Sovereignty Summit
2–3 April 2027, Queenstown
A first-edition Bitcoin conference on a mountain in New Zealand, run by the local Bitcoin Basin community. Here is what it costs, who is speaking, and how to get there.
Independent listing: Bitcoin.diy is not affiliated with Sovereignty Summit, Sovereignty Events Ltd or the Bitcoin Basin. We were not paid for this page and the ticket link carries no affiliate or tracking code. Details are accurate as of November 10, 2026; always confirm on the official site before booking.
Quick facts
- Dates
- 2–3 April 2027, side events from 31 March
- Venue
- Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand
- Expected
- About 1,000 attendees (first edition)
- Organiser
- Sovereignty Events Ltd, owned by the Bitcoin Basin Trust
- Tickets
- From US$499 (about NZ$890); 5–10% off in Bitcoin
- Category
- Bitcoin, with Bitcoin-only sponsors
What Sovereignty Summit is
Sovereignty Summit is a new two-day conference at Coronet Peak, one of Queenstown's ski areas. It comes from the Bitcoin Basin, a local project that onboards Queenstown businesses to Lightning for free and wants the region to become a Bitcoin circular economy. The legal organiser is Sovereignty Events Limited, which the Bitcoin Basin Trust owns.
The programme is built around what the organisers call seven pillars: technology, privacy and property, health, food and land, family and community, education, and philosophy. Bitcoin is the starting point rather than the whole story. The organisers expect about 1,000 people, and the Otago Daily Times reported the plans in June 2026.
Programme
Most session times are still to be confirmed. This is the outline the organisers have published.
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Thu 1 Apr | Free pre-registration at The Mountain Club, Bitcoin Runners lakefront run (16:00), Welcome Party at QT Hotel (19:00) |
| Fri 2 Apr | Doors 08:00. Opening keynote by Jeff Booth, macro and money panels, technology sessions. VIP dinner in the evening |
| Sat 3 Apr | Women's Breakfast (08:00), then health, food, family, privacy, property and philosophy sessions, and a closing keynote |
The Welcome Party (200 places) and the Women's Breakfast (100 places) need an RSVP by 28 February 2027. Coaches to Coronet Peak leave from QT Hotel between 06:45 and 07:30.
Tickets
| Pass | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Signal | US$499 | Main stage, Signal Zone and the Bitcoin merchant village. About NZ$890. |
| Sovereign | US$899 | Adds workshops, the return bus from town, refreshments, the Welcome Party and partner vouchers. About NZ$1,590. |
| Freedom (VIP) | US$2,500 | Adds the VIP dinner, VIP lounge, Women's Breakfast and a concierge. About NZ$4,450. |
| Family Signal / Sovereign | US$998 / US$1,798 | Two adults; children under 15 go free. |
| Student | US$249 | Student ID required. About NZ$445. |
Prices as listed on the official ticket page in November 2026. Checkout is in US dollars; the New Zealand dollar figures are the site's own estimates. Paying over Lightning saves 5% to 10%.
Speakers
The speaker page lists 29 confirmed names. The best known are Jeff Booth (author of The Price of Tomorrow), on-chain analyst Willy Woo, journalist Efrat Fenigson and Daniel Batten, who writes on Bitcoin mining and methane. They are joined by Nacho Pauls of the OCEAN mining pool, Roland Bewick of Alby, Rodolfo Andragnes of LABITCONF, Tim Dargavel of OpenSats and chef Pete Evans, among others. Several speakers work for the summit's partners, such as Stacked, Satlantis and Aro Hā.
Is it worth it?
It is a different kind of Bitcoin event: small, community-run and more about how to live than about markets. That makes it a good fit for some people and a poor one for others.
Who It's For
- You see Bitcoin as a way of life, not a trade. Health, food, land, family and privacy get as much stage time as money.
- You want to bring the family. Children under 15 get in free and there is a hosted kids zone.
- You like the idea of a town where you can spend sats: the Bitcoin Basin says more than 50 Queenstown businesses accept Bitcoin.
- You want to combine a conference with a trip around New Zealand in early autumn.
Who Should Skip It
- You want developer content or price analysis. The FAQ says there are no price or trading talks.
- You need to be able to cancel. Tickets are non-refundable; you can only transfer them up to 30 days before the event.
- You are travelling on a tight budget from Europe or the Americas. Long-haul flights and Queenstown hotels from around NZ$560 a night add up.
Things to keep in mind
- This is the first edition, run by volunteers. Some details on the site are still marked to be confirmed, and a few pages disagree with each other on times and hotel rates.
- If the organisers cancel, the terms promise a refund or a rollover to the next event, but no compensation for flights or hotels.
- Some breakout spaces at the venue have steps, so wheelchair access is only partial.
Getting there
Queenstown Airport (ZQN) has direct flights from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and several Australian cities. Coronet Peak is about 16 km from town on a sealed road, roughly 20 minutes by car; the Sovereign and Freedom passes include the coach from QT Hotel, and there is parking at the venue. The organisers suggest booking flights early and list partner hotels on their travel page, including one that accepts Bitcoin.
Most visitors from visa-waiver countries need an NZeTA before they fly, usually together with the tourism levy. Allow up to 72 hours for approval. Australian citizens are exempt.
Other upcoming events
- Africa Bitcoin Conference, BlantyreDecember 2–5, 2026Bitcoin-only
- BlockDown Dubai, DubaiJanuary 26–27, 2027
- Plan ₿ Forum El Salvador, San SalvadorJanuary 29–30, 2027Bitcoin-only
- Consensus 2027, Miami Beach, FLMay 4–6, 2027
- Bitcoin 2027, Nashville, TNJuly 15–17, 2027Bitcoin-only
See every listing, filtered by region or Bitcoin-only, on our Bitcoin events calendar.