What Was HiveFest 2022?
HiveFest 2022 — subtitled "Close Encounters" — was the seventh annual gathering of the Hive blockchain community, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 15 to 18 September 2022. Organized by @roelandp (the Dutch Hive community organizer and longtime festival creator), it marked the first in-person (IRL) HiveFest since Bangkok 2019 — after two consecutive virtual editions in AltspaceVR during the pandemic years. Returning to Amsterdam, where the event series began in 2016, the four-day gathering combined conference sessions, social events, and community exploration of the city. Details sat on the official HiveFest website. The "Close Encounters" theme expressed both the joy of in-person reconnection and Hive's mission of bringing a decentralized community physically together after years apart.
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Key Themes and Event Highlights
The 2022 edition blended technical presentations on Hive ecosystem developments with community social activities across Amsterdam's iconic venues.
Event Highlights
- Return to IRL: After two virtual-only editions (AltspaceVR in 2020 and 2021), the return to Amsterdam represented a landmark moment for the global Hive community — members who had not met since Bangkok 2019 reunited in person for the first time in three years.
- Eye Filmmuseum presentations: The striking Eye Filmmuseum on the IJ waterfront hosted conference presentations, including a Hive marketing pitch by Belgian advertising agency @behilarious. All sessions were recorded and published to YouTube for the global community.
- Volkshotel community hub: The Volkshotel served as the primary community gathering point — a hip Amsterdam hotel known for rooftop hot tubs and creative community spaces, fitting Hive's developer-and-creator culture.
- Ecosystem updates: Presentations covered the latest developments across Hive's diverse ecosystem — Splinterlands (consistently one of the most played blockchain games globally), LeoFinance, Hive Engine (sidechain), 3Speak (decentralized video), and other dapps built on Hive's DPoS infrastructure.
- BeerSaturday tradition: A signature HiveFest social event, BeerSaturday brought attendees together for informal networking in true Amsterdam style.
- Travel Reimbursement Fund: A community-funded travel support initiative helped members attend from across the world — 27,000+ combined travel kilometres were claimed by just nine attendees, reflecting the global dispersal of the Hive community.
- Blockchain-powered jukebox: An innovative community art piece featured a Hive-powered jukebox on the carillon of the Zuiderkerk church, where attendees voted on-chain for the next song played by a live carillonneur — a memorable fusion of blockchain and Dutch cultural heritage.
How Blockchain and Web3 Are Growing in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has 350+ blockchain startups and is one of Europe's most active crypto markets. Amsterdam is home to a vibrant blockchain community spanning DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and infrastructure. Under MiCA, the AFM and DNB serve as dual regulators. The Netherlands took a shorter 6-month transitional period ending June 30, 2025. Dutch exchanges Bitvavo and Bitonic are active, and ABN AMRO and ING have piloted blockchain projects. For more shows, see CoinGabbar's blockchain events hub.
Impact of HiveFest 2022 on the Hive Community
The return to IRL marked a turning point for the Hive blockchain community, which had formed entirely on-screen for three years. Seeing peers in person reinforced the genuine human bonds that underpin Hive's decentralized content and social economy. The Amsterdam edition also demonstrated that blockchain communities don't need institutional conference infrastructure — a hotel with a rooftop hottub and a few venues across a walkable city can host an event that matters deeply to its participants.
Why Sponsors, Exhibitors and Projects Should Join HiveFest
- Hive ecosystem projects: present your dapp to the most engaged Hive users from 90+ countries in a single gathering.
- Play-to-earn and blockchain gaming: Splinterlands' historic success makes HiveFest the premier gathering for blockchain gaming community builders.
- Decentralized social and content platforms: connect with Hive's creator economy of writers, artists, gamers, and content producers who monetize through blockchain.
- Community funds and DAOs: engage Hive's on-chain governance community — decisions made at HiveFest shape Hive's Decentralized Hive Fund (DHF) allocation.
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Why KOLs, Media and Influencers Attend
HiveFest is one of the most authentic blockchain community events in the calendar — no corporate sponsors dictating the agenda, just builders and creators who use Hive daily. The Amsterdam setting generates great visual content. Coverage can spread through the crypto press release network.
Why Community Members and Participants Join
Hive community members come to meet the developers who build the blockchain, the teams behind their favourite dapps, and the creators they follow on Hive's social layer. Many leave with collaborations, friendships, and a renewed commitment to the decentralized web that is only possible after meeting in person.
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How the Event Concluded and What Came Next
HiveFest 2022 closed on 18 September — the final day of reunions, goodbyes, and contact exchanges in Amsterdam. The 2023 edition moved to Rosarito, Mexico (themed "Ola Surfista"), continuing the tradition of surprising the global Hive community with a new world destination each year. Track upcoming shows on the crypto events calendar and our blockchain events page.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Hive: a decentralized blockchain and information-sharing network built on Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), forked from Steem in 2020, designed for content creation, dapps, and community tokenization.
- DPoS (Delegated Proof of Stake): a blockchain consensus mechanism where token holders vote for witnesses (validators) who produce blocks — used by Hive, EOS, and other networks.
- Splinterlands: a blockchain-based card trading and play-to-earn game built on Hive, consistently one of the most-played blockchain games by transaction volume globally.
- Decentralized Hive Fund (DHF): Hive's on-chain treasury, funded by inflation, that community members can vote to allocate to development proposals.
- Eye Filmmuseum: Amsterdam's iconic film museum on the north bank of the IJ waterfront, housed in a distinctive modern building, used as a conference presentation venue at HiveFest 2022.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The event described was held in September 2022; future dates may differ. Verify with the official source and do your own research.
