📅 The Meetup Breakdown 87
Bitcoin meetups for the UK and Ireland for 23rd - 29th March 2026. Plus new merchants now accepting bitcoin.
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” —Galileo Galilei
It’s CheatCode week!
I hope you’ve secured your tickets for what is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the UK Bitcoin calendar. It looks set to be a fantastic 4 day long-weekend.
Also keep an eye out for Week 2 of the Cipher Series below. This is a 12 week challenge featuring a new cipher puzzle each week, with the difficulty increasing as the series progresses.
Be the first to reply with the correct answer and you’ll 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, or zap us some sats on Nostr.
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 📆
Wednesday
💻 Stablecoins on Bitcoin: Join Antidote and Utexo for an evening of hands-on stablecoin development on Bitcoin. The event runs from 18:00–20:30 at a London venue (register for address). Doors open at 18:00, kickoff at 18:15. Bring a laptop, mentors will be on hand to help prototype stablecoin applications using Lightning Network and RGB. 🍕 Food and drinks provided. Part of the Antidote x Utexo Builder Series.
🍺 Leamington Spa: Meeting this Wednesday at The Star & Garter, CV32 5LL at 19:00 for a casual chat and drinks, beginners welcome.
🍻 Brighton Bitcoin: Building a bitcoin community in the Brighton & Hove area. A regular informal meetup happens every last Wednesday of the month at Indian Summer where they accept bitcoin payments. The meetup starts at 20:00, or 19:00 if you’d like to eat first.
Thursday
🎉 CheatCode – Day One (Welcome & Party): Kicking things off in Bedford with pre-registration from 12:00–16:00 at The Harpur Suite, 3 Harpur St, MK40 1LE, where you can grab your lanyard and goodie bag ahead of the main event. A VIP dinner runs from 19:00–21:00 (location TBC), followed by the welcome party for all attendees from 20:00 until late at The Auction Room, 1 Duke St, MK40 3HD. A full evening to settle in, connect, and get ready for the days ahead.
Friday
🎤 CheatCode – Day Two (Conference Day): The main event kicks off in Bedford with registration from 08:00 at The Harpur Suite, 3 Harpur St, MK40 1LE, followed by a full day of talks at The Bedford Corn Exchange, 13 St Paul’s Square, MK40 1SL, running 09:00–17:30. After the conference, unwind at Happy Hour from 18:00 across Hide Bar, The Swan Hotel, and The Auction Room, before heading into town for dinner, drinks, and a buzzing evening with Bitcoiners — with late-night options including Real Coffee and The Auction Room.
☕️ 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.
Saturday
⚽ CheatCode – Day Three (Football Day): Wrap up the weekend in Bedford with a trip to see Real Bedford v Halesowen Town. Buses run from 11:30–13:30 from The Corn Exchange (MK40 1SL) to The Ledger Stadium, Meadow Lane, MK44 3SB, with the match kicking off at 15:00. Arrive early to enjoy the BBQ, beer tent, food, and coffee, plus free pizza and merch from sponsors Gemini. Return buses run 17:30–18:30, before heading back into town for dinner, drinks, and one final night with Bitcoiners.
🚶♀️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 (avaliable at the link) for details.
🚶🏽♂️ 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.
🎶 V4V Music Night – LONGY Live: Join on Saturday, 28th March 2026 at The Fickle Pickle, Westcliff-on-Sea. Doors open 19:30, show starts 20:00. Featuring LONGY, with support from Nathan Abbott, Gypsy Moon, and The Horse Heads. Ages 14+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult). Experience live music from Southend legends and rising stars in a vibrant local venue.
Sunday
☕️ Bury St Edmunds – BSE Monthly Bitcoin Meetup: Join on Sunday, 29th March 2026 from 11:00–15:00 at Edmundo Lounge, 28 Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1DY, for the BSE monthly Bitcoin meetup. Meet local Bitcoiners, share ideas, and connect with the community in a friendly, informal setting. All welcome.
⚽ CheatCode – Day Four (Women’s Football Day): Join in Bedford for RBFC Women v Gwalia United at The Ledger Stadium, Meadow Lane, MK44 3SB. Buses run from 11:30–13:00 from The Corn Exchange (MK40 1SL) to the stadium, with the match kicking off at 14:00. Enjoy the BBQ, beer tent, food, and coffee throughout the day. Return buses run 16:30–17:30, after which Bedford’s bars and restaurants, including Peter’s Coffee Shop and Bar, will be open late for dinner, drinks, and a final chance to connect with fellow Bitcoiners.
New Businesses Accepting Bitcoin This Week
🥩 MRBL Steakhouse: A British steakhouse set in the heart of the London, located within the iconic former meat and poultry market of Leadenhall Market. Serving dishes rooted in British-led ingredients, all cooked over coals, fire and smoke. Steaks are dry aged for a minimum of 35 days and cooked over charcoal, using carefully selected native breeds including English Longhorn, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, grass-fed and reared on farms in Yorkshire and Norfolk.
Supporting this week’s issue…
🕵️ The Satoshi Cipher – Week 2
Prize: 750 sats ⚡
Cipher: Caesar Shift (+5) rotates each letter forward by five steps (A→F, B→G, etc.). Once you know the shift value, simply reverse it to read the message.
History: Named after Julius Caesar, who used it to protect military dispatches by shifting letters a fixed number of places.
Puzzle: XTZSI RTSJD
Reply to this email to claim the sats.
Last Week’s Winner: Nick Morris – solved “STACK SATS DAILY”.
Bonus: ⚡ Double the prize if you solve it within 10 minutes of this email landing.
🧭 On the Radar
Big events further down the line.
🗓️ 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.
🗓️ 30th April - Fountain Special Event - An Introduction to the New Music Economy, Anditode, London
🗓️ 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.
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