TLDR
- Charles Hoskinson confirmed that the NIGHT token will launch on December 8, 2025, with immediate trading on multiple exchanges.
- Eligible users will receive a portion of their NIGHT tokens on the distribution date, with the rest unlocked over the next 12 months.
- The Glacier Drop airdrop allowed 34 million users across eight blockchains to claim a share of the NIGHT token.
- Midnight’s airdrop is currently in the Scavenger Mine phase, which ends on November 19, 2025.
- Over 100 ecosystem partners will deploy dApps on the Midnight network once the federated mainnet is launched in early 2026.
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has revealed the official distribution and trading date for the NIGHT token. The much-anticipated token, native to Cardano’s privacy-focused sidechain Midnight, will launch on December 8, 2025. The Midnight team will distribute the NIGHT token to eligible recipients, and trading will commence immediately on various exchanges.
Details of NIGHT Token Distribution
Hoskinson shared the news at the ongoing Midnight Summit. He confirmed that eligible participants will receive a portion of their claimed NIGHT tokens on December 8, 2025. The token distribution will be gradual, with the remaining tokens unlocked in four equal 25% tranches over the next 12 months. This strategy aims to encourage long-term engagement with the Midnight network.
The distribution follows the Glacier Drop airdrop. This event saw 34 million users across eight blockchains, including Cardano, XRP Ledger, Ethereum, Solana, and Bitcoin, claim shares of the NIGHT token. To qualify, users needed to hold $100 worth of their respective assets at the time of the snapshot.
Currently, Midnight’s airdrop is in the Scavenger Mine phase. This phase, which allows users to earn additional NIGHT tokens by completing computational tasks, will conclude on November 19, 2025. All 24 billion NIGHT tokens have already been minted in preparation for distribution.
Hoskinson explained that after the December 8 distribution, multiple exchanges would list NIGHT, allowing immediate trading. This phase marks the token’s availability on the open market. The gradual release of tokens aims to promote network stability and long-term development.
Midnight’s Next Phases and Federated Mainnet Launch
Following the launch of the NIGHT token, Midnight will enter its next phase in early 2026. The project will introduce a federated mainnet operating in a hybrid model. Cardano’s development team, Input Output Global (IOG), will manage some nodes, while major corporate partners will manage others, including a Fortune 500 company.
The federated mainnet will allow over 100 ecosystem partners to deploy decentralized applications (dApps) built on the Midnight testnet. These partners will begin using the network in real production environments. The introduction of the federated mainnet will be a major step toward Midnight’s full-scale launch.
Hoskinson also discussed plans for an incentivized testnet, expected to launch in the second quarter of 2026. This testnet will onboard Cardano stake pool operators (SPOs) who wish to run Midnight nodes under real network conditions. Through this program, SPOs will test the network’s performance and help prepare for the transition to the final consensus algorithm.
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