Nothing happens in the Algarve? Think again. On 13 March at 18:00, GeekSessions and Local Foundation are opening The Community Map at IPDJ Faro, an exhibition that brings together over 30 projects from communities across the region.

Technology, art, games, civic movements, social innovation, environmental action. The exhibition is free to visit and runs until 5 April.

The point of the Community Map is straightforward: to show what people in the Algarve have been building, often quietly, for years. And there is a lot to show.

Visitors will find, for instance, Comfy App, a free mental wellbeing app built for young people aged 12 to 18; Faro Resolve, which connects Faro residents to municipal services and local organisations; and Sports Hive, a platform where players, clubs and event organisers can find each other and set up games and events.

Tech communities are well represented on the map, with GeekSessions, GDG Faro, GDG Lagos, LOFT, Impact Hackers, Geek Girls Portugal, Algarve Tech Hub and Meetballs all featured, and more to be added as the ecosystem keeps growing.

On the social impact side, there is LOFT, the community that turned Loulé, Olhão, Faro and Tavira into a meeting point between international remote workers and locals who are building things on the ground. And Tempo de Acolher, which came out of the Impact Hackers hackathon with AIPAR and Salty Lavender, using storytelling and civic action to recruit foster families for children and young people in the region.

Some of these projects were made just for fun. Others through volunteering. Others with a clear social purpose. If it reflects what people across the Algarve are actually doing, it belongs on the map.

At the gallery, visitors can explore photographs and descriptions of each project. Then, on 21 March, the space changes. During GeekSessionsConf2026, the exhibition becomes hands-on: attendees will be able to try out the apps, watch live demos and meet the people behind the work. Conference tickets are available at geeksessionsconf.pt.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Once the physical exhibition closes on 5 April, the community map moves online to the Local Foundation website, where the full gallery stays available and anyone can submit new projects.

Curated by GeekSessions and Local Foundation. Part of the GeekSessionsConf2026 universe.

After the inauguration, everyone is invited to stay for Geek Copos, the informal gathering that GeekSessions was built on.

No agenda, just good conversations. Registration is free at luma.com/m2stx045.

Event: The Community Map Inauguration + Geek Copos
Date: 13 March 2026, 18:00
Exhibition runs: 13 March to 5 April 2026 Venue: IPDJ Faro, Rua da PSP, Edifício IPDJ, 8000‑408 Faro, Portugal
Registration: luma.com/m2stx045
GeekSessionsConf2026: 21 March 2026, geeksessionsconf.pt
Community: geeksessions.io
Contact: geeksessions@gmail.com