Crypto conferences are often surreal events — a fast-paced and heady blend of luxury, nerdiness, innovation, attention-grabbing stunts, and WTF moments.
And TOKEN2049 in Singapore is no exception. We’re only one day into the event being held at the luxury Marina Bay Sands resort, but it’s already proving to be memorable.
From A-list arguments to magnificent memes, here are five crazy things that have happened so far.
1. Iggy Azalea Drops Out
Fresh from launching her MOTHER token earlier this year, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea was due to appear on a panel discussing meme coins.
But after flying out to Singapore, she’s now announced that she won’t be attending the conference at all because of a disagreement.
Azalea revealed on X that she wanted to create a flash mob where dancers in business suits would come on stage, but was told this couldn’t happen because it would “go too viral and then people won’t talk about the other serious things at the conference.”
(As a complete aside, it’s pretty bizarre that the organizers of a crypto event wouldn’t want a viral moment, and Azalea speaking out has probably garnered more column inches anyway.)
She went on to claim that she was told “regulations” meant dancing on stage wasn’t possible — and suggested that TOKEN2049 were “pissed” that she had backed out.
“I don’t feel there’s value for me to be doing a debate that’s a totally serious thing where I’m unable to be cheeky or create viral moments when I believe attention econ is my strength as a token,” Azalea wrote.
2. Vitalik Buterin Serenades Crowds
Despite Azalea’s no-show, there was plenty for attendees to enjoy on day one of TOKEN2049.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin gave a keynote speech in which he declared that crypto is no longer in its “early days,” especially considering the likes of Bitcoin are 15 years old.
He went on to highlight the progress that’s been made in driving down transaction fees and improving the user experience — and likened blockchains to “digital concrete.”
Alas, few people are talking about this over on X. Instead, they’re fixating on how he started to randomly sing a song from Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle on stage.
“All of my wealth is in this man’s hands,” one person quipped.
3. Mega Queues
Once the panels are over and the business deals have been done, there’s one thing that many crypto conference attendees like to do: head to a party.
These booze-fuelled events are always full of surprises. I remember going to a bash in Amsterdam and being fed tomatoes grown using the heat from Bitcoin mining rigs.
Berachain and OKX teamed up to host a bash at the Marquee Nightclub — and while it looked pretty opulent, getting inside was by no means easy.
Countless photos and videos were posted on X that showed snaking queues to the venue. Lines were said to be over 1km long, with some facing a two-hour wait.
Insert your own jokes about blockchain congestion here.
4. Memes Galore
You never know what to expect at a crypto conference. From dramatic volcano institutions to mechanical bull contests where the winner gets a whole Bitcoin, there’s plenty of surprises.
And at TOKEN2049, attendees were treated to a guest appearance by András Arató, better known as “Hide the Pain Harold.”
He became the butt of countless memes after some of the stock photographs he had taken went viral.
Arató was the star of a VIP party thrown by Memeland, which describes itself as a “Web3-focused studio.”
He sat in front of a huge framed picture of himself for selfies with devoted fans.
Never underestimate how weird crypto can be.
5. Wild Weather
A weird weather phenomenon known as a “Sumatra squall” swept across Singapore on Tuesday night — with strong winds bringing down trees in places.
That’s led to some pretty challenging conditions for attendees, with some openly wondering whether they’re jinxed after TOKEN2049 in Dubai was battered by a storm earlier this year.
Flights were grounded and people were urged to stay at home amid widespread floods, but the event in the UAE did end up going ahead as normal.
Two weeks before that, a rare 4.8-magnitude earthquake happened during the NFT NYC conference.
As @poordart quipped on X: “God sends his toughest plagues to his most deserving transgressors.”
The post 5 Crazy Things That Happened on Day One of TOKEN2049 appeared first on Cryptonews.
