Pizza Bugs and Fun is just around the corner, and we’d love to have you join us! Round up all your Joomla friends for an unforgettable get together on August 21 and 22, 2026. It doesn't matter if you're a Joomla novice or an experienced developer, a techie or a regular user: there's something to do and to learn for everyone.

What is Pizza Bugs & Fun?

Pizza Bugs & Fun (PBF) is a global Joomla gathering where people team up to test, fix, and improve Joomla, while hanging out, learning from each other, and yes… enjoying pizza.
You don’t need to be a developer to join. If you use Joomla, want to learn more, or simply enjoy helping out, you’re absolutely welcome.

What do participants actually do?

• Try out new features coming in Joomla 6.2
• Help confirm and reproduce bugs
• Improve documentation
• Get a peek behind the scenes of Joomla development
• Collaborate with friendly folks from all over the world

Most tasks are quick and easy, and there’s always someone around to guide you.

How can you prepare as a Joomla User Group leader?

If you are running a Joomla User Group and want to get your community ready for Pizza Bugs & Fun, here are some easy, friendly ways to set things up so everyone feels welcome and confident jumping in.

Warm up your community

• Let your members know that anyone can participate, no coding skills required
• Share a quick message in your usual channels (newsletter, WhatsApp, Meetup, Facebook, Mastodon, etc.) explaining what PBF is and why it’s fun
• Remind people that tasks are small, guided, and perfect for beginners.

Plan your local meetup (if you’re hosting one)

• Pick a comfortable place: coworking space, office, library room, or even a café that doesn’t mind laptops
• Decide whether you’ll run a full session or just a casual drop‑in
• Make sure there is Wi‑Fi, power outlets, and enough space for laptops

Sort out the essentials

• Pizza (obviously). Or snacks if pizza isn’t practical. We will reimburse your pizzas (make sure you can prove people participated: pictures, tests run, docs written)
• Drinks, water, coffee, whatever keeps the energy up
• A few printed cheat sheets with PBF instructions

Get your own setup ready

• Make sure you can log into GitHub and Mattermost
• Familiarize yourself with the PBF documentation/videos so you can guide newcomers
• Test your environment ahead of time if you are planning on providing your own servers (Joomla install, testing instructions, etc.)

Help people get started

During the event, your role is mostly about making people feel comfortable:

• Welcome newcomers and help them pick a simple first task
• Encourage people to work in pairs or small groups
• Celebrate small wins. Confirming a bug or improving a doc is already a big contribution

Connect with the global PBF

• Join the Mattermost channel (OR PBF) so your group can chat with other participants worldwide
• Share photos or updates, it helps build the global community vibe

Keep the atmosphere fun

• Play some music, keep the tone light, and make it social
• Remind everyone that the goal isn’t perfection: it’s collaboration, learning, and enjoying the Joomla community

After the event

• Thank your participants
• Share what your group accomplished
• Invite people to your next JUG meeting while the momentum is still fresh

That's it!

At the end of the day, Pizza Bugs & Fun is all about coming together, learning something new, and having a good time. Whether your group is big or small, your leadership helps make the Joomla community stronger. We can’t wait to see what your JUG brings to the event!

For any questions, documentation, please contact the team on Mattermost at OR PBF. 

PBF website: https://pizza-bugs-fun.com/