📅 The Meetup Breakdown 86
Bitcoin meetups for the UK and Ireland for 16th - 22nd March 2026. Plus new merchants now accepting bitcoin.
“The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work.” —Satoshi Nakamoto
18 meetups this coming week!
That might be a record!
Hightlights include - Munk Fest in Bloomsbury, a fireside talk with Joe Bryan in Surrey and an open day at the Antidote office. If all that makes no sense at all, read on… all will be explained below…
Look out for the new Cipher Series below, a 12 week series with an increasingly difficult cipher puzzle to crack each week. First reply with the correct answer will win sats!
This weekly meetup breakdown is free to read, but not free to produce.
Each week I track down and verify Bitcoin meetups across the UK and Ireland so the community has a clear view of what’s happening.
If this newsletter saves you time, helps you discover new meetups, or supports your local scene, please consider choosing the optional paid subscription. It’s a simple value for value model. Those who find it useful help keep it running for everyone.
It’s just £3.50 per month or £40 per year. That’s only 232 sats a day!
This week’s sponsor is…
Yojimble - Skip diving, tractor driving, ragamuffin suburban forager, stacking sats with jam Northampton, England. Worldwide shipping.
Upcoming Bitcoin Meetups
What We’re Up To This Week 📆
Monday
🍺 Lincolnshire Bitcoin: Lincolnshire Bitcoin meets at 19:30 in the Treaty of Commerce, Lincoln. Open to all, from OG’s to newcomers. This month on the 16th.
Tuesday
🏢 Antidote Office Open Day: Thinking about joining London’s premier Bitcoin coworking hub? Visit Antidote HQ on Tuesday, 17th March from 10:00–16:30 for an open day where builders, investors, and Bitcoin enthusiasts can explore the workspace, meet members and founders from the accelerator programme, and even work from the office for the day. Spaces are limited, so register to secure a free spot. Location shared after registration.
🎙️ Bitcoin Surrey: This month’s meetup features a fireside talk with Joe Bryan, of “What’s The Problem?”. Join from 18:00–22:00 at The Castle, GU9 7HR, with the discussion starting at 19:00. Food is served from 17:00–21:00, and the group will be upstairs in the library. Everyone attending the meetup will be able to participate in early app testing for a new Bitcoin business.
🍻 Newcastle upon Tyne Bitcoin Meetup: The next Newcastle meetup is on Tuesday 17th at Kabin @ Kabannas NE1 6UQ, 18:30.
⚽️ Real Bedford - Home Game: The first of two home games for Real Bedford at home this week, this Tuesday playing Worcester City. Join them for a 19:45 kickoff at Ledger Stadium.
Wednesday
🍻 Bitcoin Glasgow: Bitcoin Glasgow meet this month at The Maltman, 59–61 Renfield Street at 18:00 to 20:00.
🍺 Shropshire Bitcoin: On the 18th, the Shropshire crew will be meeting at the Admiral Benbow in Shrewsbury. Join them at 19:00.
Thursday
🍻Battersea Bitcoiners: Join them at their bitcoin accepting venue, Pintus, SW11 6QZ for their March meetup at 18:00 till 21:30 on Thursday 19th.
🍺 Bitcoin Beach Bournemouth: Every second Thursday of the month at Chaplins Cellar Bar. 529 Christchurch Road, BH1 4AG, (Bitcoin accepted at the venue). You’ll find them in the Cogg Room at 19:30 on Thursday, the 19th.
🍺 Brum Bitcoin & Beer: If you’re in the Birmingham area head along to meet some fellow bitcoiners on Thursday 19th at 19:00. You’ll find them this month at The Wellington, Bennett’s Hill, B2 5SN.
Friday
☕️ Newcastle Bitcoin Coffee Morning Meetup: Every Friday morning at Pumphreys Coffee Centre and Brewing Emporium (bitcoin accepted). Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned maxi, head along to chat, share ideas, and connect with the local Bitcoin community from 10:00 to 12:00.
🍺 Wiltshire BTC: Meeting at The Water Meadow, SN12 7GG at 18:30 on Friday 20th.
Saturday
🚶♀️Bitcoin Walk - London: The London Bitcoin Walk will meet this SATurday at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park at 11:00. Check the Telegram group chat (available at the link) for details.
🏴☠️ Munk Fest – Day One: Join from 13:00 until late in Bloomsbury for the opening day of Munk Fest, celebrating two years of piracy, culture, and freedom at Cyphermunk House. Expect talks, workshops, and knowledge sharing throughout the afternoon, followed by celebrations and live music into the evening. Supported by Angor and Yakihonne. All welcome.
🚶🏽♂️ Bitcoin Walk - Edinburgh: Join fellow bitcoiners every Saturday at 12:00 for a walk, meeting at Meadows City Tennis Club.. It’s a relaxed way to keep fit, enjoy the city, and chat about Bitcoin along the way.
⚽️ Real Bedford - Home Game: Peter McCormack’s boys are at home this Saturday playing Stamford. Join them for a 15:00 kickoff at Ledger Stadium.
🍺 Bitcoin Bristol: Meeting at The Old Fish Market, BS1 1QZ for some Satoshi ciders at 18:15 on Saturday the 21st. Join Vexl circular economies, use Bitchat & play Bitcoin boardgame Escape2bitcoin.
Sunday
🧘 Munk Fest – Day Two: Join from 11:00–17:00 in Bloomsbury for the second day of Munk Fest, featuring yoga, talks, and afternoon beats while exploring the decentralised principles behind Bitcoin, Nostr, and open source technology. Supported by Angor and Yakihonne. All welcome.
New Businesses Accepting Bitcoin This Week
🖥️ Frozen Computers: Expert computer and laptop repairs in Preston, Lancashire. Specialising in custom PC builds, gaming PC centres, virus removal, data recovery, and network setup for homes and businesses. Now accepting bitcoin.
Supporting this week’s issue…
🕵️ The Satoshi Cipher – Week 1
Prize: 500 sats ⚡
Cipher: ROT13 shifts every letter 13 places through the alphabet. Because it wraps around the 26-letter cycle, applying ROT13 twice returns you to the original text—making it easy to check your answer.
History: A centuries-old subtype of the Caesar cipher, ROT13 became popular on early Usenet forums for lightly “spoiling” jokes or plot twists.
Puzzle: FGNPX FNGF QNVYL
Reply to this email with your decoded phrase and a lightning address to win! First correct answer takes the sats.
Bonus: ⚡ Double the prize if you solve it within 10 minutes of this email landing.
🧭 On the Radar
Big events further down the line.
🗓️ 26th - 29th March - CheatCode, Bedford.
🗓️ 7th April - From Diamonds to Digital Gold: What Bitcoin Mining Really Means (Panel and Q&A), Antidote, London
🗓️ 19th April - Bitcoin Church Launch Event, Bournemouth.
🗓️ 22nd May - BSE: Bitcoin Pizza Day, Bury st Edmunds.
🗓️ 12th September - BSE: Bitcoin, Sovereignty, Economics, Bury st Edmunds.
📅 Featured Events
🤝 Bitcoin Ireland Conference 2026 – Dublin, May 22–24
Join Ireland’s premier Bitcoin event at The Green Isle Hotel for three days of keynotes, panels, workshops, and exhibitions covering adoption, regulation, mining, ETFs, and more. Network with world-class speakers, authors, and fellow enthusiasts, with family-friendly activities throughout. Early Bird tickets are 50% off, and Whale Pass holders gain access to an exclusive networking trip on May 25. Use code BEUK for an extra 10% off! Don’t miss this chance to dive deep into the future of Bitcoin in Ireland and beyond.
🍕 Pizza Day 2026 – Bury St Edmunds, May 22
Celebrate the first-ever Bitcoin transaction! Join a full day of meet-ups across Bury St Edmunds supporting local Bitcoin-accepting businesses, with coffee at Alema, steak at Meat & Greet, chilli scones at Procopio’s Pantry and cocktails at Verve. The day finishes at the historic Guildhall for an evening of free pizza, drinks, a pop-up market and debates with leading UK Bitcoin voices. Tickets £39 (Bitcoin preferred). Don’t miss this iconic slice of Bitcoin history.
Get Involved
Volunteer: Passionate about merchant adoption? Reach out to Bridge2Bitcoin on Twitter or website.
Start a Meetup: Want to launch a Bitcoin meetup? We’ll support you. Contact us on Twitter or just reply to this email.
Contribute to BTCMaps: Help maintain this key Bitcoin resource–no coding skills needed. Update a UK area.
Telegram: Join our Channel for UK meetup updates
Feedback: Reply to this email with ideas and suggestions.
Get out and support the meetups where you can, visit Bitcoin Events UK for more info on each meetup and to find your closest on the interactive map.
Stay tuned for more updates next week!
Simon.
Founding Members Shout-out:
Roger9000 - Check-out his amazing music and Bitcoin work.
Psyfer - Pleb. Artist. Educator. Munk. cyphermunkhouse.com
Richard - Co-founder of the Running Bitcoin Challenge.
Support the newsletter by becoming a subscriber. Founding members get a shout-out each week.