Parallel Society Unveils Full Programme Featuring Leading Counter-Culture, Music, & Civic Technology Pioneers

Parallel Society announces the full programme for its 2026 edition in Lisbon, Portugal. Bringing together leading international and local pioneers across counter-culture, music, and civic technology. The two-day gathering takes place on 6th and 7th March in Lisbon’s Marvila neighbourhood, a former industrial district now renowned for its vibrant cultural and creative scene. The event continues to explore the intersection of civic technology, decentralised systems, and experimental culture, uniting hacktivists, technologists, researchers, activists, and artists in a collective reimagining of society for the digital age.

The gathering focuses on laying the groundwork for a more prosperous and just future for all. It is the culmination of the work of Logos, a social and technological movement to revive civil society and defend freedoms through decentralised technology and blockchain. Leading to empowered communities and self-governance in parallel to inefficient and often corrupt state institutions.

Parallel Society is collectively and organically curated and run as a not-for-profit event by an emergent coalition of international and local allied groups, including Logos, Tor Project, MoneroKon, PsyDAO, Charter Cities Institute, Zanzalu, ZuGrama, Zano, Shutter Network, dEdu, The Block, Delta Y, LayerX, EthRome, Urbe.eth, Kleros, and Funding the Commons. For the 2026 edition, newly announced coalition partners joining the event include Gnosis, W3PN, Internet Archive, Haven, New Economy Institute, Coda, ZuAfrique, Liberland, Unruly Capital, Human.tech, Protocol Labs, and Common Sense, previously known as EthDAM.

Day 1, 6th March, is dedicated to collaborative research, experimentation, and knowledge exchange through the event’s [un]conference. Participants will engage in workshops, discussion circles, protocol labs, hackspaces, co-design sprints, and hands-on sessions across thematic zones focused on decentralisation, privacy, open source culture, community autonomy, and tooling stewardship. Speakers confirmed for Day 1 include Aaron R. Day (OwnNothing.org), Dr Agata Ferreira (CLO, Institute of Free Technology), Amir Taaki (DarkFi), Dave Stann (Chief Architect, True Count Tech), Fatemeh Fannizadeh (web3 lawyer), Francesco Moiraghi (Unruly Capital), Guy-Louis Grau (Keycard), Harry Halpin (CEO & Co-Founder, Nym Technologies), Igor Sirotin (Messaging Lead, Logos), Jarrad Hope (Co-founder, Logos), Mark Lutter (Charter Cities Institute), Michael Holstein (Charter Cities Institute), Pavel Zoneff (Tor), Rose O’Leary (DarkFi), Siaka Stevens (Co-founder, Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP)), and Vít Jedlička (Founder & President, The Free Republic of Liberland).

Central to Day 1 is the Logos Testnet v0.1 launch, a key activation for the movement-aligned technology stack built with privacy as a foundational principle. The testnet offers a space for developers and communities to experiment with tools designed for real-world coordination, governance, and communication. By combining private-by-default architecture with an active cultural and builder ecosystem, Logos enables the creation and testing of resilient alternatives that function beyond legacy systems throughout the event.

Jarrad Hope of Logos, the organisation initiating the event, comments on Parallel Society’s unique approach:

“Logos’s testnet v0.1 launch marks a major step toward private-by-default infrastructure that is for real-world use. Parallel Society provides a live hub to stress-test how this technology functions in real environments, with builders, policymakers, and communities actively debating and using it.

The strength of this year’s speakers and coalition partners reflects those already deploying tools, protocols, and alternative infrastructure in real time. We’re running a working prototype for how collaboration and governance can operate differently.”

Following the [un]conference, Day 2, 7th March, transforms Parallel Society into a community-focused cultural celebration, showcasing a dynamic mix of international and local talent across club, live experimental, and performance-focused music. Featuring DJ Stingray 313, Los Bitchos, Gayance, Kokeshi, Violet, and SoundPreta, joining previously announced phase 1 artists Apparat, Gilles Peterson with MC Rob Galliano, Clark, Moses Boyd, Calibre, Kode9, Maria Amor & Shcuro, Chima Isaaro, Afrojamslx, Nelson Makossa, and Collective Unconscious. Following more than 200 applications reviewed by the Parallel Society team and Throttle Records, three standout projects selected for performance include Albin, Abajour Nonok, and ϙue, equii & Olena Bublyk. Parallel Society’s programme is further supported by cultural coalition partners Fábrica Moderna, Rare Effect, Manja, Radio Quantica, and COOP.

The programme continues Parallel Society’s commitment to supporting Portugal’s underground music scene. With more than 60 per cent of the lineup sourced from Lisbon-based talent, the event nurtures local creativity while connecting it with global innovators. Parallel Society remains independently organised, not-for-profit, and collectively curated by the coalition.

Logos continues its experimental ideals through an on-site exhibition at Parallel Society. The exhibition features the paintings of João Cardoso, also known as Cardoz, Ana Tortos with animation projections, Batu working across video and sound, João Magalhães with video and print installations, Tomás João, known as Nature The Artist, with installation work, and Collective Unconscious contributing graphics and 3D visuals. The works present networks as sculptural and social forms, experimenting with non-hierarchical structures, emergent governance, and systems that grow sideways rather than upwards. Through distortion, delay, obfuscation, and surveillance-inspired processes, the pieces visualise data exposure while refusing clarity, transforming movement and bodies into anonymous signals within distributed networks. Together, the exhibition frames governance, visibility, and protection as participatory processes shaped through coordination, fragmentation, and collective negotiation rather than top-down control.

Louisa Haining, Curation Director, comments on Parallel Society’s approach:

“Parallel Society is about building practical alternatives for how culture operates. From the (un)conference to the live programme, we’re bringing together underground artists, open-call projects, and local voices to test new models of collaboration and production. This edition reflects our commitment to experimentation, shared authorship, and creating tangible opportunities for artists working outside conventional systems.”

Taking place on 6th and 7th March 2026 in Lisbon’s Marvila neighbourhood, Parallel Society invites participants and audiences to join a celebration of culture, technology, and community. Tickets are now available to secure your place at this innovative two-day gathering.

Day One Speakers:

Aaron R. Day (OwnNothing.org)

Dr Agata Ferreira (CLO, Institute of Free Technology)

Amir Taaki (DarkFi)

Dave Stann (Chief Architect, True Count Tech)

Fatemeh Fannizadeh (web3 lawyer)

Francesco Moiraghi (Founder / Unruly Capital)

Guy-Louis Grau (Lead / Keycard)

Harry Halpin (CEO & Co-Founder, Nym Technologies)

Igor Sirotin (Messaging Lead, Logos)

Jarrad Hope (Co-founder, Logos)

Mark Lutter (Founder / Charter Cities Institute)

Michael Holstein (Communications Director/ Charter Cities Institute)

Pavel Zoneff (Tor)

Rose O’Leary (DarkFi)

Siaka Stevens (Co-founder, Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP))

Vít Jedlička (Founder & President, The Free Republic of Liberland)

Day Two Music Programming:

The Terminal:

Apparat (Live) | Gilles Peterson with MC Rob Galliano

Clark (AV) | Moses Boyd (Live)

DJ Stingray 313 | Los Bitchos

Abajour Nonok | Afrojamslx | Chima Isaaro | Nelson Makossa

The Lab:

Calibre | Kode9 | Albin | Collective Unconscious (AV)

Gayance | Kokeshi | Maria Amor & Shcuro

ϙue, equii & Olena Bublyk (AV) | SoundPreta | Violet

Dates: 6th-7th March, 2026

Location: Marvila, Lisbon

Tickets: Available Here

Find out more & follow:

Website | Instagram | Soundcloud

[ENDS]

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NOTES TO EDITOR:

Artist & Speaker Press Kits | Venue Images

Festival Artwork | Festival Logos

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About Parallel Society: Parallel Society is an independent, non-profit cross-cultural convergence, initiated by Logos and collectively organised by a coalition of communities, technologists, and activists. Each edition supports local cultural ecosystems and leaves behind open-source infrastructure and shared resources. It’s where technologists, artists, and activists collaborate to imagine new cultural and social infrastructures. Parallel Society Lisbon is set to be the event’s biggest edition yet, with previous culture-driven gatherings taking place in Zanzibar and Bangkok.

About Logos: Logos is a social movement and decentralised technology stack built to revitalise civil society. Building technology empowering people to create resilient, sovereign coordination systems, Logos provides tools for free association, free speech, and self-governance. Logos’ movement is shaped by shared principles cultivated through local meetups, online action groups, and global digital freedom campaigns, all driven by those who join them.