Everybody's Throwing a Watch Party for the Ethereum Merge. Here's Where to Go

The Ethereum Merge is becoming an occasion for celebration on top of all the speculation.

Ethereum, the second-biggest blockchain network, is scheduled to transition from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) a little after 12:30 a.m. ET, 5:30 a.m. BST, or 12:30 p.m. in Hong Kong and Singapore.

For HODLers of ether (ETH), and users of the Ethereum protocol, this is a monumental shift that had been years in the making. As PoW cryptocurrencies are routinely criticized for being energy intensive, one of the major benefits of this transition will be a stark reduction in the network’s energy usage to the tune of 99.95% according to the Ethereum Foundation.

Even though the Merge will take place overnight for most in North America and Europe, the event itself has a festival-like feel to it, a sort of Super Bowl but with more brains than brawn.

The crypto-finance newsletter Bankless aggregated a list of no fewer than six Ethereum Merge watch parties, mostly virtual but a few being held in real life.

For those who want to stay up and party with their fellow HODLers, below is a list of live stream watch parties:

Bankless: The eve of the Merge Livestream (Sept. 14, 5 p.m. ET)

Ethereum Foundation: Ethereum Merge viewing party (Sept. 14, 11 p.m. ET)

The Boston DAO Ethereum Merge Soiree

And for those at EthBerlin in Germany, conference organizers have put together an in-real-life launch party kicking off that evening. Sources say the RVSP password is hacktheplanet."

CoinDesk Special Coverage: The Ethereum Merge