ApeFest 2026 at Beeple Studios
Bored Ape Yacht Club's annual community festival takes place on Saturday, 17 October 2026, from 7pm to midnight local time at Beeple Studios in Charleston, South Carolina. The event is organised by Yuga Labs and is relevant to holders of the APE token and the Bored Ape and Mutant Ape NFT collections.
What is happening
ApeFest 2026 is held at the studio and event grounds of the digital artist Beeple. Admission is for holders of Bored Apes and Mutant Apes, with one ticket per NFT, claimed via tickets.apefest.com. Ownership is verified this year through the service Glyph. According to community reports, holders pay a refundable deposit of $99, which is returned once the ticket is scanned on site, while other guests pay a fixed price. Last year in Las Vegas the deposit was $169. Community side events run from Thursday to Sunday around the main evening, ranging from ice skating to a poker tournament.
The programme includes a short question-and-answer session with James Hall, who leads the Otherside metaverse project at Yuga Labs. Yuga has not signalled any major announcements in advance.
The festival is smaller in scale than earlier editions. In 2022 in New York it featured Snoop Dogg and Eminem; in 2023 it moved to Hong Kong with around 2,000 guests from 60 countries; in 2024 it saw the launch of the ApeChain blockchain; and in 2025 it was held in Las Vegas. The 2026 edition is a single evening in an artist's studio.
Why it matters
ApeFest is the main in-person gathering of the Bored Ape community and a regular occasion for Yuga Labs to speak directly to holders. It comes after a period of restructuring: the ApeCoin DAO was dissolved in 2025 and replaced by the company ApeCo, which Yuga controls, and Michael Figge has led the company since April 2026. Otherside has been open to everyone since November 2025, and a resource economy for it was announced in September 2026 without a release date. Community commentary points to waning momentum, with ApeChain locked value far below its late-2024 high and APE trading well below its all-time high.
For holders and traders, the evening is mainly a chance to hear updates on Otherside and the wider roadmap, particularly in the Q&A. Because no major announcements are expected, the event may pass without significant news. Updates are likely to appear on the Bored Ape Yacht Club's X channel. Holders should also keep wallet security in mind, as marketplace approvals were exploited in a September incident.
Key details
- Date: 17 October 2026, 7:00pm to midnight local time (Charleston)
- Project: Yuga Labs / Bored Ape Yacht Club
- Coins: APE
- Category: Conference
- Status: Confirmed
- Location: Beeple Studios, Charleston, United States
- Source: cryptoticker.io; official site apefest.com