Hosted by Web3 creative marketing and communications agency EAK Digital, BlockDown Festival: Portugal kicks off the second annual in-person Web3 and Blockchain Festival from July 10-12, 2023 in the Algarve, Portugal.
The festival will focus on creative industries such as music, fashion, entertainment, sports, games and art, and will bring together key leaders from Web3 and the Creator Economy.
Following the massive influx of Web2 brands over the past 18 months, BlockDown Festival will also invite speakers from leading legacy brands to discuss their entry into and experience with Web3. Talk content includes special fireside chats, panel discussions, debates and keynotes.
We spoke with Blockdown founder Erhan Korhaliller to learn more about the origins of the conference, this year’s program, and ultimately how Blockdown Festival brings together creative arts like Web3.
Disclaimer: CryptoSlate is the official media partner of BlockDown Festival.
The eighth annual Blockdown Festival, which kicked off in April 2020 as the Web3 industry’s first live virtual event, will take place July 10-12 in Algarve, Portugal. With the world shut down, what inspired you to launch BlockDown?
our web3 PR and marketing agency, EAK digitalhad originally organized Istanbul Blockchain Week For 2019, we have booked the Hilton Hotel in the heart of Istanbul with a great lineup of speakers. This was the first event we organized and it was going well, but then COVID-19 hit and everything fell apart. Of course, we had to cancel the event and refund all sponsors. This came as a shock to me as I’ve been working very hard to put this together.
When the world shut down in March 2020, we were all looking for distractions from the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point I was sitting in my childhood bedroom (due to lockdown!) wondering what to do. With such a great line-up of speakers and no conference, BlockDown was born.
BlockDown has allowed me and my team to focus on creating a never-before-seen metaverse-inspired virtual experience in just six weeks. The excitement that brought the entire blockchain community together live for 12,48 hours a day with the biggest speakers and projects from Beijing to Los Angeles was an exhilarating experience.
I was also inspired by Akon’s participation as a speaker on 5 editions of BlockDown. Back in April 2020, Akon’s participation in BlockDown received a lot of media attention as it was the first global blockchain event he attended.
As someone who spent my school years dancing late into the night with Akon, I never thought we would be working together like this. It was a thrill.
Finally, by tying ‘Lockdown’ to our name, we will never forget what inspired BlockDown, an event with interactivity, fun and engagement tied to the heart of the event. Staying true to our DNA and core values of hosting
BlockDown is not your typical Web3 conference. A unique combination of world-class content, art, fashion, entertainment, music and unique networking opportunities focused on bringing together the creative arts across Web3. Can you tell us more about what you have planned for programming this year?
As you rightly said, BlockDown Festival focuses on Web3 and the crossroads of cultures, crossovers of creative industries such as music, sports, art, fashion, games and entertainment.
For music, we partner with the web3 music platform. Token Traxx, in creating a Web3 music takeover stage on the festival’s Secret Garden stage. We invite 8 successful web3 musicians in the NFT field to speak and perform at the festival. A good mix of different music genres gives the festival great energy and gives everyone a chance to discover new and up-and-coming Web3 music artists.
When it comes to fashion Metaverse Fashion Council For fashion-related content. First, on July 11th, the main stage of the conference will host a Metaverse-inspired fashion show that includes a catwalk. In between each fashion speaking content will include a fashion show for fashion lovers and curious people to enjoy the latest updates on the future of fashion.
Additionally, we are very much looking forward to the world’s first fashion AI hackathon at this year’s BlockDown Festival. The Metaverse Fashion Council has released Style AI, a first-of-its-kind fashion AI that creates fashion garments based on user instructions. America’s Got Talent Style Contest is super exciting as participants take to the stage and compete to see who can create the most fashionable outfit, judged by an expert fashion judge.
Regarding the game blockchain game alliance Help us put together the best game content possible.I’ll enjoy having this W3E Together with us, you will gain experience setting up gaming zones and hosting live Web3 gaming tournaments throughout the festival.
Guest speakers include leaders from Web3, the Creator Economy and leading traditional brands. Can you name some of the key speakers and brands that will be attending?
As Web3 becomes more mainstream, more and more Web3 projects are partnering with the world’s biggest brands to get the next generation of people involved in Web3. With that in mind, this year’s BlockDown Festival will feature several major brands.
Pär Helgosson, head of Web3 and the Metaverse, to name a few. PSGone of the world’s largest football clubs and brands,
On the sports side, Web3 leader John Wolfe is in charge. mclaren racing. He will moderate the keynote address and join a panel of brand experts discussing how McLaren Racing successfully entered Web3 and where the industry’s future trajectory lies.
Finally, on the brand side, we have co-founder and CEO Julian Ohayon. BLVCK Paris. This luxury lifestyle fashion brand has seen amazing results with Web3 and is a pioneering example of other fashion brands integrating his Web3 into their existing business model.
We’ll also be joined by Animoca Brands CEO Robby Yung for a live hearth chat on the main stage alongside some great VCs like Bankless Ventures.
And the great thing is that we still have a lot to announce. Check back at the BlockDown Festival speakers page for the latest speaker announcements.
Taking place on IRL and online, the Metaverse Fashion Show will feature awe-inspiring designs from top NFT designers. Can you tell us more about the event and how you chose the designers to collaborate with?
Yes, I am looking forward to it. As mentioned above, this is done in partnership with the Metaverse Fashion Council, which advises us on the best designers and fashion houses to partner with on Metaverse fashion shows. The fashion show is divided into four parts, with fashion-related speeches and panels interspersed between each performance.
For festival-goers, a 10-foot catwalk will be set up for models to take to the stage and showcase various fashion designs. The show will be live on IRL and, of course, on the Metaverse on July 11th.
Blockdown is hosting Europe’s first Bored Ape Yacht party! Can you tell us more about this collaboration and how they came together?
I recently met the members of Bored Ape in Dubai and attended their show and immediately knew I had to bring this to BlockDown Festival. I had a meeting with them and agreed on the content and direction of the party. They are excited to be coming to Portugal for the first time.
They plan to host two parties. The Bored Ape Yacht Party is very special and, of course, because it takes place on a yacht, numbers are limited and those on the boat will be able to explore the world-famous Benagil Caves. Tours are also offered. Stop by our private beach for a Bored Ape BBQ.
On July 12th, on the festival’s main stage, DJ Ape will bring the Bored Ape experience to the entire festival with a two-hour DJ set featuring unique tracks and merchandise. Can’t wait to see!
Was it still possible for Web3 creators to join Blockdown this July? If so, how can they get in touch?
We want to keep the door open to collaboration for as long as possible. In particular, we are looking for input from music artists, NFT artists, digital fashion designers, and anyone or a company that enriches the BlockDown Festival experience for our guests. The more creative the idea, the better.
For more information, see BlockDown Festival: Portugal.
