One of the biggest annual crypto conferences, NFT Paris, decided to ghost the industry with just a one-month notice. The organizers took to X to admit that after four editions, they’re finally facing the music: NFT Paris 2026 is officially dead on arrival. Apparently, the brutal market collapse finally caught up with them, proving that even the hype can’t survive a bear market forever.
Despite slashing costs and grinding for months, they still couldn't salvage the event this year. While 2025 saw fleeting spikes in NFT trading, the sector never truly bounced back to its pandemic-era glory days, even as fungible tokens like Bitcoin managed to reclaim all-time highs. Trading volumes across NFT marketplaces have hemorrhaged roughly 95% from their 2021 peaks, and once-blue-chip collections like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks have seen their valuations absolutely crater. Even OpenSea, the OG of JPEG trading, is now desperately pivoting to become a generic crypto aggregator.
The exact catalyst for this cancellation remains shrouded in mystery, much like the roadmap for most of the collections that used to sell out at the event. Earlier promo material boasted expectations of around 20,000 attendees and hundreds of presenters and side events. Now, all tickets will be refunded within 15 days, with general admission sitting at $231.33 and VIP Access at $1,161.30, according to Coinspeaker. The team promised to do "all we can to close this chapter properly," which usually translates to "we're trying to avoid getting ratioed."
However, some would-be sponsors might be left holding a heavy bag of nothing. Artist Serc of the Silhouettes collection claims he received an email stating the event is "unfortunately unable to offer a refund" due to budget constraints. Serc quoted the email, noting that "the non-refundable costs incurred for the event exceed the total sponsorship contributions received, so we are unfortunately unable to offer a refund at this time." It seems the organizers managed to pull a rug on their own sponsors, a move that would make even the grimiest degen blush.
