Glacier Drop is the first phase of NIGHT token distribution on the Midnight blockchain. It’s a one-time airdrop that lets eligible users across eight supported networks claim free NIGHT tokens. The drop runs for 60 days. No purchases, no KYC — you just need to prove ownership of a qualifying wallet and submit a Cardano address to receive your tokens. This guide walks you through how to check eligibility, connect your wallet, claim your NIGHT, and eventually redeem the tokens after the unlock period.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
➤ To qualify for the Glacier Drop, your wallet must have held at least $100 worth of supported crypto on June 11, 2025.
➤ The supported assets include ADA, BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB, AVAX, and BAT in self-custody wallets (not on exchanges).
➤ You must prove ownership by signing a claim message and provide a new, unused Cardano address to receive NIGHT.
Who is eligible for the Glacier Drop?
To be eligible, your wallet had to hold at least $100 worth of supported assets at the time of the snapshot on Jun. 11, 2025.
For those out of the loop, a snapshot is essentially a digital record capturing wallet balances at a specific moment in time across various blockchain networks.
Supported crypto and networks
The supported cryptocurrencies and networks are:
- Cardano (ADA)
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Solana (SOL)
- XRP (XRP)
- BNB Chain (BNB)
- Avalanche (AVAX)
- Brave Wallet (BAT – Basic Attention Token)
Put simply, if your wallet had at least ~$100 worth of any of these cryptocurrencies on June 11, 2025, your address should qualify to claim NIGHT tokens.
Midnight is allocating the entire mint of NIGHT, in total of 24 billion NIGHT tokens, during this drop, with distribution as follows:
- 50% reserved for Cardano (ADA) holders
- 20% for Bitcoin (BTC) holders
- 30% divided proportionally among ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB, AVAX, and BAT holders
What makes an address eligible?
- Self-custody required: If your crypto was held on an exchange or other custodial service during the snapshot, that address will not be eligible. That’s because exchanges typically do not allow users to sign messages with their private keys. Unless your exchange explicitly claims on your behalf (an unlikely scenario), funds on exchanges won’t qualify. You must control your private keys to participate.
- Multiple addresses allowed: If you have multiple self-custody wallets that each meet the $100 minimum balance, you can claim from each eligible address separately.
- Exclusions: Wallet addresses appearing on government sanctions lists are excluded from participation for compliance reasons. Though this typically won’t affect everyday users.
Set up a new Cardano wallet (destination address)
You have to create a Cardano wallet address before you start your claim. This wallet is where your NIGHT tokens will be delivered. There is a catch, though: this Cardano address must be new (unused). It must not have any prior transactions.
Why a new address? Apparently, it’s a privacy measure. Midnight will publish on-chain proofs for every token redemption, and using a fresh address ensures your airdrop doesn’t get linked to your other holdings.
In practice, this means you should create a new wallet or a new receive address in a Cardano wallet app of your choice (and not use it for anything until the airdrop tokens arrive).
How to get an unused Cardano address:
- If you don’t have a Cardano wallet yet, consider installing a Cardano-compatible wallet like Eternl, Lace, Yoroi, or Flint. Set it up and securely back up your seed phrase.
- Once set up, the wallet will provide you with a Cardano address (or let you generate a new one).
- Do not send any funds to this new address yet. Keep it empty for now so it remains unused. (You will fund it with a tiny bit of ADA later when it’s time to redeem tokens, but not during the claim.)
- You can reuse one new Cardano address for all your NIGHT claims in phase 1 (and even phase 2) if you have multiple eligible sources.
For example, if you have an eligible Bitcoin address and an eligible Ethereum address, you can provide the same new Cardano address for both claims. Using one address is fine as long as it was unused to begin with.
Keep this Cardano destination address handy. You will need to enter it during the claim process.
How to claim NIGHT tokens step-by-step during Glacier Drop
Here is a step-by-step walkthrough from start to finish:
1. Go to the official NIGHT claim website
Go to the official Midnight token generation event site. Click on the Glacier Drop claim section. You should see information about phase 1 and an option to begin the claim process.
Make sure to double-check the URL for accuracy (look for the https:// and the .gd domain) – there may be impostor sites, given the significance of this airdrop.
| Note that the official site will not ask for any secret phrases or personal info. It will simply guide you to connect wallets and sign messages. |
2. Connect or enter your eligible address
The first step will be to select the origin of your allocation. You may see a prompt like “Choose network” or icons for Cardano, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and others. Choose the network where you have an eligible address.
For example, if you are claiming for an ADA address, select Cardano (likely the site will list Cardano first, as it has 50% of the allocation. The portal may then give options to either connect a wallet or paste an address.
Connecting is simplest if you have a supported wallet (as discussed above). Click the connect button and authorize the connection in your wallet extension. You might see your wallet pop up asking for permission to connect to midnight.gd — approve it.
If you prefer not to connect, you can paste the public address. Just hit the button after providing the address to Check Allocation or Verify.
3. Confirm eligibility
After providing the address, hit the button to Check Allocation or Verify.
The site will display a confirmation if the address is eligible. It might also show how many NIGHT tokens are allocated to that address. For instance, it might say “Address eligible for X NIGHT tokens” (the exact amount might be shown later after you complete the claim).
Just in case the address is not eligible, you will see a message like “Address not found in snapshot” or “No allocation for this address.” If you think this is an error, double-check if you picked the right network and correct address.
4. Initiate the claim and provide a destination address
Once your eligible address is recognized, proceed by clicking “Claim” or “Continue.” The website will now ask for your Destination (Cardano) address for this claim. This is where you paste the unused Cardano address that you prepared earlier.
Make sure to copy-paste it carefully from your Cardano wallet to avoid any typos (Cardano addresses are long strings; a single character off means a different address).
5. Accept terms and conditions
You will need to agree to Midnight’s token distribution terms before you can claim your NIGHT tokens. This usually means scrolling through a short Terms of Service/Agreement about the airdrop and clicking a checkbox or “Accept” button.
Read through it if you like (it might cover things like not being from a sanctioned address, etc.), then confirm your acceptance to proceed.
6. Sign the claim message to prove ownership
This step confirms that you control the origin address. The website will generate a claim message that includes your address, NIGHT allocation, destination address, and a hash of the agreed terms.
Your wallet will then prompt you to sign this message. It might look a bit technical, but it’s actually just a data signature confirming ownership. Wallets like MetaMask or Yoroi will show a standard message-signing prompt.
You need to review the addresses shown and approve the signature. This action does not spend any funds or require gas because it is an off-chain signature, and your private key stays secure.
7. Complete the claim
Once you sign, the website will receive the signature and verify it’s correct for your address. If everything checks out, it will finalize the claim. You should see a confirmation message on the site, something like “Claim successful!” or “NIGHT tokens have been claimed for Address X.**”
You might also get a transaction ID or reference number. At this point, your allocated NIGHT tokens are reserved for you and set to be delivered to the Cardano address you provided.
Note that you will not immediately see the NIGHT tokens in that address as the tokens are initially locked in the distribution smart contract.
But, don’t let that bother you. This is by design! All tokens claimed in Glacier Drop (and the next phase) start out locked and will “thaw” (unlock) gradually over time during the Redemption Period.
The Glacier Drop phase is open for 60 days total. For instance, if it indeed started on Aug. 15, 2025, it will end around Oct. 13–14, 2025. After the deadline, the portal will close for phase 1 and you won’t be able to claim anymore. So, make sure you complete the above steps before the cutoff date. If you miss it, your allocation doesn’t vanish immediately, but it will roll into the next phase where others can potentially obtain it.
When and how to redeem NIGHT tokens after claiming?
Claiming is only the first step. After that, your tokens remain locked until they “thaw” over time. Midnight uses a randomized unlocking schedule to release NIGHT gradually.
Here are some key details:
Thawing period
Your NIGHT unlocks in four parts — 25% each — over roughly 12 months. The first unlock happens randomly within 1–90 days after your claim. The rest unlock at fixed ~90-day intervals from that first thaw.
For perspective, if your first chunk unlocks on day 60, the others arrive around days 150, 240, and 330.
Redemption steps
When a portion unlocks, return to the claim portal to redeem it. Connect your wallet, check how much NIGHT is available, and approve a small Cardano transaction to receive the tokens. You will need a bit of ADA for fees — usually a fraction of 1 ADA per redemption.
Redemption period length
You will have up to 450 days from your claim date to redeem all four parts. You don’t need to redeem immediately when each portion unlocks.
Claimed tokens remain redeemable even after the portal closes. However, once the NIGHT Claim Portal shuts down, you will need to interact directly with the Cardano smart contracts to complete redemption. Only unclaimed allocations are reallocated after the deadline.
Using your NIGHT tokens:
Once redeemed, NIGHT sits in your Cardano wallet. It’s not tradable right away but may be used later for governance, staking, or generating DUST when Midnight launches on mainnet.
Such an unlock schedule favors long-term holders, so expect to hold through the year. Selling may be possible post-unlock, depending on listings and other factors.
NIGHT airdrop: Tips and troubleshooting
Multiple claims, one wallet
If you qualify on more than one network (e.g., ADA and ETH), you can claim each allocation separately. You are allowed to use the same Cardano destination address for all claims as long as it was unused initially. This keeps all your NIGHT in one wallet, which simplifies tracking.
Unsupported wallets
If your eligible wallet doesn’t support message signing or DApp connections (e.g., Exodus, Atomic), you can still claim. Export the private key or recovery phrase into a supported wallet like MetaMask (for ETH) or Eternl/Lace (for ADA).
Be extremely careful, though. Use only trusted, open-source wallets and never paste keys into unknown sites.
Using hardware wallets
There are some solutions that can allow claims from Keystone, Ledger, or Trezor. Connect through a compatible wallet (e.g., Ledger + MetaMask for ETH, or Ledger + Lace for ADA).
Sign the message on your hardware device and proceed as normal. If your preferred way to claim with a hardware wallet is not available, check back later, as updates are made regularly and more solutions will be made available during the 60-day claim window.
Checking your allocation
Your NIGHT share depends on your holdings at snapshot time, relative to others on the same network. The portal may show your exact amount after claiming. No official calculator exists yet.
No fees to claim
Claiming is free. You’re just signing a message — no gas, no approval, no transaction costs on origin chains. You will only pay a small ADA fee later when redeeming tokens on Cardano. Avoid any site asking for upfront payments.
Claim safely and stay informed
The buzz surrounding Midnight’s Glacier Drop is understandable. It represents a promising opportunity to participate early in a privacy-focused blockchain project without cost. However, always approach token airdrops cautiously. Make sure to double-check that you are using only official Midnight websites and verified links to avoid falling for scams. And as always, never share private keys or seed phrases, and verify each transaction carefully.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim NIGHT tokens if my crypto was on an exchange during the snapshot?
Do I need to pay anything to claim NIGHT tokens?
What happens if I miss the 60-day Glacier Drop claim window?
Can I use the same Cardano address for multiple claims?
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