Cardano NIGHT airdrop targets 30M wallets in massive rollout

Cardano’s privacy-focused sidechain, Midnight Network, has launched one of the most expansive token distribution events in crypto history.

Dubbed the Glacier Drop, the Cardano NIGHT airdrop went live on August 5, targeting over 30 million wallets across eight major blockchain ecosystems, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Cardano itself.

The airdrop, which will remain open for claims until October 4, is intended to encourage responsible, long-term participation in the Midnight ecosystem, while highlighting Cardano’s ambitions in the privacy-centric Web3 space. Eligibility for the drop was based on a snapshot taken on July 11, selecting wallets that held at least $100 in native assets across supported chains.

So far, more than 23,000 wallets have claimed 470 million NIGHT tokens, according to Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson. Cardano wallets received the largest allocation which is 50% of the total supply followed by Bitcoin (20%) and a shared 30% among six other networks.

“This is the culmination of six years of vision, architecture, and engineering. Midnight represents our commitment to privacy and interoperability in Web3,” — Charles Hoskinson, Founder, Cardano, via X (formerly Twitter).

The Cardano NIGHT airdrop is seen by analysts as a crucial moment for both the Cardano ecosystem and broader multichain adoption efforts.

Friction in eligibility and technical bugs frustrate early claimants

While many users praised the user interface and the structured rollout process, others reported issues with eligibility and transaction errors, especially among early Cardano supporters.

Despite holding ADA for several years, some wallets were marked ineligible under the $100 asset threshold from the July 11 snapshot. Several Ledger wallet users also encountered technical barriers when attempting to sign the required validation message.

The most common problem, described by community members on the Midnight Discord server and Reddit threads, was an “invalid signature” error. In response, the Midnight team collaborated with Shielded Technologies to introduce a workaround involving a zero-value transaction, allowing Ledger users to complete verification. The fix is currently under security audit and is expected to be live by August 25.

“I’ve held ADA since 2019, and I was surprised my wallet wasn’t eligible. Still, the claiming process itself was smooth for those who qualified,” — Jonas Mercer, Cardano community moderator, via Discord.

Despite these hiccups, the rollout is generally being viewed as more organized than other major airdrops in recent memory, especially given the sheer scale of wallets involved in this Cardano NIGHT airdrop.

A phased distribution strategy to deter dumping

The Glacier Drop is part of a three-phase strategy designed to avoid immediate sell-offs and promote long-term engagement with the Midnight ecosystem.

After the current 60-day claim period, a 30-day “Scavenger Mine” phase will begin, offering unclaimed tokens to users who solve on-chain puzzles and challenges. This gamified redistribution mechanism aims to attract technically capable and engaged users.

Following this, a “Lost and Found” phase will provide a four-year window for any remaining late claimants. Tokens are subject to a thawing mechanism, unlocking in four 25% intervals over 360 days, with a 90-day redemption grace period once fully thawed.

“The phased release reduces market pressure and gives the network time to mature organically,” — Alexi Grant, Head of Research, CryptoLab Insights.

This cautious, incentive-aligned approach is part of a broader push by Midnight Network to build a privacy-preserving platform for decentralized identity, messaging, and financial transactions, one that avoids the pitfalls of hype-driven tokenomics.

Cardano NIGHT airdrop marks a new frontier in multichain privacy

The Cardano NIGHT airdrop isn’t just about distribution, it’s about ecosystem identity. By engaging users from Bitcoin to Brave, the Midnight team is signaling an intent to make privacy in Web3 not just a feature, but a standard.

Unlike traditional airdrops that often end in high volatility and token dumping, this rollout is designed for deliberate participation and layered integration over time. With millions of tokens already claimed and a clear roadmap ahead, the airdrop sets a precedent for multi-chain, responsible token launches.

As Web3 faces increasing scrutiny around surveillance, regulation, and user autonomy, Midnight’s privacy-first infrastructure may find growing relevance and the Cardano NIGHT airdrop may prove to be the ecosystem’s most strategic move yet.