On Thursday, March 25, 2010, Philadelphia will once again participate along with hundreds of cities around the world in Twestival Global to benefit the charity Concern Worldwide.

On February 12, 2009, 202 cities around the world, including Philadelphia, held the first Twestival Global to benefit charity:water. Over $250,000 was raised, resulting in over 55 wells being built in Uganda, Ethiopia, and India, directly impacting over 17,000 people. In Philadelphia, we held a Rock Band tournament with over 100 people in attendance and raising $1600 for charity:water. Twestival is 100% volunteer organized and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go straight to the charity.

This year, Philadelphia will be holding “Search for Concern” on March 25, 2010. Starting at a bar in Olde City, participants will put themselves into teams and get clues for an Olde City scavenger hunt combined with pub crawl. Over the course of the evening, participants will compete against each other to earn points by taking pictures and answering clues via Twitter while traveling to several bars in Olde City. Ticket sales to participate in the event and donations via sale of raffle tickets will go to Concern Worldwide.

Concern Worldwide’s mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major sustainable improvements in their lives. Specifically, Twestival Global is focusing on helping Concern with their education projects. The donations from Twestival Global will be used for material purchases (curriculum, desks, pencils) as well as project activities such as construction of schools; rehabilitation of classrooms; teacher/management training; PTAs; HIV/AIDS school clubs; water and sanitation in schools; health education in schools; education advocacy; vocational/life-skills training for youth, farmers and women; and curriculum development for secondary school/university.

Donations for raffle prizes, sponsorship for free drinks, or anything else you can donate would be greatly appreciated. Please contact city coordinators Melissa Thiessen (mathiessen AT gmail.com) or Gloria Bell (gloriakbell AT gmail.com) if you would like to help out!

Each attendee will get 1 raffle ticket with their admission ($10 in advance, $15 at the door). Buy your tickets HERE.

Huge thanks to those who have donated raffle prizes so far to us! If you wish to donate a raffle prize, please DM @phltwestival or email phillytwestival AT gmail.com.

*A copy of Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, donated by Chris Brogan

*Two copies of The Ripple Effect by Steve Harper, donated by Steve Harper (book is not out yet, winners will get a certificate with Steve’s contact information and will be mailed their copies of the book when it comes out)

*Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh McLeod, donated by Red Stapler Consulting

*2 tickets to a future Chefame, donated by Jesse Middleton & Bart Mroz

*A LinkedIn and Social networking class for sales teams or non-sales professionals, donated by Brynne Tillman

*Our venue sponsor, Lucky Strike Lanes is donating a party pack worth $200

*Artwork by Philadelphia local Britt Miller

*Sports tickets from Bill Lublin

*A Gift Certificate for a free mat class for the winner and 5 friends from

*Pennsylvania Lottery Tickets Basket, donation arranged by Gift of Life Family House

*Tickets to a Camden Riversharks game, donation arranged by Gift of Life Family House

*Regal Movie Theaters passes/Candy Basket

*A $50 Gift Certificate to Ristorante San Marco (Spring House, PA) & a Bottle of Wine, donation arranged by Gift of Life Family House

*A Basket of Girls’ Hair Accessories from Keppies Barrettes, donation arranged by Gift of Life Family House

Huge thanks to those who have donated raffle prizes so far to us! If you wish to donate a raffle prize, please DM @phltwestival or email phillytwestival AT gmail.com.

*A copy of Chris Brogan’s new book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, donated by Chris Brogan

*Two copies of The Ripple Effect by Steve Harper, donated by Steve Harper (book is not out yet, winners will get a certificate with Steve’s contact information and will be mailed their copies of the book when it comes out)

*Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh McLeod, donated by Red Stapler Consulting

*2 tickets to a future Chefame, donated by Jesse Middleton & Bart Mroz

*A LinkedIn and Social networking class for sales teams or non-sales professionals, donated by Brynne Tillman

*Our venue sponsor, Lucky Strike Lanes is donating a party pack worth $200

*Artwork by Philadelphia local Britt Miller

*Sports tickets from Bill Lublin

*Art poster from Ed Hall

Tickets are now on sale! $10 in advance, $15 at the door: Buy here.

Our goal is to raise enough money to sponsor 10 families to each be able to stay 1 week at Gift of Life Family House. This means our goal is $2800. Please help us reach that goal by buying tickets to the event. 100% of the price of your ticket goes to Gift of Life Family House.

At the event, buy raffle tickets! 100% of the price of your raffle ticket also goes to Gift of Life Family House!

Let’s sponsor some families of organ transplant patients in need!

Philadelphia Twestival Local 2009 will be held Saturday September 12, 2009 at Lucky Strike Lanes at 1336 Chestnut Street from 1-3PM. Attendees will get buy one get one free bowling (which is $4.95 a game!) and free shoe rental. We will also have raffle prizes. Stay tuned for ticket information and for what awesome raffle prizes we’ll have.

If you want to sponsor Philadelphia Twestival and donate a raffle prize, please contact phillytwestival AT gmail.com. All attendee ticket sales and raffle ticket sales will go to Gift of Life Family House.

Thanks to @gordonamy we have a wonderful logo for Philadelphia Twestival! Check it out!

Please save the date for Philly Twestival Local on the afternoon of September 12, 2009! We are in the process of securing a venue and planning the event to support Gift of Life Family House. Stay tuned for details as they evolve!

Please go here and suggest local Philadelphia-area charities to raise funds for our local Twestival on September 12, 2009. Stay tuned here and on @phltwestival for more information as it comes available!

Here’s the AMAZING prizes we have up for grabs so far at Philly Twestival, donated by our generous sponsors:

*$25 gift certificate to The Hungry Heart restaurant from Catenation

*$25 Best Buy gift card from Some Other Castle

*$100 gift certificate to Moo Tattoo

*$75 gift certificate to Philly Beer School

*$50 iTunes gift card from Swift Signal

*$100 gift certificate to Central Bark Doggy Day Care Philadelphia

*1 large print from LTLprints

*A gift certificate good for up to 16 people to bowl for 2 hours, with complimentary lanes, shoe rentals, chips, and salsa from Lucky Strike Lanes

*2 tickets to First Person Arts StorySlam on February 24, 2009.

*1 hour massage gift certificate from Poplar Massage

*$200 gift pack, equal to 3 private sessions from Corps Pilates

*Box o’music from WXPN

*2 tickets to 2009 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe

*2 tickets to The Rosenbach Museum and Library

*Cool merchandise from Girls Rock Philly!

*2 tickets + parking to the March 15, 2009 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat game, Section 124, Row BB, seats 1&2 (behind the opposing team’s bench), donated by Century 21 Advantage Gold

*4 passes to Independence Seaport Museum

How can you win such amazing prizes? The top player in each instrument in Rock Band will get first pick of the prizes, the rest will be raffled off. Attendees will receive 1 raffle ticket at checkin, additional tickets can be purchased for $1 at the events. We’re also being joined by Miss Philadelphia 2008, Brintha Vasagar!

So buy your tickets and join in the fun! 100% of your ticket price and raffle ticket money goes straight to charity:water!

The wonderful owners of The Get Happy Pub are not only allowing us the entire second floor to ourselves for Twestival, they are also offering drink specials for us rock stars!

Each attendee will get a ticket for one free drink when he/she checks in. Your entire ticket price goes to charity:water AND you get one free drink ticket, one free raffle ticket, and a wristband so the bartenders know you’re with Twestival.

Here are the drink specials for us:

$2 domestic drafts

$3 well drinks

$4 pints of Guinness

$5 bomb drinks

And here are some pictures of the bar and what’s on draft to see what’s on draft. Picture by Kevin Ayers.

What are you waiting for? Buy your tickets now!