Hackathons have emerged as powerful catalysts for community engagement and collaboration, especially within the realm of open-source software development. These events bring together developers from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared passion for technology and a desire to create something that might change the world for the better. By hosting a hackathon for your local open-source community, you not only provide a platform for talent to showcase their skills, but also foster a sense of belonging and collective purpose. Hackathons encourage creativity, knowledge sharing, and enable participants to focus on the joy of coding while in a supportive and fun environment. At the end of the day, hackathons are a great place to meet new lifelong friends while getting to learn the latest and greatest in technology. In this tech talk, I'll share my previous experience as the co-founder of HackDavis (UC Davis's major collegiate hackathon), as well as my involvement in more corporate hackathons that I've hosted during my time at Amazon and Square. I'll go over key elements of a great hackathon, such as sponsorship, mentorship, finding a venue, organizing workshops, and how to create an inclusive judging process. I'll go over local open source hackathons that you can participate in as well, such as Google Summer of Code and Hacktoberfest. By the end of the talk, you'll be able to spin one up in your local community back home, or attend one yourself!