Bitfest 25': Day #2 Recap
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Bitfest
The UK’s largest Bitcoin conference and culture event.
10 min read
Bitfest 25': Day #2 Recap
Continuing our recap of the inaugural Bitfest conference-festival that took place from the 21st to the 23rd of November 2025, the final day of the conference was more relaxed but still buzzing with conversations, talks and workshops throughout. If you haven't yet checked out any of our recap articles, take a quick read through Nostrshire — The UK's First Ever Nostr Conference at Bitfest 2025 and also Bitfest 25': Day #1 Recap, which recap both Day 0 and Day 1 of the event, respectively.
For clarity, we chose the day numbering scheme as a nod to SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) working practices and culture, with the first day, aptly titled
, the UK's first full-scale Nostr conference, being dedicated to Nostr and quite literally existing as an event within an event at Bitfest.
From day 0 through day 2, Bitfest brought Bitcoiners together from all over the UK and abroad, with a focus on community and culture that continues to reverberate in conversation around the Bitcoin global community. This is just the beginning.
The Memes
Inside the second and third days of the conference, many events and movements within Bitcoin culture were included as separate areas and events, being key parts of the overall conference festival. One such event and zone was Pepe.X.
Pepe.X is not a new event in the Bitcoin space; rather, its inclusion in Bitfest was the first attempt to scale up the experience. Founded and first run in November 2022, by OG Bitcoiner, Pepe collector and Bitfest co-founder
, the experience brings early Bitcoin, Crypto and Pepe artists together to showcase, trade and network.
At Bitfest, the Pepe.X zone was visited frequently, with both the art gallery and exhibitors being set up inside the area. The artworks on display went into a live auction via
, with each artist submitting works to the auction and featuring the classic Scarce City QR codes below, so that people interested could find out more about the art, the artists and place a bid if they wished to do so. The amazing Where's Wally-esque official Bitfest artwork, created by
also sold on Day 2 and, in a surprise turn of events, was subsequently donated to the conference organisers. 🧡
What we found especially magical about Pepe.X was the range of participants that took part in the zone. New and emerging Bitcoin artists, OG Pepe and Bitcoin artists, small, medium, and large Bitcoin projects, merchants, and also hand-in-hand support by and with the #SamouraiWallet team, who most kindly donated $1500 of sats to the conference. #FREESAMOURAI
Overall, the Pepe.X zone was an amazing glimpse into the Bitcoin art and creator world, its history, growth, and impact both online and IRL. A noticeable thing was how the zone caught the attention of both children and adults at the conference, showing just how interesting and impactful art and non-technical Bitcoin projects can be.
Artist/Exhibitor roll call:
The Movement
As people met in the lobby, the main conference area and the breakfast hall to get ready for the final day's talks and activities, the day after the night before certainly seemed a bit more chill than the previous two days of activities. Nonetheless, people were up early and exploring the conference, some one-day ticket holders were still rocking up in excitement, getting involved in conversations as they hit registration.
The day's talks were spread widely between culture, community and economy, kicking off with an amazing talk from Rebel Money on the 'History of Bitcoin Art', followed by OG developer and artist, , who probably has the oldest data-based, visualisation art of the Bitcoin blockchain, with 'Visualising Bitcoin', exploring the ever interesting patterns formed by various types of data points in Bitcoin.
took us through an eye-opening presentation on 'Usury, Your Bank and You', exploring rights, central banking, finance and the unique opportunities that change things when operating with Bitcoin as a sovereign individual.
A series of panels followed, including: 'Miners & NodeRunners: Why you should run Bitcoin' with Keto Miner and , and two fireside chats: 'Bitcoin Layers' with (ARK Protocol), Rob Gaskell (Sundial Protocol), and Mad Bitcoins moderating, then 'WTF is Nostr and Why Should I Care?', with , , , and Nathan Day hosting, concluding the morning session.
Post-lunch talks included a big focus on community, culture and sovereignty. 'Spam or Evolution, Filter or Follow?' was the first panel after lunch, featuring Jim.btc, and Daniel Prince. Moderated by , the debate focused more on the pros and cons of discoveries made since the introduction of Bitcoin Ordinals/Inscriptions and the advantages/disadvantages of running Bitcoin Core and other clients. All agreed Bitcoin is money and a monetary network, which should be utilised as such, whilst also agreeing that none of us really know how or what it could be used for, alongside its core use in the future, and that censoring is ultimately against Bitcoin ethos for most.
Helping those new to the space to stay grounded, the talk 'Early Days of Bitcoin: Is it too late?' with Martti Malmi and helped to remind people it's not too late to explore and use Bitcoin, and why.
The talk was followed up immediately with presentations on ARK and Sundial protocols from Veronika Kuett and Rob Gaskell, respectively. Next up was 'Bank Spying and the Online Safety Bill', a powerful chat with , Marco Giorgetti and Jamie Nuttall.
'Bitcoin Forged', a talk by Bitcoin Glasgow founder Peter Connor, took a look at the resilience of Bitcoin and the connections forged between communities and entities within the space. How connections are forged and communities built, all from the common interest in Bitcoin ethos and principles.
The next discussion, 'Mobilising UK Bitcoin Communities', revolved around building and activating smaller, local Bitcoin communities within the UK. Something that has been well experienced over the years by the panel speakers, Gary Smith (Bitcoin Bury St. Edmunds & BSE Conf), (Bitcoin Ballers & OxBit) and Nat Cole (STX:LDN, Coinscrum & 2140Music).
A much-anticipated talk came from super OG Thomas Voegtlin, Founder of Electrum. 'The Price of Attention: Attaching Bitcoin Fees to Nostr Events' explored deep theory and practical solutions of spam prevention and fees being attached to Nostr-based events.
Another much-anticipated panel followed immediately after, 'Are Bitcoin Treasury Companies the new S***coins?', which explored exactly that with speakers , , Daniel Prince, and Rob Gaskell, all hosted by the magnificent Dominic Frisby. We're sure that if you know any of these guys, then you can imagine and appreciate how epic this panel debate was. Bitcoin culture golden moment for sure!
The afternoon went forward through exploring 'Open-source crypto tax software' with Scott Green on how to use open source tooling for taxes.
We explored the importance of BIPs and the evolution of contributors through 'Should all users be aware of BIPs?' with and Takinbrrr.
We moved again to discussing the global stage and the UK's current attitude to Bitcoin and personal freedoms. Is it worth it to stay in the UK? We explored the choices through 'Escaping the UK: What is your Plan B?' in a discussion between , Short Fiat and , moderated by .
The penultimate talk was an inspiring and deep dive into 'Empowering local P2P circular economies' with , from , exploring the importance of personal and financial sovereignty and how Vexl empowers individuals to this cause.
We concluded the conference with a powerful talk and presentation from co-founder, , with 'Empowering Bitcoiners for the Fight', delving into the historical similarities between revelutionary movement in the UK and the Czech Republic, along with an open invitation for Bitcoin events and communities within the European region to continue to work together with BTC Prague into the future. This closing was epic, and we give many thanks and respect to Martin for his attendance and contribution to the first-ever Bitfest UK.
We can't forget that while all this was happening, workshops were being run in the workshop zone with massive contributions from Anon2140, , , and more. The Bitfix Cinema became extremely lively with amazing productions and talks from and Sylvia Brinded-Püls with . These workshops and the cinema were a key part of the conference-festival activities, with everyone from young and old, new and OG taking part in workshop and cinema sessions.
Everyone was tired, but everyone was active. The final day of Bitfest gave a little time for reflection post conference, as people left to catch planes, trains and automobiles home. The event was over, but the vibrations reverberated. 🧡
The Memories
Bitfest for us and many we've spoken to wasn't just a fly-by-night event, not just a series of pitch decks and random panels. Every incorporated event from Nostrshire, Pepe.X, the New Music Economy concert and Bitflix, reminded us of not just the early days of the Bitcoin community, but also just how far we've come and how Bitcoin has integrated into many facets of culture, lifestyle and industry.
For the UK, Bitfest became a historical checkpoint in British history. From the location, to the timing, the activities, the amazing speakers, artists, musicians, builders, plebs and wonderful attendees. Nostrshire and Bitfest mark an important turning point in the attitude towards and adoption of Bitcoin in the UK. Being open to and having activities for all is something we hope to continue to put foremost in future events, with the aim to be enjoyed by both those OG's, well-versed and new to Bitcoin.
Bitfest 2026 and Beyond
Will Bitfest and Nostrshire be returning in 2026? The straight-up answer is YES! However, the team are still figuring out logistics with venues and dates before any major announcements. The feedback we've received so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and we stay open to suggested areas of improvement for the next edition.
We're also continuing to work with UK-based Bitcoin communities, events and entities, plus other conferences globally, to ensure that we can continue to bring Bitcoiners all over the UK together in positive, refreshing and inclusive ways. After all, we all have the same mission of spreading Bitcoin education and adoption as far and wide as humanly possible. The Bitfest team is made up of dedicated Bitcoiners, who are also running other projects and communities with their time. Bitfest is a grassroots conference-festival, and despite it being large-scale, we want it to stay that way.
The Bitfest Telegram remains open to newcomers, and you can register your interest for Bitfest & Nostrshire 2026 now on our website. We plan to have Early Bird tickets available starting in February for those who are paying attention. 😉
Lastly, we'd like to wish a Happy New Year to everyone, and we're excited to connect with you all in 2026 as Bitcoin adoption grows. Peace! 🎉
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