Joomla Pizza Bugs and Fun is an event like no other - for people who are close to its heart or who are just regular users of the platform. It’s where code meets community, and where even the smallest bug fix can spark a wave of collaboration.

As one contributor put it in the past:

"You come for the pizza, but you stay for the people. There’s something magical about watching a new user submit their first pull request while someone halfway across the world cheers them on."

But this event takes quite a team for this to happen...

Behind the Scenes: Where the Real Pizza Gets Cooked

Sure, Joomla’s Pizza Bugs and Fun (PBF) might look like a casual patch-testing/bug-squashing party with a side of pepperoni (no, we won't go over the eternal pizza topping feud: is it real pizza if you add pineapple?). But let’s be honest: this event runs on more than just enthusiasm and tomato sauce. It’s a full-blown production, and the preparation list is longer than your refund receipt.

From coordinating contributors across time zones to prepping scripts, the PBF team stirs, slices, and seasons every detail like master chefs in a bustling kitchen.

Here’s a taste of what goes into making PBF happen:

The Prep Kitchen

• Sponsorship reaching: Emails, follow-ups, and a sprinkle of charm to get those pizza boxes funded.
• Guided tour setup: to help newbies prepare their environment.
• Bug triage: maintainers, release managers and bug squad help sort, tag, and prioritize issues before the event even begins.
• Documentation crafting: guide participants edit user or developer pages.
• Community outreach: social posts, newsletters, and gentle nudges to get folks excited (and maybe a little hungry).
• Infrastructure checks: server instances and sanity checks to ensure participants can test patches.

The Day Of: Controlled Chaos with Extra Cheese

• Live mentoring, real-time debugging, and spontaneous "aha!" moments.
• Contributors from all over the globe joining in, some for the first time, others as seasoned veterans.
• A Mattermost channel buzzing like a beehive, with emojis flying and lots of yummy pictures.

The Afterparty (No, Not Just Leftovers)

• Pull requests reviewed and merged.
• Documentation updated.
• Lessons learned and shared.

Want a Slice of the Action Next Time?

If you’ve ever thought, "I wish I could help, but I’m not sure how," this is your moment. PBF isn’t just for coders: it’s for organizers, translators, designers, testers, mentors, and anyone who believes in the power of open source.

Putting the event together is like assembling a pizza from scratch. You need:

• A base of coordination: scheduling, communication, and making sure everyone knows what to do.
• A generous layer of tech prep: setting up environments and testing extensions.
• Toppings of creativity: writing onboarding guides, designing visuals, creating videos, crafting social posts, and making the experience welcoming.
• A dash of mentorship: guiding new contributors, answering questions, and cheering people on.

Organizing PBF is open to all. Whether you want to help organize, contribute code, or just make sure the pizza arrives on time, there’s a place for you. The next PBF is already on the horizon and with your help, it’ll be even better.

Join us in the OR PBF channel on Mattermost and reach out to Olivier @olivier-buisard to help prepare our January 2026 edition!