A Recap of the 2023 Pacific Bitcoin Festival

For the second consecutive year, participants came together in sunny Santa Monica for the Pacific Bitcoin Festival.

Pacific Bitcoin redefines the boundaries of what an event could be by seamlessly blending the best of Bitcoin education, entertainment, and social connections. It was more than just a conference; it was an unforgettable festival celebrating Bitcoin.

The West Coast was on full display for the melting pot of Bitcoiners who migrated to Santa Monica for our week-long festival. Guests attended the official PB Pleb party, enjoyed VIP dinners, and took in all that California had to offer. 

The location added to the magic that makes Pacific Bitcoin so memorable. Many attendees watched sunsets on the beach, learned to surf, and participated in an outdoor workout during the Proof of Work side event. 

The main event took place over two days at The Barker Hangar. Attendees indulged in in-depth conversations, presentations, basketball tournaments, LA food trucks, live music, and even a Bitcoiner speed dating event in the Swan Dome.

Here is a roundup of some of the top moments from Pacific Bitcoin 2023:

Mining is the backbone of the Bitcoin network, so we partnered with industry leaders to shed light on the innovation coming out of that sector.

Fred Thiel, CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings, stepped onto the main stage and delivered a masterclass on the benefits of Bitcoin mining. We’ve all seen the misguided headlines about how terrible Bitcoin mining is for the environment.

Fred explained how Bitcoin mining is changing the world for the better:

• Expanding renewable energy capacity

• Strengthening the grid

• Mitigating methane emissions

• Repurposing waste heat to transform agriculture

Bitcoin mining is quite simply ushering in a better future.

Lyrical genius TIP NZ delivered a bone-chilling performance, paying tribute to the mission behind Bitcoin.

It evoked such emotion that the audience was almost unanimously brought to their feet, followed by thunderous applause that echoed throughout the venue.

Attendees are already requesting an encore performance in 2024.

Vijay Boyapati, author of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, is the newest member to join the Swan team. 

After giving the first-ever live presentation of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, Vijay announced our latest product launch: Swan Vault.

Swan Vault, created in partnership with Blockstream, is a seamless self-custody solution with support from Swan. Benefits include:

• Best-in-class user experience

• Collaborative multi-signature

• Self-sovereign wallet recovery into Specter Desktop or Bitcoin Core for advanced users.

Click here to watch the launch video featuring Adam Back, Lyn Alden, and Yan Pritzker. 

Ready to test Swan Vault? Please join our priority list.

We hosted a Mining Day at Pacific Bitcoin which brought together the top minds in the industry. Leaders from Marathon, Riot, Iris Energy, CleanSpark, Core Scientific, BitDeer, Braiins, and many other companies were in attendance.

It was great to see leaders in the mining space sharing best practices with their “competitors.” Topics ranged from volcano energy, demand response, energy and infrastructure procurement, and a discussion on industry macro trends and portfolio construction.

Magic Money Court was once again our most unique and exciting brand of programming. 

The combination of live music, basketball competitions, and jiu-jitsu demonstrations added to the entertainment.  

Cory Klippsten, Swan Founder and CEO, defended his 3-point contest title and participants competed in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament. 

World champion Ben Askren conducted a live jiu-jitsu training seminar on the court, challenging attendees to a submission competition for a prize of 1M sats.

This is just a sample of the Pacific Bitcoin experience. You can watch the entire 14+ hours of main stage content from Swan’s YouTube channel here.

It was hard not to be intoxicated by the collective optimism and talent in attendance at the 2023 Pacific Bitcoin Festival.

Sponsors like BTC Trading Cards and SVRN Energy drinks got in the Bitcoin spirit and gave back to the community with giveaways and unique memorabilia.

When a large group of like-minded individuals get together, and share the same mission, it creates a vibe that cannot be matched. 

We’re already gearing up for the 2024 festival during what is sure to be an exciting year ahead for Bitcoin. 

A limited supply of early bird tickets for Pacific Bitcoin 2024 are now on sale. These are the lowest prices we will offer and are fully refundable until February 1, 2024.