NFTs are dead? Don’t tell NFT Paris

Analysts and investors have largely pronounced NFTs, whereby the market dropped to a low -point low in January. But NFT holders and makers are not yet ready to send them to the cemetery.

So much was clear because Crypto entrepreneurs, days and investors paraded around NFT Paris 2025 last week.

Image: NFT Paris

The two-day conference, which invoices itself as Europe’s largest web3 fair, brought an estimated 20,000 attendees to La Grande Villette, an impressive fort-like structure on the edge of the vast La Villette Park of Paris.

The former slaughterhouse was a suitable pounding ground for a celebration of an industry that is, to be honest, about living support. But nestled within the glasses and cast iron walls of the location, NFT enthusiasts can coordinate the sound of NO-sayers.

The main stage of the conference organized a predominantly steady power panels, fireplaces and speeches on Thursday and Friday, despite a few planning hic cups. The presentations include a wide range of topics of IP ownership, developments in gaming on chains and the latest and best (and usually underwhelming) digital jewelry and artworks that are offered.

Image: Liz Napolitano

Right -click and save NFTs

Many of the speakers of the event offered ideas to a much needed revival of the market for non-fungal tokens in Herders-the one-off Web3 treasures whose fall has served as food for countless Crypto Twitter postmortems.

Two years ago, NFT dealer fell from a cliff. NFT sales volume dives from $ 23 million to $ 8 million from 2022 to 2023, which will remain flat between 2024 and the year before, according to data from the data provider of the chain provider. The same data shows that the sale is on the way to fall even further in 2025.

Meanwhile, cryptop runs, Bored Ape Yacht Club and Pudgy Penguins – the three largest NFT collections by market capitalization – have been a decrease in the past year by market capitalization – in the past year, 40% and 52%, according to Coingecko data.

In a clear recognition of the NFT-MarkToute, the organizers of the conference also organized two technology-oriented peaks during this year’s event: the AI-oriented XYZ Paris and the more institutionally leaning RWA top, aimed at token Real-World Activa . But although both phases pulled considerable crowds, the heart and soul of the conference on the art chain remained.

Vibes in Paris

NFT Paris 2025 in fact maintained all the attributes of an event of which the primary public is Crypto Twitter -anons and PFP -Hoarders. A towering Apechain-Gorilla greeted guests at the entrance of the conference location, accompanied by a dubious feline mascot that later participated in my colleagues that I was actually the grinding token-hammer.

Image: NFT Paris

Further from the inside, attendants were around the conference floor, with the type of robe that was most appropriate for an event that was focused on the terminally online: jeans, baseball caps, t-shirts and shades that are designed to protect as much against doxxers as the Sun. There were hardly any suits in sight.

Image: NFT Paris

Guests who were driven by the conference by crushing tilts of energy drinks between panels and demos, and by going outside to tear vapes and drag on cigarettes in messy weather of 30 degrees. (That is Sub-Zero degrees Celsius for our non-American readers.)

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Image: NFT Paris

At the end of every day, herds of Conference-Goers braved the bitter cold and scattered showers to Eclectically mentioned drinks back to bars and roofs in the city of lights. Various Side events organized local DJs that mainly played boring or invisible songs in which few people danced.

Some events seemed to have little to do with NFTs or the conference itself, while others were clearly organized by over -nijdest community leaders terribly Dedicated to that bit-a magical theme Taproot Wizards Party in the American Church of Paris stands up in me.

Other events events tried to engage the needle between the conference and the type of Boozy activities after the hours appealing to gamblers in the internet. Hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger organized a chic roof shindy at his office in the 3rd districtWorizing the walls with digital artworks that live in the chain. Many of those displays, however, seemed to be more useful as a background for drunk selfies than conversation starters.

Fortunately (or not) nobody seemed to mind.

Image: Liz Napolitano

Whether you came to church those dubious looking drinks with a few wizards or the view of the Eiffel towel from the stately Ledger roof terrace on Ledger’s head, you would be difficult to find a single grimacing guest.

Everyone’s bags shrink, but that was not the point, like an NFT developer Decrypt.

“The Bitcoin community is all about investments,” they said. “This is about having fun.”

Edited by Stephen Graves