Moonbirds Impress and My Biggest NFT NYC Regret

NFT NYC is an annual conference bringing together the leading projects and influencers from the NFT industry. The fourth iteration of this event took place last week from June 20-23. 

I got into New York on Monday evening and attended a dinner with some Discord members that I had never met in person before. A major theme of NFT NYC was meeting people who you have spent the last year conversing with online.

If you just went to the events, you wouldn't think people were down 90 percent on their investments. Morale was high and people enjoyed the events put on by the projects they have been participating in throughout the past year and a half.

10/10, I would go again.

NFT NYC Events I Attended

I attended a handful of events from prominent NFT collections, including CryptoonGoonz and Moonbirds. 

Cryptoon Goonz/Alien Frens/Football Critters

The Cryptoon Goonz, Alien Frens, and Football Critters held a collaborative hang-out at "The Ground," a Futsal club in lower Manhattan. 

You can get a sense of the venue with this drone footage and recap video from Cryptoon Goonz. 

The event had space for people to play soccer on a freshly painted court adorned with Cryptoon Goonz and Alien Frens NFTs. Attendees were free to roam about, kick around the soccer ball, and the teams even provided custom soccer kits. 

A long line of participants stood outside a tent, eagerly awaiting a kit of their choice (Goonz, Alien Frens, or Football Critters) with a screen-printed name on the back. 

The Cyptoon Goonz also had a few other events including a boat party for holders, a drawing party, and even one lucky member of the community got a tattoo from the artist himself.

After attending the event, it was clear to me that the Cryptoon Goonz team has created a strong community. The focus on streetwear with the Urban Outfitter partnership makes me think the Goonz are here to stay, and I plan on wearing the merch as part of my regular cycle of clothing.

Moonbirds

The Moonbirds event was a smooth, professionally produced event with a jam-packed list of notable performers like Tyler Hobbs, Mix Master Mike, David Blaine, and Tame Impala Sound System 

Unfortunately, Blaine had already left (or did he???) by the time I arrived. But pictures and videos shared afterward showed Blaine performing stunts like sewing his mouth shut.

Project leaders Kevin Rose and Justin Mezzell came out and gave a speech before getting inked up with matching Moonbird tattoos and Rose said that "the next 60 days are going to be nuts."

Attendees of the event were able to claim two pieces of merchandise each from a selection of snapback dad hats, bandanas, an insulated tumbler, and perhaps the best of all, a Moonbirds fanny pack from Lululemon. 

I chose the tumbler and dad hat since I was already wearing my new Club Top Shot fanny pack. Later in the night, I went back and there were still bandanas and hats left but the fanny packs were already gone. They let me grab a few bandanas on my way out.

Tokenframe attended the event and allowed holders to see their Moonbird NFT displayed on a 55' frame. Obviously, I took this opportunity (don't worry I didn't have to scan any QR codes).

Web3 Party 

The web3 party was a fun, casual event led by five leading women in the web3 industry.

The event was hosted and sponsored by Evaluate Market (@jennifer_sutto), Cryptoys (@StephSutto), Kiki the Bored Ape (@byswickie), Juicebox Frens (@SeraStargirl), and Upstream (@LaMoniRojas), and each team provided some merchandise for attendees (including the Cryptoys lunch pail!)

We enjoyed some light cocktails and I met some people who I have known for over a year but had yet to meet in person. 

I enjoyed attending this event led by five notable women who are moving the industry forward. They care about creating relationships and connections within web3 and all met online while growing their own brands.

NFT Events I Wish I Attended

With so many events at NFT NYC, I couldn't get to them all. Here are a few I wish I made time for:

Cooltopia

I almost attended Cooltopia, the Cool Cats immersive event, on Wednesday. Not going might have been my biggest regret of the week.

Cooltopia looked like a fun experience that could be shared with your whole family. The Upside Down room (where you could take pictures appearing upside down) was a fun idea and there were multiple games for all ages.

Cool Cats NFT needed a win after a few months of morale being low, and Cooltopia seemingly provided a boost. 

The floor price for Cool Cats was 3.5 on June 19 ahead of the events. The price peaked at around 4.42 on June 23 after the positive sentiment surrounding the Cooltopia experience.

Azuki

Azuki once again made a statement that the team knows how to throw a fun party. The lore was in full swing through the decorations and the Alley, and Zhu and Lupe Fiasco were the musical guests. 

Wednesday night was the only part of my busy schedule that I hadn't planned out an event to attend. Azuki would have fit in perfectly and I would've enjoyed the immersive experience of the Alley.

Zhu was the perfect music choice for Azuki, as the Chinese-American based in San Francisco plays house music that fit the ambiance theme of the Alley.

Azuki showed that they are one of the coolest NFT communities and cultures to be a part of. Multiple Twitter posts noted that the crowd at Azuki was the most racially diverse event they attended. 

ApeFest

It's hard to say you wanted to be at NFT NYC and didn't want to go to ApeFest if you had the chance. The event was four nights of music, food, and drinks on a New York City pier.

The first night was somewhat disappointing, as news surfaced that the planned Main Act bailed last minute, so Questlove ended up doing a DJ set.

Unfortunately, Tuesday night overlapped with many other big events such as Doodles, Moonbirds, and Goblintown. And it was also raining that night so not the best experience.

But the third night of ApeFest featured the Roots and Future as musical artists which caused a lot of positive buzz on Twitter.

And Yuga saved the best for last on Thursday night, which opened with a performance by Lil' Wayne. Plus, the rumors about a major performance came true, and the main event was Eminem and Snoop Dogg, who revealed their new song with a music video that featured their Bored Apes.