Clashes between protesters and police have left dozens injured and a hostile atmosphere.
“This does not mean that Bolivia will be left without Bitcoin Pizza Day 2026,” they say from Bitcoin Research.
An intense wave of protests and clashes in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, has paralyzed the activities scheduled to commemorate Bitcoin Pizza Day 2026 in that city.
It happens that, due to the social conflict in Bolivia, which has already entered its third week, An atmosphere of high hostility remains in the urban center. The clashes between protesters, the Police and the military forces originated from sectoral demands related to fuel shortages and inflation.
According to reports from the Ombudsman’s Office, the interventions of the security forces have left at least 47 confirmed injured and at least 90 arrested.
Given the danger in the areas surrounding the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés where the event would take place, and which is located on Villazón Avenue in La Paz, the rector María Eugenia García Moreno and the vice-rector Tito Valerio Estévez Martini issued a official statement on Monday, May 18 to prioritize the protection of students and teachers.
The ruling orders the eviction of the university campus and the mandatory migration to the virtual modality for all academic and administrative activities.
As a direct consequence of this institutional closure, the event to commemorate Bitcoin Pizza Day, organized by the Bitcoin Research group, supported by Trezor Academy and scheduled to take place on the grounds of the Faculty of Engineering next Friday, May 22, was postponed.
However, the organizing team clarified through its social networks that the measure responds strictly to security reasons and that “this does not mean that Bolivia will be left without the celebration” of Bitcoin Pizza Day this year, committing to announce new dates and alternative locations soon.
Bitcoin Pizza Day, commemorated globally every May 22, is one of the most important anniversaries for the bitcoiner community because it remembers the first real-world commercial transaction using bitcoin (BTC). The milestone occurred in 2010, when programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 units of the digital currency — which at the time was equivalent to about $41 — in exchange for two family pizzas.
The date has a high symbolic and historical value, since it demonstrated for the first time in practice the potential of BTC as a legitimate and transactional medium of exchangeserving as a starting point for its global and institutional adoption.
Meanwhile, the collapse of public order in La Paz shows a collateral impact on innovation and regional academic development. The suspension of activities at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés exposes the vulnerability of the institutions in the face of recurring political crises.
Likewise, the postponement of educational sessions on Bitcoin technology demonstrates how the emerging and cutting-edge financial ecosystem in Bolivia is conditioned by structural factors and social tension unrelated to their activity.