Rootstock Rooftop Party

Yesterday we celebrated a “Rootstock Rooftop Party” in Playa del Carmen with a talk about DeFi on Bitcoin, drinks, snacks and musical performances.

It took place on a Rooftop with a beautiful pool and a bar in central Playa del Carmen. We baptised it “Rootstock Rooftop” for that night. Around 35 people showed up for the event, although it rained when it started. People really liked the atmosphere and the programme. Our idea was not to do another crypto meetup with a focus on tech talks, but to throw a real party with musical performances that create a good vibe.

The evening started with an introductory talk by me about Rootstock, a technology that makes DeFi possible on Bitcoin, something I think more people should know about. Then Steph, Lola and I sang the Labitconf song in its unplugged version. The last part of the show belonged to Trinity Light and Moonlyte Creatrix, two amazing singers and songwriters from Canada and the USA who live in Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen at the Caribbean Coast of Mexico has developed from a touristic town into a hotspot for digital nomads, online entrepreneurs and freedom lovers. This especially happened when large parts of the world were locked down and infected by the fear virus, while Mexico stayed open and free.

Many people from Europe, the US or Canada have moved there, at least for a part of the year. This is a perfect breeding ground for a thriving crypto community. I started a regular Bitcoin meetup in Playa del Carmen in late 2020, in the midst of the so-called “Pandemic”, just at the beginning of the latest Bitcoin bull run. It quickly grew from a small round table with 5 people to a big meetup with international speakers and more than 50 participants. It even forked into a weekly crypto dinner, which became the main event in Playa del Carmen after I started travelling again and paused my activities in Mexico. We closely cooperate: I helped them become known in the beginning, now they support me in promoting my events. Thanks, Chris, Dan & Co!

Paying the bill by Lightning

People seemed to be really happy with the rooftop party, so I consider doing something similar on a regular basis. If you want to visit sunny and warm Playa del Carmen in the wintertime, when it gets cold up north, please drop by!

The flyer that promoted the event

By Aaron Koenig

Pictures by Denise Valois, Teresa Lisson and Illan Cohen