Jaipur, India, October 26, 2026 | The Bitmela 2026 Schedule has been officially unveiled, revealing two days of Bitcoin discussions, AI innovation, workshops, product launches and entertainment in Jaipur on October 30–31, 2026. Featuring actor and investor Kunal Kapoor, global Bitcoin builders, industry leaders and a live AI × Money Ideathon, the festival will bring together founders, investors, developers, educators and creators from India and across the Global South. Sessions will take place across the Cake Stage and Bitshala Stage, exploring Bitcoin, UPI, AI agents and the future of money.
The festival runs across two stages. The Cake Stage is home to stories, gatherings and debates, while the Bitshala Stage promises real tools, not slides, with hands-on workshops, community sessions and live product demos. When the sessions end, Bitmela turns into a celebration, with Gala Night on day one and The Mela and a closing party on day two. Doors open at 8:00 AM on both days for badge pickup, coffee and networking.
Day 1 highlights: Friday, October 30
Fireside chat with Kunal Kapoor, actor, investor and co-founder of Ketto, moderated by Anuja Chokshi of Bitmela.
Ideathon Pitch Competition: teams from across India, mentored for four weeks, pitch live across three tracks (UPI, payments made by AI agents, and Bitcoin) with ₹2 lakh up for grabs.
Is Bitcoin Legal in India? Saqeer Shah of Bitcoin Policy India answers the question everyone is asking.
Will AI Bring Back the Roaring Twenties? Prasanna Sankar of Vorflux on whether AI sparks the next great boom.
The Real Cost of Going All In on AI, with Seth for Privacy, COO of Cake Wallet.
Retire Early. Does Bitcoin Help or Hurt? Author and coach Manoj Arora and Ravi Handa of Handa Uncle go head to head.
Foundations First: What Investors Check Before the Cheque, with Shweta Chaudhary of InnovHer.
Can AI Actually Understand What Indians Value? Gaurav Kheterpal (Vanshiv) and Nakul Kumar (Cashify) weigh in.
What Can India Learn From Africa? Builders from Minmo, Tando and Machankura share what makes Bitcoin usable on the ground.
How to Win Big Across a Whole Career, with Vik Sharma of Cake Wallet.
On the Bitshala Stage, day one runs from Bitcoin 101 to a self-custody workshop with Coconut Wallet, a privacy starter kit with Seth for Privacy, and a hackathon led by Ken Carpenter of Foundation to build an app for the Passport Prime hardware wallet.
Gala Night (7:00 PM): Cake Wallet's launch party, an evening in true Rajasthan style with an open bar. Capped at 100 seats, for Gala Pass holders and above.
Day 2 highlights: Saturday, October 31
The Verdict That Made Crypto Banking Legal, with Harish BV of Unocoin and Dr. Nishith Desai and Suril Desai of Nishith Desai Associates.
Fleeing Zimbabwe in a Rolls-Royce, the story of Freddie New of BHODL.
The Switzerland of the Middle East Died Slowly, Sooly Kobayashi of NeoWealth on Lebanon.
Sri Lanka Beyond What We Inherited, with Sajith Caldera of Bitnomi.
How One Man Lived on Bitcoin for 800 Days, with Paco De La India of Run with Bitcoin.
How Do Indians Feel About Bitcoin? Creators Sujal Jethwani (The Sujal Show) and Kashif Raza (Bitinning) on the national mood.
Can Bitcoin Mining Power the Global South? Captain Hashrate (OurPool) and Piccolo (BOB Space Bangkok) debate.
Bitcoin Is Dead, a provocation from KG of Machankura.
Comedy show with Aashish Solanki to close the stage programme.
The Bitshala Stage hands the mic to the community on day two, with sessions on breaking out of the Bitcoin and Nostr bubble, getting designers into open source, building Bitcoin communities and businesses, self-custody tools and teaching Bitcoin. The afternoon brings live product demos from CryoBrick, Formstr, Bitshala and Openswap, including the launch of Shroud, a wallet built around silent payments, followed by Meet the Hackathon Winners.
The Vault: two closed-door sessions for Gala Pass holders only, capped at 18 seats: How to Get Ready for AI's Roaring Twenties with Prasanna Sankar, and a Mining Investment Forum with Jesse Pielke of HashrateUp.
After dark: The Mela opens at 6:00 PM with food, games, market stalls and performances on the outdoor grounds, followed by The Party at 9:00 PM to close out the festival.
At a glance
Dates: Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, 2026
Location: Jaipur, India
Doors open: 8:00 AM both days
Stages: Cake Stage (stories, gatherings and debates) and Bitshala Stage (workshops, community sessions and demos), plus The Vault for Gala Pass holders
Evenings: Gala Night (October 30), The Mela and The Party (October 31)
Full schedule and tickets: thebitmela.com/schedule
Media contact
Email: hello@thebitmela.com
Media & press requests: tally.so/r/XxNEkL
X: @thebitmela | Instagram: @thebitmela
Website: thebitmela.com
