📅 The Meetup Breakdown 94
Bitcoin meetups for the UK and Ireland for 11th - 17th May 2026. Plus new merchants now accepting bitcoin.
“Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be banned from thinking so as not to offend the imbeciles”.—Fyodor Dostoevsky
This week we are running a competition to win 2 tickets to the Bitcoin Ireland Conference, taking place 22 to 24 May.
To enter, reply with the correct answer to this week’s Satoshi Cipher below. Good luck.
First, let’s take a look at the meetups happening this week…
This week’s sponsor is…
The Once Bitten Podcast with Daniel Prince shares real stories and honest conversations that cut through the noise to show how Bitcoin is reshaping lives, families, and the future of money.
Upcoming Bitcoin Meetups
What We’re Up To This Week 📆
Monday
🍻 Dundee Bitcoin: Join them from 17:30 to 20:30 at The Wine Press, 16 Shore Terrace, Dundee DD1 3DN. This month’s meetup is on 11th.
🍺 Purbeck Bitcoin: A new UK meetup! If you’re down in the south of England, you’ll find them at The Bear Wareham, BH20 4LT. On Monday, the 11th, from 19:00 onwards.
Tuesday
🎙️ Bitcoin Surrey: This month’s meetup features a fireside chat with Freddie New, CEO of B HODL plc and co-founder of Bitcoin Policy UK, sharing an update on all things B HODL and the company’s journey over the past year. Join them on Tuesday, 12th May 2026 from 18:00–22:00 at The Castle, 5 Castle St, Farnham GU9 7HR, with the fireside chat and Q&A starting at 19:00. Food is served from 17:00–21:00, and everyone is welcome to attend for free.
Wednesday
🍻 Glasgow Bitcoin: A welcoming space for anyone in and around Glasgow to connect and talk all things Bitcoin. Join from 18:00–23:00 at The Piper Bar, G1 1HL.
🏦 Xapo x Antidote Networking Evening: Join on Wednesday, 13th May from 18:00–21:30 at Antidote HQ for an evening of networking hosted by Xapo, the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and Antidote. The night includes a short talk from the Xapo team on their work with BPI and the evolving UK Bitcoin policy landscape, followed by drinks, food, and relaxed conversation with fellow Bitcoiners. Opening talk begins at 18:30. Free to attend, with registration required.
🕵️ Bitcoinology – Chain Analysis Deep Dive: Join on Wednesday 13th from 18:30 in Bloomsbury as Ramon takes a deep dive into chain analysis, privacy, and best practices for avoiding tracking by bad actors. All welcome.
🍻 St Albans Bitcoin: This month the St Albans meetup is on Wednesday the 13th, from 19:00 to 22:00 at the The White Lion, AL1 1RN. Whether you’re new or experienced, there’ll be plenty of people on hand to answer questions and share insights.
Thursday
🍺 Liverpool Bitcoin: A growing community, dedicated to leveraging Bitcoin’s strengths to serve the people of Liverpool and surrounding areas. Get along & help them build. This month their meetup is at the Railway Pub on Tithebarn Street, on Thursday 14th at 18:30.
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.
🏢 Antidote Office Open Day: Thinking about joining London’s premier Bitcoin coworking hub? Visit Antidote HQ on Friday, 15th May from 10:00–16:30 for an open day where builders, investors, and Bitcoin enthusiasts can explore the workspace, meet members and accelerator founders, and work from the office for the day. Expect access to breakout areas, meeting rooms, and the roof terrace. Free to attend, with registration required.
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 (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.
Sunday
🧘 Yoga & Art Club: Join on Sunday 17th from 11:00 in Bloomsbury for a relaxed mind, body, and art session with Psyfer and Akme. Start with yoga (bring your own mat), followed by Munk brunch at Ana’s Deli from 12:00, and Art Club from 13:30. All welcome.
Supporting this week’s issue…
🕵️ The Satoshi Cipher – Week 9
🎟️ Prize: 2 Tickets for the Bitcoin Ireland Conference in Dublin (May 22–25)
Cipher: Pigpen replaces letters with geometric symbols from a tic‑tac‑toe grid (letters A–I) and the same grid with dots (J–R). The encoded glyphs below use text tags: TL/TM/TR/ML/MM/MR/BL/BM/BR for their positions, with “•” indicating dotted versions; a slash marks spaces.
History: Also called the Freemason cipher, Pigpen uses geometric symbols instead of letters and appeared in 18th-century Masonic notebooks.
Puzzle: BM MR• ML TR• / ML• MR• BR• MM
Reply with the decoded phrase to win. 🎟️
Last Week’s Winner: Nick Morris – solved “STACKS ON CHAINS”.
🧭 On the Radar
Big events further down the line.
🗓️ 22nd May - BSE: Bitcoin Pizza Day, Bury st Edmunds.
🗓️ 26th June - Bitcoin Graffiti Jam - Stockwell Hall of Fame, London.
📅 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.