Avid readers of the Geocaching Blog have seen interviews with cache owners, community volunteers, and countless folks who help make our game so special. But have you ever wondered what it takes to host a Mega-Event or Block Party?

Mega & Giga-Events are the ultimate gatherings for lots of geocachers. In 2025, geocachers will also have the opportunity to attend or host a Block Party to celebrate 25 years of geocaching. All of these events offer a variety of fun activities and attract geocachers from all over the world.

To learn more about what it takes to bring a big geocaching event to life, we sat down with Emily aka em_adventuring, Community Special Events Manager here at Geocaching HQ.

First things first – what is your role at HQ?

I am a member of the Community Volunteer Support team. We all have different responsibilities, but we all play a significant role in supporting the geocaching community volunteers and managing the geocache hiding guidelines.

Most of my time is spent on the Events program at Geocaching HQ. This includes managing the guidelines, reviewing Mega-Event applications, administering the Geocaching HQ sponsorship benefits to Mega-Events, supporting organizing teams, and managing Signal the Frog’s very busy travel schedule.

If a geocacher is interested in hosting a Mega-Event or Block Party, what do they need to do?

Once your team has planned out the event and completed the cache page, you can find the application in the Help Center page for Event Caches under the appropriate category (3.7 for Block Party and 3.8 for Mega-Events). You should always provide as many details on the application as you can. We do not approve applications with few details. We will review the application within the next several business days and will contact you about next steps.

Do I need to have every aspect of the event planned?

Not every single thing needs to be finalized when you apply, but we do need to see that enough planning has been done so we have a good understanding of your event. This typically means having a confirmed location, explaining your theme, several specific onsite activities, and a general idea of admission pricing whether it’s free or low-cost.

What are the biggest mistakes people make on their application?

Events should take place at a single, specified location and celebrate the social connections made through geocaching. Activities at the Event should encourage attendees to stay onsite, engaging with activities like workshops, lectures, vendors, games, and food.

Event plans focused on activities like hiking, town exploration, or finding geocaches at various locations do not meet these guidelines and therefore won’t be approved. While optional side activities—such as cultural or historical visits, hikes, finding geocaches, walks, and tours—are welcome optional activities, they cannot be the primary promoted activities of the event.

Some legacy Mega-Events, approved many years ago, may focus on offsite activities such as finding geocaches, but we no longer approve new Mega-Events with this theme or structure.

What advice do you have for organizers to ensure their event is successful?

Investing in your local community by actively participating in it is essential. This can include hosting events, attending events, and finding nearby geocaches. Even if events in your area are infrequent, regularly hosting smaller gatherings can make a big impact and inspire interest in larger ones. In fact, many Mega-Events began with organizers hosting smaller events to build momentum.

Mega-Event organizers have shared that attending other Mega-Events has inspired new ideas for their own events. Many teams also receive support from other teams with experience hosting Mega-Events. Hosting a Mega-Event is a significant undertaking, and guidance from those who have done it before is incredibly helpful. We love seeing this level of support and teamwork.

Teams that connect with their local municipality or tourism board often find greater success, as the town can help promote and support the event. I have also seen teams involve local businesses to provide food, drinks, merchandise, and fun activities, creating a wonderful way to give back to the community.

Can you share particularly fun activities that you participated in at a Mega-Event?

When I attended the Genks Geocache Event 2023 (GC9TQ1W), they had local cachers build amazing hands-on puzzles. Some of them were pretty basic and others required a lot of technical skill to build. They were set up as Adventure Labs at the Mega, but some could easily have been turned into gadget caches after the event. It was fun to see the community’s creativity on display.

At GeoSlovácko 2024 (GCAEHTY) in Czechia, I also appreciated activities that celebrated the Slovácko region. There were places at the event site where attendees could learn about local wine production, local foods, enjoy traditional dance performances, and engage with geocaching community volunteer reviewers who answered attendee questions.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

When I have to tell organizing teams that their application is not approved yet. All this means is they need to provide more details, complete more planning, or shift the focus of the event. Our goal is to support passionate teams in hosting large events, not to discourage them. We want to see teams succeed in planning something exciting for their community!

What’s the best part of your job?

I enjoy building relationships with the Mega-Event organizing teams. I love seeing their creativity, passion, and commitment. I have worked with some teams for a few years now, and it is inspiring to see how their events have evolved over time. It has also been fun to see so many new organizing teams preparing large events for 2025. It will be a very special year for the community!

There are already 98 large events scheduled for 2025. To view upcoming Mega, Giga-Events and Block Parties, see this list.

Listen to Emily on the Inside Geocaching HQ podcast (episode 66): Big geocaching events