Celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th birthday in Baku, Azerbaijan

Wikipedia turned 25 this year, marking a quarter-century of free knowledge built and maintained by volunteers around the world. To celebrate this milestone, Wikimedians in Azerbaijan gathered in Baku for a community meetup organized by the Azerbaijani Wikimedians User Group.

The event brought together around 20 participants, including both experienced contributors and newer editors. The gathering served as an opportunity to reflect on the development of the Wikimedia movement in Azerbaijan and to discuss its future direction.

During the meetup, veteran members of the user group delivered talks covering the history of the Azerbaijani Wikimedia community and the growth of Azerbaijani Wikipedia over the years. Other presentations focused on technical advancements across Wikimedia projects, as well as new ideas and initiatives aimed at increasing editor activity and improving content quality.

A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to community sustainability and international engagement. Participants exchanged views on how group members can become more involved in international Wikimedia events and collaborations, and how experiences from the global movement can be brought back to strengthen local projects.

Beyond the discussions and presentations, the celebration concluded in a more informal way, with participants cutting a birthday cake together, taking photos, and enjoying time to socialize and strengthen community ties.

As Wikipedia enters its next chapter, the Azerbaijani Wikimedia community looks forward to continuing its work, welcoming new contributors, and remaining an active part of the global Wikimedia movement. Celebrating this anniversary together was both a reminder of how far the projects have come and a motivation to keep building free knowledge for the future.

Wikimedia Commons category of the photos taken during meetup: Category:Wikipedia 25 in Azerbaijan