Release Schedule for 29.0

[glozow]

Here is a proposed release schedule for v29.0, the next major release of Bitcoin Core. The dates are set to target a release in early April.

2025-02-06 ✔️

• Open Transifex translations for v29.0
• Soft translation string freeze (no large or non-critical string changes until release)
• Finalize and close translations for v27.0

2025-02-20 ✔️

• Feature freeze (bug fixes only until release)
• Translation string freeze (no more source language changes until release)

2025-03-06 ✔️

• Anything needed before branch-off, see https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/release-process.md
• Split off 29.x branch from master
• Start RC cycle, tag and release v29.0rc1
• Start merging for 30.x on master branch

2025-04-03 ✔️

• Tag v29.0 (aim).

If any specific dates are a problem for you, please leave a comment.

[hebasto]

2025-02-06 🚧

* Open Transifex translations for `v29.0`

* Soft translation string freeze (no large or non-critical string changes until release)

* Finalize and close translations for `v27.0`

First set of tasks completed.

See the announcement on Transifex: https://app.transifex.com/bitcoin/communication/d:559e9df0-3f34-432e-9523-54c6dbef4d02/.

[fanquake]

rc1 has been tagged: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/releases/tag/v29.0rc1.

[jsarenik]

Are there any release candidate builds available yet? All I want is a Linux x86_64 build. What could I do to help? Thanks.

[maflcko]

@jsarenik If you just want to build a tag or commit for yourself, you can use the doc/build-*.md instructions, or the guix build (contrib/guix/README.md). With the guix build you can even contribute attestations, see https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/doc/release-process.md#building. If you are waiting on the pre-compiled rc binary, I suspect it will be available some time this week.