to come together, settle in, and build something great.

📆 Thurs., Jan 29🕦5-7 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave. Unit 210) & Online via Discord

Register for Global Game Jam at globalgamejam.org

GLOBAL GAME JAM Closing
2026-02-01 14:00 - 19:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Wrap up an unforgettable week of game making by joining us for the 2026 Hackforge Global Game Jam Closing Party at Hackforge HQ or online via Discord! This is your chance to bring everything together and celebrate what you’ve built.

The afternoon will be focused on getting your game across the finish line. This is the perfect time to squash last-minute bugs, polish gameplay, finalize builds, and make sure your submission is ready to go. Fellow jammers and mentors will be around to offer feedback, help troubleshoot issues, or simply provide moral support as the clock winds down.

Once submissions are in, it’s time to relax and enjoy the results of an intense and inspiring week. At 5:00 pm, we’ll kick off a show and tell session where teams can present their games, share what worked (and what didn’t), and talk about the ideas and challenges behind their creations.

Whether you join us in person or online, everyone is welcome to watch, play, and cheer on the teams. Come celebrate the hard work, creativity, and community spirit that make Global Game Jam such a special experience!

📆 Feb 1🕦 2 – 7(ish) PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210) & Online via Discord

Register for Global Game Jam at globalgamejam.org

LUG February Social
2026-02-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: February 5, 2026🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

Throwback Playtest
2026-02-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥In Person Only 💲 Free

Coming in hot on the heels of last month’s Global Game Jam, we’re bringing GGJ games from Hackforgers and putting them in the spotlight. This Throwback Playtest Night is your chance to dive into games Hackforgers created during past Global Game Jams, including the freshest builds from January. Come play weird, wonderful, and unfinished-in-the-best-way games.

This event is for Hackforgers of all experience levels (game devs and non-devs alike) and anyone curious about indie games or the creative chaos that comes from making things together. You don’t need to have participated in a game jam to join, if you like playing games or talking about them, you belong here.

What to bringBring a laptop if you have one, especially if you want to jump between games or give hands-on feedback. Don’t worry if you don’t, we’ll have some laptops available to share.

Come play, laugh at bugs, discover hidden gems, and relive the joy of making games fast and weird…together.

What you’ll get out of it– 🎲 Play a variety of games made during past Global Game Jams-🤝 Connect with other Hackforgers and game-curious folks while celebrating jam culture

📆 February 17🕦 6:30-8:30 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210)🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below

OSM Social
2026-02-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)💻👥In Person Only 💲 Free

low-key event.

draw maps

talk about maps

think about maps

debate the role of open geodata in modern life

everyone welcome.

📆 Tuesday, February 24th🕦 6 – 8 PM📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210)🎟️RSVP Below!

Create Your Own Digital Maps Using QGIS and Geoenabled Data!
2026-03-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Let your creative side flourish during this choose your own adventure style map making tutorial, using the completely free and open source desktop GIS software, QGIS! 🗺️✍️

Join Theo Walschots in a follow-along map making session where attendees are guided through GIS map creation and taught essential cartographic principles. This guided tutorial is not strict and outside the box thinking is encouraged! Many different datasets will be made available, each with their own context and varying geometry. The goal is for every attendee to walk away with wildly different maps, reflecting that individual’s creativity as well as their respective dataset.

What to bringBring a laptop if you have one, with QGIS (qgis.org) installed.Don’t worry if you don’t, we’ll have some laptops available to share.

📆 March 4, 2026🕦 6-8 PM📍Hybrid (Hackforge HQ @ 300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210 & Online via Zoom)🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

LUG March Social
2026-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: March 5, 2026🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

Passion Project Lightning Talks
2026-03-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online💻👥 Hybrid💲 Free

Got a side project you can’t stop thinking about, a tool you’re obsessed with, or a weird tech idea that lights you up? Passion Projects Lightning Talks is a fast-paced, high-energy night of 5-minute talks where curiosity beats polish and enthusiasm is the main requirement.

This event is for developers, designers, founders, students, tinkerers, and anyone in tech who loves building, experimenting, or learning; whether you’re actively working on a project or just want to be inspired by what others are creating.

What to bringBring your curiosity, your passion (and slides if you’re speaking), and an open mind.A laptop is optional, questions are encouraged, and good vibes are mandatory.What you’ll get out of it

Share your passion with a group of likeminded folks

Learn from other folks’ passion projects

Network and find community

You’ll discover new ideas and tools you didn’t know you needed, get inspired to start or keep going on your own passion project, and connect with people who care deeply about building things just for the joy of it.

To sign up to give a lightning talk, please email Bolt by March 12th at 1pm EST at bolt@hackf.org. If you are planning on presenting via slides or media, please share the link(s)/slides in that email. We welcome online and in person talks!

📆 March 12, 2026🕦 6-8 PM📍Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave., Unit 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️RSVP for In-Person attendance below💻Register for virtual attendance via Zoom

Windsor C and C++ User Group Inaugural Meeting
2026-03-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online Via Zoom💻👥Hybrid💲 Free

The inaugural meeting of the Windsor C and C++ Users Group (WCCUG) will be on March 19th 2026 in-person at Hackforge. This is a new interest group, targeting C and C++ enthusiasts and active users.

To learn more about WCCUG, please visit wccug.org

“What’s your Interest?”We will be discussing plans for what we’d like future meetings to be about!

Feel free to bring projects to hack on, interesting code to share, or topics to discuss. Bryan will be bringing along a space-efficient implementation of the std::any class from the C++ Standard Library to talk about, but any and all digressions will be actively encouraged!

What to bringBring a laptop if you have one.Don’t worry if you don’t, we’ll have some laptops available to share.

Planning to attend? Please let us know! Register to attend in-person using the RSVP form below, or get the videoconference link by registering via Zoom.

📆 March 19,2026🕦 7-9 PM📍In-person at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave Unit 210) & Online via Zoom

Untangling Intersections with OSMPIE
2026-03-31 17:30 - 19:30 | Hackforge HQ, 300 Ouellette Ave Unit 210, Windsor, ON, N9A7B4, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online Via Zoom💻👥Hybrid💲 Free

This month’s OSM Windsor-Essex meetup introduces OSMPIE (OpenStreetMap Perfect Intersection Editor) – a specialized tool that makes creating accurate road structures surprisingly straightforward. Join fellow mappers to improve street data right here in our region, making navigation better for everyone who lives, works, and visits Windsor-Essex.

What you’ll gain:

Experience with a powerful editor designed specifically for complex road mapping

Connections with other civic-tech minded community members

Improved ability to accurately render real-world roadways in a digital space

What to bring:

A free OSM account (create one beforehand)

A wifi-enabled laptop (we have loaners available)

This is an intermediate-level event! Basic knowledge of Openstreetmap tagging schema is an asset (review recordings of past events to get caught up)

Planning to attend? Please let us know! Register to attend in-person using the RSVP form below, or get the videoconference link by registering via Zoom.

📆 Tuesday, March 31🕦 5:30 – 7:30 PM📍In-person at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave Unit 210) & Online via Zoom

LUG April Social
2026-04-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Hackforge HQ, 300 Ouellette Ave Unit 210, Windsor, ON, N9A7B4, Canada
📍Discord💻Virtual Only💲 Free

Come join us as we nerd out about Linux at this month’s Hackforge Linux User Group Virtual Social!

What to Expect:

Help with Problems: Bring your Linux-related queries and let our community experts assist you in finding solutions.

Current Events Discussion: Stay updated and engage in discussions about the latest happenings in the Linux world.

This virtual social event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow Linux enthusiasts, learn, and have fun!

Hope to see you all there!

📆 Date: April 9, 2026🕦Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (EST)📍 Virtual Event on Discord

Passions, People & Possibilities Fair
2026-04-11 10:00 - 14:30 | Fogolar Furlan, 1800 North Service Rd, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 1Y3, Canada
📍 Fogolar Furlan (1800 N Service Rd, Windsor)👥 In Person Only 💲 Free

Come see Hackforge’s booth at Windsor-Essex Family Network’s Passions, People & Possibilities Fair! We’ll have some Hackforge info and a few Hackforgers on hand.

If you’ve ever wondered about Hackforge, now’s your chance to ask your questions in person, in a community-based fair full of fund groups, clubs, and passions to discover!

ONE EVENT. TWO ROOMS. ONE COMMUNITY.

This event is a high-energy, community-building effort, designed to bring people together around what they love.

For more info, please visit ﻿WindsoressexfamnetPassions, People & Possibilities Fair﻿

📆 April 11🕦 10:30am – 2:30pm📍Fogolar Furlan (1800 N Service Rd, Windsor, ON N8W 1Y3)🎟️ Free (Donation Suggested)

Group Project Kickoff & How to Compile your 1st project
2026-04-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Windsor Hackforge, 300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210, Windsor, Ontario, N9A7B4, Canada
📍 Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave, Unit 210) & Online Via Zoom💻👥Hybrid💲 Free

The latest installment of WCCUG will kick off with a 30-minute group brainstorming session, where we’ll collaborate on ideas and directions for our first group project. This will be followed by a one-hour optional workshop on how to compile your first project (perfect for beginners or anyone looking for a refresher). Participants who prefer can use this time to begin working on the project independently. We’ll wrap up with a 30-minute closing session to share progress, discuss challenges, and outline next steps.

What to Bring

Please bring your own laptop if possible. A limited number of spare laptops will be available, if you need one, please email us ahead of time at bolt@hackf.org so we can reserve it for you.

What You’ll Walk Away With

A clear understanding of how to compile and run your first project

Hands-on experience starting and working through a real project

New ideas and insights from collaborative brainstorming and peer discussion

RSVP Required

Please make sure to RSVP in advance using the provided website. This helps us plan resources, seating, and equipment to ensure the best experience for everyone.

📆 March 19,2026🕦 7-9 PM📍In-person at Hackforge HQ (300 Ouellette Ave Unit 210) & Online via Zoom🎟️ RSVP Below for In-Person & via Zoom for Virtual
