Bitcoin & sovereignty events in Europe

The longest-running bitcoin-only conference, organized by Hodl Hodl in Riga since 2017. A deliberately cypherpunk gathering of one to two thousand people focused on self-custody, privacy, and freedom tech, with no altcoin or hype content. It usually anchors a wider Riga Bitcoin Week that includes a bitcoin++ developer edition.

BTC Inc's European edition, a two-day conference bringing a few thousand attendees to Amsterdam each autumn. Smaller and more relaxed than the Las Vegas flagship, mixing industry panels, policy debate, and retail-facing content. A reasonable entry point for Europeans who want the big-conference format without crossing the Atlantic.

A bitcoin conference on Madeira organized by the nonprofit FREE Madeira. The 2024 debut drew about 3,000 attendees and 200 speakers to Funchal, with strong freedom-tech and circular-economy programming. No edition has been held since, and the organizers have not announced a return, so treat this series as dormant.

A technical bitcoin developer conference series run by Base58's Lisa Neigut, with several themed editions per year across cities like Nairobi, Toronto, Berlin, and Seoul. Each edition is small and deliberately focused, built around workshops and deep dives on one topic such as payments, privacy, or consensus. Not beginner territory.

Europe's largest bitcoin-only conference, held each June at PVA EXPO PRAHA with roughly 10,000 attendees. Programming spans beginner-friendly talks, an industry day, and a community weekend, plus a large expo hall. More retail and culture than developer depth, and the crowds are real, so plan accordingly.

Balaji Srinivasan's annual one-day conference on network states, startup societies, and parallel institutions. Past editions ran in Amsterdam and Singapore, the latter alongside his Network School. Talks are dense and ideas-driven, attracting roughly a thousand founders and investors. No 2026 edition had been announced as of mid-2026.

The Human Rights Foundation's flagship gathering of activists, dissidents, journalists, and technologists, held in Oslo since 2009. Not a bitcoin conference, but its freedom-tech track has made it a key venue where bitcoin meets human rights work. Polished, invite-heavy, and moving; expect TED-style talks over technical depth.

A two-day October conference backed by the City of Lugano and Tether, part of the city's Plan B initiative to bring bitcoin into daily municipal life. Strong on policy, economics, and freedom of speech, with several thousand attendees. Expect institutional polish and Tether's perspective rather than grassroots cypherpunk energy.

France's main bitcoin conference, run by StackinSat from the Casino de Biarritz each August since 2020, mixing technical talks with beach-town networking in mostly French-language programming. In 2025 the team pivoted to a touring Tour de France format, and no new Biarritz edition has been confirmed, so check before planning.