Join us in saying buh-BYE to 2025 as we wrap up #10YearsOfLocalGuides

[AdrianLunsong]

2025 has been quite a year!! The Local Guides program turned 10 years old! Google Maps hit 20 years old! The Local Guides team brought back the official Connect Live events, now bigger and more spread out across multiple days in different locations!

We received challenges, badges, photo booths and scavenger hunts!! The community got together and created so many different initiatives and series including Show Your City, Women Inspirer, TRAC, Earth Day, Accessibility, Road Mapper, Community Spotlight and so much more!

And don’t forget that at the end of last year, we were given a brand new Connect! So, as a community, we’ve been building this crazy momentum of amazing events and celebrations…and I just wanted to make sure that you all know about this Big Year End Party that is hosted by @ErmesT and @KarenVChin . This is the party that will top all parties!!

Credit @ErmesT @KarenVChin for this meet-up banner

Date: Sunday, 21st December
Time: 15:00 (GMT)
Location: Virtual Meet-up (Google Meet)
Details: Meet-up page click here for more info and to RSVP
Dresscode: Strictly speaking, there isn’t one but feel free to come dressed in a festive theme, celebration hats, confetti and all that!

From what I can gather it’s going to be more than an hour long and it’s a mixture of recapping some of the key moments of 2025 as well as just having fun and partying! And there might be a surprise… This is a great opportunity to meet Local Guides from all over the world and to share your passion with everyone else too!

We’re also one-upping the Google team with their recent announcement of Connect Live 2026, because this virtual meet-up is open to all and you are ALL cordially invited!

This is my last promo post for this party! Please do share it with your community and other Local Guides! It will be grand and I hope to see you all there!

[AdrianLunsong]

Reserved for the naughty list. Santa’s watching!

[MattSchepp]

Sounds like fun! I’ll be travelling and the time zones are a bit brutal, bit I’ll try to attend!

[AdrianLunsong]

@MattSchepp Awesome sauce!

[NareshDarji]

Wow, what a massive year it has been! From the 10th anniversary celebrations to the return of Connect Live, 2025 really kept us busy. I wouldn’t miss the Big Year End Party for anything, it sounds like the perfect way to wrap up such a historic year.

Thanks for the reminder, @AdrianLunsong, and big thanks to @ErmesT and @KarenVChin for hosting. See you all on the 21st!

[Maximilianozalazar]

Tengo la sensación que va a ser un mega encuentro @AdrianLunsong

[SharmaK]

@AdrianLunsong

Big Year End Party that is hosted by @ErmesT and @KarenVChin . This is the party that will top all parties!!

Thank you, @AdrianLunsong, for sharing this information with us. Looking back at the year, the Community Builder Champion^[1] award truly goes to you from many of us. Through your initiatives, we learned many useful and interesting points about the Connect forum and our community. For example, we recently discovered fascinating insights about our Googlers and Google Moderators, including the fact that our Google Moderators are based in Sofia.

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1. It is not official. The Community Builder Champion does not even exist on our Connect forum. I have used it only for fun, but it truly reflects the heartfelt wish of the majority of Local Guides. ↩︎

[GasparKaren]

@AdrianLunsong That’s amazing! I’ll mark it on my calendar, and I hope I can attend this incredible party.

[AbhijeetUniyal]

Great post @AdrianLunsong . Really, 2025 was full of joy and fun in meetups and events. Hoping 2026 will be more joyful with more such motivational meetups and connect live events. Wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year and Merry Christmas in advance

[LingLing]

What a wonderful event! Thank you so much for hosting it—2025 has been an amazing year.

[KetanChhaniyara]

2025 was LEGENDARY!

From 10 years of Local Guides magic to meet-ups, challenges, scavenger hunts and so many awesome stories — this year truly delivered!

Huge shout-out to everyone who made it unforgettable!

Can’t wait to party one last time before we flip the calendar!

Let’s send 2025 off in style! #10YearsOfLocalGuides

[Kumaarsantosh]

What an incredible and memorable year it truly was!

2025 stood out as a year filled with energy, meaningful activities, and a strong sense of togetherness across the community. Among all the highlights, nothing could have been more impactful than the Community Spotlight, which beautifully brought the global community together around a single, powerful agenda of collaboration.

This initiative created a unique space where everyone could contribute from their own corner of the world, within their own geography, culture, regional communities, languages, and special areas of interest. Each individual effort, diverse yet meaningful, came together as part of one thoughtfully designed and well-presented initiative, introduced to the community as the Community Spotlight by you, dear @AdrianLunsong.

You have done a truly phenomenal job of connecting people across borders and making the world feel smaller, like one big, united family. Kudos to everyone involved, and a very special appreciation to you, Adrian, for your vision, dedication, and leadership.

The Google team stepping into the spotlight during the final week of Community Spotlight 2025 has been nothing short of an amazing and highly enriching moment for the entire community. This thoughtful inclusion added a new layer of connection, transparency, and learning, making the initiative even more meaningful and memorable.

The community has been genuinely delighted and overwhelmed by the introductory posts shared as part of this series, especially “The Google Team Joins the Spotlight! #CommunitySpotlight2025” and the “Sofia Google Moderators Team Spotlight #CommunitySpotlight2025.” These posts offered a wonderful opportunity to know the people behind the platform, understand their roles, and feel more closely connected to them on a human level.

This approach has truly strengthened the bond between the community and the Google team, fostering openness, trust, and mutual appreciation. It has been a fantastic and thoughtful way to wrap up Community Spotlight 2025, leaving everyone feeling more connected, informed, and inspired.

With great optimism, we now look forward to an even brighter, bolder, and more impactful year ahead. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2026, Happy New Year!

[Erna_LaBeau]

@AdrianLunsong I cant wait for this grand ending 2025 and welcoming 2026 party. This year is a special year to celebrate 10 years Local Guides Program and 20 years of of Google Maps. I am blessed to be apart of it!

[SarahKa]

He had an amazing year and was a nice meet-up! Thanks for doing a lot @AdrianLunsong ! You are huuuuge!

[AdrianLunsong]

Thanks @SarahKa @Erna_LaBeau @Kumaarsantosh @KetanChhaniyara @LingLing @AbhijeetUniyal @GasparKaren @SharmaK @Maximilianozalazar @NareshDarji for the kind words!

If you’ve missed the meet-up you can read Ermes’ recap here and/or watch the videos below.

Horizontal version:

Big Year End Party 2025 #10YearsOfLocalGuides #livestream #localguides

Vertical version:

Big Year End Party 2025 #10YearsOfLocalGuides #livestream #localguides #shortslive

[AdrianLunsong]

Thanks for the appreciation!! That’s really nice of you and truly appreciated by me. Everything that I do is a team effort because I always need a community to do things for and with. Without the community, I am nothing. So, it’s huge kudos to everyone for kindly supporting my wild ideas!