Cryptocurrency platforms are bringing in Bitcoin Pizza Day by distributing free pizzas, gift vouchers, and other goodies. Indian players Coinswitch, Mudrex, and Zebpay are running campaigns to promote and celebrate the day when Bitcoin was used for the first time to buy a real-world commodity.

Bitcoin Pizza Day is celebrated widely by the crypto community worldwide on May 22 every year. The symbolism of the event is to mark how open-source internet money, which wasn’t of significant worth then, went on to be the highest-valued crypto token in the world and saw wide adoption.

Cryptocurrency exchange CoinSwitch is giving away pizzas to crypto users who share their experiences of entering the world of cryptocurrencies. CEO Ashish Singhal wrote in a tweet, “Share your first experience of investing in crypto, and I’ll gift a pizza for the most unique story. Let’s celebrate together with pizza.” He also noted that his introduction to crypto was in 2014, when he started dabbling with Bitcoin nodes and codes. 

Similarly, exchange Zebpay has a Bitcoin Pizza Day offer on the platform. Crypto users who trade on the platform today can win gift vouchers worth ₹1,000. “Trade from ₹1,000 to ₹1 lakh or more and stand a chance to win prizes including cash vouchers, air tickets, and much more,” the platform said on Twitter. 

Mudrex, a crypto investing platform, is also running a Bitcoin Pizza Day campaign and has distributed pizzas to approximately 300 start-ups and companies in and around Bengaluru. It has also partnered with Via Milano in Bangalore, granting new signees the opportunity to indulge in complimentary pizzas provided by Via Milano.

Its CEO and co-founder, Edul Patel, said, “Bitcoin Pizza Day symbolizes the incredible journey of cryptocurrencies, from a humble transaction to a global phenomenon. It reminds us of the immense growth potential and transformative power of digital assets in shaping the future of finance.”

Global crypto player Binance is tying up with members of the community to make their own pizza, complete with their own ‘BTC’ toppings logo. Participants would be winning the crypto equivalent of a year’s supply of pizza.

What is Bitcoin Pizza Day

The day is celebrated to mark the first time Bitcoin was used for a real-life transaction. On May 22, 2010, two pizzas were bought for 10,000 bitcoins, at a time when Bitcoin was known and understood by very few people. 

Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer in Florida who was a part of the initial phases of Bitcoin, decided he had to put his mined tokens to use. He then put out a message on the Bitcoin Talk Forum saying, “I’ll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas, like maybe two large ones, so I have some leftover for the next day.”

A few days later, on May 22, a man on the forum named Jeremy Sturdivant took up the offer and got Hanyecz and two pizzas delivered from Papa John’s. A single Bitcoin today is worth $26,830.5 and was even worth $69,044 at its all-time high in 2021.