The four big bitcoin holidays are January 3 (the genesis block, also Proof of Keys day), January 10 (the Running bitcoin tweet), May 22 (Bitcoin Pizza Day) and October 31 (the white paper anniversary). Add the next halving, expected around April 2028, and you have the core of the bitcoin calendar.
None of these are official. Bitcoin has no foundation that declares holidays, so every date below is a community tradition that stuck because people kept marking it. Here they are month by month, with a few gift dates and the general rhythm of conference season mixed in.
January: bitcoin's birthday month
January is the busiest month on the calendar, because the network itself started then.
January 3: Genesis Block Day. On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined block 0, the first block of the chain, with a London newspaper headline about bank bailouts tucked inside. Bitcoiners treat the date as the network's birthday. The full story is in our genesis block guide, and our Genesis Block tee prints that headline under a folded orange newspaper, with the date and block number below.
January 3: Proof of Keys. The same date doubles as Proof of Keys day, first held in 2019 for the tenth anniversary of the genesis block and promoted by podcaster Trace Mayer. The idea is simple: withdraw your coins from exchanges into a wallet where you hold the keys, as a yearly reminder of the saying in our not your keys, not your coins guide. Taking part is optional, and the Not Your Keys tee is the outfit for it.
January 9: the first software release. The first version of the bitcoin software was released to the public on January 9, 2009, so anyone could download it and join.
January 10: Running bitcoin. Cryptographer Hal Finney tweeted two words, "Running bitcoin," on January 10, 2009. The Running Bitcoin Challenge, an ALS fundraiser held in his memory, has centered on January ever since. Read the Running bitcoin story or wear the Running Bitcoin tee, with its orange sneaker and the date in small type.
January 12: the first transaction. Satoshi sent 10 BTC to Finney on January 12, 2009, recorded in block 170, the first payment from one person to another.
February: a bitcoin Valentine
There is no bitcoin anniversary in February, but February 14 is a fine excuse for a gift. The I Love Bitcoin tee, with its orange heart-shaped padlock, needs no explaining.
March and April: halving season (in 2028)
The next halving is the one big date on this calendar that cannot be pinned down in advance. It is expected around April 2028, when block 1,050,000 is mined and the new-coin reward per block drops from 3.125 BTC to 1.5625 BTC. Because it is triggered by a block height rather than a calendar day, the estimate drifts by days or weeks as the date approaches. Past halvings landed on November 28, 2012, July 9, 2016, May 11, 2020 and April 20, 2024.
Our guide to the next bitcoin halving explains how to build your own countdown, and the Halving 2028 tee shows an orange coin splitting in two. Expect halving watch parties at meetups once the countdown gets close.
May: pizza and moms
Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday in May in the US. The Bitcoin Mom tee and our bitcoin gifts for mom page cover the gift side.
May 22: Bitcoin Pizza Day. On May 22, 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas, the first well-known purchase of physical goods with bitcoin. It is the friendliest bitcoin holiday, because everyone understands pizza, and many meetups hold pizza nights that week. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday. The Bitcoin Pizza Day guide tells the story, and the Bitcoin Pizza Day tee has an orange slice topped with coin-shaped pepperoni.
June: Father's Day
Father's Day lands on the third Sunday in June. The Bitcoin Dad tee puts BITCOIN DAD under a steaming orange coffee mug, and our bitcoin gifts for dad page has more ideas.
July to September: quiet anniversaries
Summer has fewer celebrations, but trivia fans can mark a few dates:
- August 18, 2008. The bitcoin.org domain was registered, more than two months before the white paper appeared.
- August 24, 2017. The SegWit upgrade activated at block 481,824, after one of the most heated debates in bitcoin's history.
- Grandparents Day. In the US it is the first Sunday after Labor Day, a fitting moment for the Bitcoin Grandpa tee and its orange rocking chair.
October: white paper day
October 31: the white paper anniversary. On Halloween 2008, a link to a nine-page paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System reached a cryptography mailing list, signed Satoshi Nakamoto. October 31, 2026 marks its 18th anniversary. Many bitcoiners reread it every year, which takes less time than carving a pumpkin. Our bitcoin white paper explained guide walks through it section by section, and the White Paper tee prints its subtitle under an orange scroll, dated 31.10.2008.
November: upgrades and family dinners
- November 14, 2021. The Taproot upgrade activated at block 709,632, the biggest change to the protocol since SegWit.
- November 28, 2012. The first halving cut the block reward from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.
- Thanksgiving. Not a bitcoin date, but famous among bitcoiners as the dinner where a relative finally asks about it. Our orange pill guide covers what happens next.
December: HODL and the holidays
December 18: HODL day. On December 18, 2013, a BitcoinTalk user posted a slightly tipsy thread titled I AM HODLING during a sharp price drop, and the typo became bitcoin's word for holding on. Read what HODL means for the whole tale.
Christmas. The biggest gift season of the year. The Ho Ho HODL tee swaps the last ho in Santa's laugh for HODL, under an orange Christmas hat, and our bitcoin Christmas shirts page collects the rest of the holiday designs.
A practical note for any gift date on this list: every tee is printed to order, and most orders are printed and shipped within 3 to 4 business days, then take about 5 days to reach the continental US. Give yourself a two-week cushion before the big day.
Conference season, in general terms
Bitcoin conferences do not have fixed dates the way anniversaries do, but the year has a familiar rhythm. The largest US event has usually run in spring or summer: in 2026 it was held in late April, and its organizer has announced Bitcoin 2027 for July 15 to 17, 2027 in Nashville. Europe's best-known gatherings tend to cluster in early summer and autumn, and smaller regional conferences and meetups fill in the rest of the year. Always check each event's official site, since dates and cities change from year to year. If you are going, our guide on what to wear to a bitcoin conference has outfit ideas.
How to keep the calendar
The simplest method is to add the four fixed dates, January 3, January 10, May 22 and October 31, to your phone as yearly events. Set the halving as a reminder to check a block countdown once 2028 begins, since its date will move. Then follow your local meetup group, which will usually announce its Pizza Day and holiday plans a few weeks ahead.
Sources: Wikipedia, History of bitcoin for the 2008 and 2009 dates, BitcoinNews on Proof of Keys and Bitcoin Magazine on Bitcoin 2027.
