[Call for Meetup Leaders] – Celebrating 10 Years of Legacy: Unofficial LocalGuidesConnect Worldwide 10th Birthday Celebration 🪅

[KashifMisidia]

​Hello, my dear Local Guides family,

​The month of July is here, and for me, it has always been the most significant time of the year. This isn’t just another month on the calendar; it is the anniversary of the space that changed our lives, Local Guides Connect.

As we approach July 15th, 2026, we aren’t just celebrating a platform; we are celebrating 10 years of stories, 10 years of global impact, and a decade of friendships that started with a simple map edit and blossomed into lifelong bonds across continents.

​Turning 10 is a monumental milestone, a full decade of voices finding purpose, contributions reaching millions, and the birth of connections fueled by shared passions. This year is different; it is a tribute to a community that has truly stood the test of time, geography, and culture.

​A Decade of Memories: From 2019 to 2026

​I still remember back in 2019, when the idea of an “Unofficial Birthday Celebration” first sparked in my mind. Along with my friend
@ OmerAli , we decided that if we celebrate birthdays with our biological families, why should we stay silent about the family that unites us across borders?

​That thought transformed into a movement. For eight consecutive years, I have had the honor of calling upon you to turn the world into a party for Connect. Looking back at our journey:

• ​2019 (3rd Birthday): We took the first step, turning digital connections into real-world meetups.

• ​2020-2024: We faced challenges, moved to virtual spaces, grew our accessibility missions, and kept the flame of community spirit burning through every season.

• ​2025: We celebrated the 20th birthday of Google Maps and the 10th year of the Local Guides program.

​Our Decade of Flame:

• ​2019 (3rd Birthday): The beginning of our global journey Mega Recap.

• ​2020 (4th Birthday): Keeping the spirit alive during challenging times Call for Meetup Leaders.

• ​2021 (5th Birthday): A year of massive impact Mega Recap.

• ​2022 (6th Birthday): Driving change across the map Call for Meetup Leaders.

• ​2023 (7th Birthday): Celebrating seven years of community Call for Meetup Leaders.

• ​2024 (8th Birthday): A collective effort with my dear friends
  @ JaneBurunina, @ TusharSuradkar,
  @ NareshDarji, and @ SholaIB
  Call for Meetup Leaders.

• ​2025 (9th Birthday): The year of double milestones (Google Maps 20th & Local Guides 10th).

And now, 2026 brings us to the 10th Birthday of Local Guides Connect. Ten years of being the heartbeat of the mapping world. I am honestly overwhelmed with pride and emotion looking at how far we have come. The celebrations for Connect’s 10th Birthday have already begun, which many of you have already seen through @ErmesT’ celebratory initiative, ‘#LGConnectTurns10: Celebrating 10 Years in our Global Village!’ and @Nareshdarji ’s lovely initiative, ‘Join the #MyConnectCaravan Campaign: Celebrating 10 Years of Connect!’

​And now, you are seeing the tradition we have carried forward for eight consecutive years, celebrating Connect’s birthday in our own unique style: by hosting meetups. This is how our Local Guides and the entire Connect family around the world come together to mark this special occasion.

Thank you for the photos Tushar Bhai , Naresh bhai @Cecilita & @LightRich

​The Call for the 10th Anniversary

We are inviting every single one of you—whether you are a veteran of the first hour or someone who just joined our community—to join me in making this 10th-anniversary celebration the most impactful one yet.

​From July 1st to July 31st, 2026, let’s fill the map with meetups. Whether it is a small gathering in your local park, a grand food crawl, an accessibility walk, or a virtual “Gup-Shup” session, your contribution matters.

Here are some ways you can participate:

• Support small businesses by updating their information on Google Maps.

• Go on a map-editing walk to improve the accuracy of Google maps.

• Capture photos of tourist attractions in your city and add them to Google Maps by a Photo Walk.

• Enjoy food adventure, taking photos and adding details on Google Maps about restaurants in a Food Crawl Meetup.

• Conduct Accessibility walks to provide useful information on Google Maps for the people with different abilities.

• Organize environmental meetups to Beach clean up or plant trees with other Local Guides.

• Host knowledge-sharing sessions, either in person or virtually.

• Arrange virtual meetups to discuss skills and tips that can help local businesses.

To make an impact, let’s:

• Encourage new Local Guides to host or join their first meetup.

• Show our support and enthusiasm at every event.

• Focus on making high-quality contributions to Google Maps.

​How to be part of this Historic Milestone:

1. ​Plan Your Activity: Think about what defines your local community. Is it mapping small businesses? A photo walk? A tree plantation? Or just a coffee meetup to discuss our journey?

2. ​Submit Your Meetup: Head over to the Meet-ups page on Connect. Or Click at “Create,” select “New Meet-up,” and make sure to enter all the details clearly.

3. ​The Essential Tags: Please tag your meetups with #LGCBirthday and #LGC10Years #Connectturns10 so we can create a central hub for all our celebrations.

4. ​Capture and Share: The memories are the greatest gift. Don’t forget to share your recap posts with photos, videos, and stories.

5. Make sure to give a shout-out to Connect’s 10th Birthday in your meetup posts and tag me, Jane, or Naresh. If your event is already live, just drop our names in the comments of your meetup post! We want to add your meetup to our main thread and join in on the celebration with you.

​Need a helping hand?

Hosting your first meetup can be nerve-wracking, but you are not alone. Our community has built a library of resources to help you:

• ​How to organize a successful meet-up. By Googler

• ​Prepare for a Meetup Submission by @AdrianLunsong.

• ​9 Tips to Host a Successful Meetup by @JanVanHaver.

• ​Connect with Local Guides in Your Area by @ TusharSuradkar.

• ​How to Write engaging recaps? by @JaneBurunina

• Accessibility Walk Meet-up Tips By Googler

• How to write a recap for your virtual meet-up By Googler

• How To Host A Productive Accessibility Walk? - Tips & Suggestions By
  @ KashifMisidia

• How to host a great knowledge sharing meetup? By
  @ KashifMisidia

• Introducing the Monthly Community-Led Meet-up Leaderboard

• By @ SharmaK

​My Personal Invitation

This platform has given us so much, a voice, a purpose, and friends who truly feel like family. This 10th anniversary is a tribute to all of us. It is a tribute to the dedicated souls who map in every situation, to those who contribute businesses to Google Maps for the benefit of others, and to the mentors who guide new members every single day.

​I am eagerly looking forward to seeing your creative and inspiring events on the map.

Let’s show the world that after a decade, the Local Guides spirit is not just alive, it is thriving.

​Let’s celebrate, let’s connect, and let’s make this 10th anniversary a historic one together.

A Video From Euro Meetup 2026, Thanks you @LuigiZ

Meet-ups for Connect’s 10th Birthday Celebrations (By Country Names Alphabetically) :

Argentina - [In-Person] Argentina, July 05, Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences of Buenos Aires

By @Maximilianozalazar
Sunday, July 5th , 2026
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Argentina - [Hybrid] Argentina, July 25, Cumpleaños 10° de Connect

By @EugeGallardo
Sunday, July 26th , 2026
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Bangladesh - [In-Person] Bangladesh, July 16, Padma Meetup | LGC 10th Anniversary (Unofficial)

By @ MohammadPalash
Thursday, July 16th , 2026
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Bangladesh - [In-Person] Bangladesh, July 24, 10th Connect Day & Pre-Connect Live Singapore 2026 Meetup | BDLG Meetup #291

By @Papel_Mahammud
Friday, July 24th , 2026
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Bangladesh - [In-Person] Bangladesh, July 25, Celebrating 10th Connect Day 2026

By @AbdullahAM
Saturday, July 25th , 2026
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Brazil - [Virtual] July 21, 10 ANOS DE CONNECT #Connectturns10

By @ SarahKa
Wednesday, July 22nd , 2026
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Cambodia- [In-Person] Cambodia, July 25, Before Connect Live Singapore: Cambodia Local Guides Community Meetup

By @SophatCHY
Saturday, July 25th , 2026
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India - [Virtual] India, July 11, Ghumakkad Gossip V2: Make Every Contribution Count: Your Digital Footprint Matters

By @Kumaarsantosh
Saturday, July 11th , 2026
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India - [In-Person] India, July 12, LG Connect Turns 10 – Celebrating Our Global Village

By @curatorofmemory
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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India - [In-Person] India, July 14, Celebrating 10 Years of Connect at Trivandrum: #LGConnectTurns10 Meetup

By @Rahul001
Tuesday, July 14th , 2026
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India - [In-Person] India, July 15, #LGConnectTurns10 - Meet & Greet Celebration

By @SharmaKK
Wednesday, July 15th , 2026
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India - [Virtual] India, July 19, Greet & Share LG Connect Stories and Celebrate the 10th Anniversary - TravellerG

By @TravellerG
Sunday, July 19th , 2026
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India - [In-Person] India, July 28, Terminal Talks | BOM

By @ framesbysumedh
Tuesday, July 28th , 2026
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India - [In-Person] India, July 28, Pre-ConnectLive Singapore Meetup @ IGI Airport T2

By @ curatorofmemory
Tuesday, July 28th , 2026
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India - [Hybrid] India, July 11, Where Should We Go in Pune? ASK Maps Decides!

By @ Tushar_Suradkar
Saturday, July 11th , 2026
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India - [Virtual] July 09, Virtual Accessibility Check - Making Maps Better

By @Ayaanali
Thursday, July 9th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 12, Connect through Stories #07: Lacak Bedak & Jajan Mbois Malang #LGConnectTurns10

By @NunungAfuah
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 05, #LGConnectTurns10, Bogor Local Guide sharing with coffee

By @DeeDesty
Sunday, July 5th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 04-05, Photo & Video Walk : Hiking & Camping - Ranu Kumbolo

By @inadwiana
Saturday, July 4th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 04, Photowalk ke Lokasi Vintage

By @ AnisaAe
Saturday, July 4th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 12, [Offline] Meet the Connect Moderator: Learn, Share & Ask Anything! #LGConnectTurns10

By @ JeffryRisandy
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 18, Bites & Reviews: Community Meet-up at Rotina Bakery

By @ doc_dells
Saturday, July 18th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 19, Photowalk Tegaron Waterfall

By @ viradhiafikri
Sunday, July 19th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 28, Meet Up Local Guides x UMKM

By @AnisaAe
Tuesday, July 28th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 24, Photo Walk and Explore: Baluran National Park & Hiking to Ijen Crater

By @abhie_mh90
Saturday, July 25th , 2026
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Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 25, Connect Through Nature: Mt. Bekel Photowalk #LGConnectTurns10

By @JeffryRisandy
Saturday, July 25th , 2026
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Italy - [Virtual] Italy, July 15, LGConnectTurns10: Celebrating 10 Years in our Global Village! - Virtual Meet-up

By @ErmesT & @KarenVChin
Wednesday, July 15th , 2026
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Japan - [In-Person] Japan, July 20, LG’s Get-Together and Vibrant Food Crawl - an unofficial celebration of 10th Anniversary of Connect

By @Trishatishu
Monday, July 20th , 2026
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Mexico - [Virtual] July 11, Tell us your Story ! | L’Équipe Francophone #LGConnectTurns10

By @cuicani
Saturday, July 11th , 2026
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Mexico - [Virtual] July 11, Tell us! How did it all start? | LatAm #LGConnectTurns10

By @ cuicani
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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Mexico - [In-Person] Mexico, July 18, Meetup & Photo Walk CDMX | ¡Connect cumple 10! #LGConnectTurns10

By @LightRich
Saturday, July 18th , 2026
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Morocco - [Virtual] July 10, Explore • Share • Connect: Rabat & Temara Local Guides Meet-up 2026

By @REDOUANE.ELKANTAOUI
Friday, July 10th , 2026
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Morocco - [In-Person] Morocco, July 19, Berkane Local Guides Meetup @ Napolitano

By @Amine.n
Sunday, July 19th , 2026
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Morocco -[Virtual] Morocco, July 25, أول لـقـاء افـتـراضي لـلمرشـديـن المـحـلييـن المـغـرب: جْمعتْنا على الخريطة

By @Omarfahd
Saturday, July 25th , 2026
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Nigeria -[In-Person] Nigeria, July 12, Lagos Island Amala food crawl #Connectturns10

By @SholaIB
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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Nigeria - [Virtual] July 15, TRAC Celebrates Connect 10th Anniversary #LGConnectTurns10

By @SholaIB
Wednesday, July 15th , 2026
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Pakistan - [In-Person] Pakistan, July 19, Let’s Celebrate Local Guides Connect’s 10th Birthday with a Knowledge Sharing Meet-up

By @ Kashif Misidia
Sunday, July 19th , 2026
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Singapore - [Hybrid] Singapore, July 29, Local Guides Pre Connect Live Huddle - Duxton Park to Chinatown

By @deepakjhic
Wednesday, July 29th , 2026
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Singapore - [In-Person] Singapore, July 29, Coffee, Tea, Conversations & Connections — The Connect Live 26 Icebreaker Meetup

By @ curatorofmemory
Wednesday, July 29th , 2026
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Singapore - [In-Person] Singapore, July 29, Terminal Talks | SIN

By @framesbysumedh
Wednesday, July 29th , 2026
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Singapore - Call for a South Asian Local Guides Meetup at Connect Live 2026

By @MohammadPalash
Thursday, July 30th , 2026
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Tanzania - [In-Person] Tanzania: Ngorongoro Photo Expedition Meetup (#LGCBirthday)

By @jayasimha78
Sunday, July 26th , 2026
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United Kingdom - [In-Person] United Kingdom, July 09, Manchester LG July 2026 MeetUp: North Meets South Meal and Social

By @PeteMHW
Thursday, July 9th , 2026
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United Kingdom - [In-Person] United Kingdom, July 26, Manchester LG July 2026 MeetUp: Manchester Day Get Together - Photography and Sunday Roast

By @PeteMHW
Sunday, July 26th , 2026
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USA - [Virtual] United States, July 12, How to Write Helpful Google Reviews: Tips from an 8-Year Local Guide

By @MotionMuseReviews
Sunday, July 12th , 2026
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USA - [Virtual] July 26, Celebrating 10 years of Connect: From Connect to Lifelong Friends

By @SoniaK
Sunday, July 26th , 2026

​With love and gratitude,

​Kashif Misidia

[KashifMisidia]

Tagging my friends @SwetaDhondoo, @ravindus , @MahabubMunna @indahnuria @Zuhralc @Kumaarsantosh @Sarbland @MSulaiman @Erna_LaBeau @Katarina_Cibikova @SonamW @AnshukMitra @Anil6969 @StephenAbraham @AjitThite @PrasadVR @RosyKohli @Globe_trotter_Ish @KamalHossen @Trishatishu @Tejal @SoniaK @SholaIB @SumaiyaZafrin @NyaiNurjanah @doc_dells @Sagir @jayasimha78 @Gurukrishnapriya @shaileno @OmerAli @MohammadPalash @Ssiddharth2000 @LightRich
@DrFoodieOfficial @LaloPadilla @muhammad_ilyas @Bilal_shaikh @Swalay @abbasiii .

Are you hosting meetups in your cities ?

[Trishatishu]

Wow what an meet up legacy hope will arrange from side at Tokyo @KashifMisidia ji hope it outraged the meeting up.

[Gurukrishnapriya]

Hi @KashifMisidia just returned from travel. Will host. Now writing fir #MyConnectCaravan. Expect soon.

[NareshDarji]

It’s amazing to see Local Guides from around the world coming together to celebrate 10 years of Connect. Wishing all the meetup leaders the very best. Looking forward to seeing the inspiring meetups and recaps from every corner of the globe.

Thanks for including me in this initiative @KashifMisidia Bhai.

Happy 10th anniversary!

[Annaelisa]

Danke für den schönen Bericht zu den Geburtstagsfeierlichkeiten @KashifMisidia

Ich wünsche allen Teilnehmern viel Freude und Erfolg.

[curatorofmemory]

@KashifMisidia Thanks for sharing wonderful memories and photos. Thanks also for sharing how one can contribute on this joyful occasion. I am looking forward to meeting you in Singapore. Hope you will be able to join the meetup i have planned

[Sarbland]

Wow, that’s awesome and for sure need to host it in person in Lahore.
Thank you @KashifMisidia for the initiative.

[Anil6969]

Wonderful journey and intiative for connecting and celebrating together would love to join. @KashifMisidia bhai.

I can smell too much cake and sweetness together.

Regards

Regards

[MohammadPalash]

Congratulations on this wonderful initiative! @KashifMisidia I hope I can also participate and celebrate this special milestone, In Sha Allah. Looking forward to it!

[Rino7]

Let’s go…

@KashifMisidia

Indonesia - [In-Person] Indonesia, July 05, #LGConnectTurns10, Bogor Local Guide sharing with coffee

By @DeeDesty
Sunday, July 5th , 2026

[AnisaAe]

Thanks @KashifMisidia

Yuk ikutan Mas @ISAIKBALULSURUR

[Mehmood1]

جی میں تیار ہوں اور انتظار میں ہوں ایک ساتھ ٹوگیدر سیلیبریٹ کرنے کے لیے

@KashifMisidia

[Swalay]

Always appreciate you @KashifMisidia for leading community

[DeeDesty]

Thank you for adding my meet up as a part of celebration @KashifMisidia I’m so excited to hosted this one…

[DrFoodieOfficial]

@KashifMisidia Bhai let’s make a plan to make it Physical celebration

[muhammad_ilyas]

Wow, It’s amazing

@KashifMisidia bhai let’s to do once again in Karachi

[SharmaKK]

Thank you so much dear @KashifMisidia bhai for this inspiring call and for keeping this beautiful tradition alive year after year

Feeling truly honoured and humbled to be mentioned twice in this special post It means a lot to see both my contribution through the Meet-up Leaderboard and my upcoming meetup being recognized in this global celebration

Local Guides Connect has always been more than a platform for me—it’s a family that gave me purpose, friendships, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully.

Excited to host #LGConnectTurns10 – Meet & Greet Celebration on 15th July and celebrate this incredible 10-year milestone together

Let’s make this anniversary truly historic with impactful meetups and heartfelt connections

Grateful to be part of this amazing journey

[Bilal_shaikh]

Ready with you brother. @KashifMisidia

[Maximilianozalazar]

@KashifMisidia felices que vamos a participar