We can’t believe it’s already time to say this again, but this Friday marks the start of Philly Tech Week!

This year’s kickoff festival aims to blend the best of Philly Tech Week 2019 presented by Comcast with a 27-year-old tradition of arts and culture in Philadelphia known as First Friday where galleries traditionally open their doors and the sidewalks fill with people looking to see the newest collections.

The official headquarters for the fest will be at Linode’s office and outdoor parking lot located on the corner of 3rd and Arch.

Check out what to expect at Linode HQ, how to participate in our #PTW19 Scavenger Hunt (there will be prizes) and where you’ll find some fun surprises along the way.

What to expect at the Linode HQ:

• Outdoor DJ!
• Bring $10 to get your official #PTW19 T-shirt
• Hang with friends outdoors and play cornhole, giant Jenga and ping pong courtesy of Comcast LIFT Labs (plus get a chance to win your very own giant Jenga — exactly what your backyard never knew it needed!)
• Drinks provided by Quaker City Shrubs, Powers Irish Whiskey, Wild Kombucha and Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• Snack on loaded French toast bites made with love by Lokal Artisan Foods and hot and fresh cookies from Insomnia
• Food trucks with samples of shrimp and grits, cheesesteak empanadas, brisket sliders and more
• Play Startup Wars — a game that allows players to learn entrepreneurship while battling for top dawg in their virtual city, powered by OpenForge
• Play on a custom gaming couch provided by Red Bull while also drinking Red Bull (hehe)
• Make your mark on Grue and Bleen’s “Why I Love Philly” website
• VR Experience with Tilt Brush by Google
• Reminisce on the beloved 30th Street Sign (RIP) with our own mini version courtesy of Oat Foundry

Join the PTW Buy Local Art Challenge and help us raise 10,000 toward the arts in Old City:

These Old City spots are participating in the PTW Art Challenge & scavenger hunt:

• Independence Visitor Center Corporation
• 36 Craven
• ArcWeb
• BIELLO MARTIN STUDIO
• Bluestone Fine Art Gallery
• Brave New World Comics
• Cherry Street Pier
• Chez Ben
• Chloe
• Continental Old City
• Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar
• Elfreth’s Alley Museum
• Fireman’s Hall Museum
• Fringe Arts
• Gallery51
• Garfield Group
• Independence Orthodontics
• Indy Hall
• Linode
• Linode Parking Lot
• M.Brown’s
• MILLESIME
• Minima
• Momo’s Tree House
• Old City Coffee, Inc
• Old City Jewish Arts Center
• Opportunity Barks Behavior & Training
• Pentimenti Gallery
• Petit Jardin en Ville
• Pinot Boutique Wine Bar
• Positano Coast by Aldo Lamberti
• Science History Institute (featuring activations by The Philadelphia Science Festival)
• Secret Location #1
• Secret Location #2
• Secret Location #3
• The Center for Art in Wood
• The Clay Studio
• The National
• United By Blue
• Wexler Gallery 

PTW19 Scavenger Hunt:

Get excited to get your phone out, because there are 40 locations participating in the PTW19 Scavenger Hunt created by Scavify, an Old City-based app designer and official partner in kickoff fun and games!

It’s easy to play to win prizes like tickets to PTW19 community calendar events, gadgets, experiences, gift bags and more. All you need to do is download the Scavify app by Friday, May 3, and complete the tasks while walking the footprint of the official festival.

Start your PTW19 experience at Linode, our official headquarters for the PTW19 Kickoff Festival. You’ll want to stop in to take a tour of this four-story, 15,000-square-foot neoclassical beauty with Roman columns, more than a century of history in its walls and a secret vault in the basement. The team also plans to deck out the employee parking lot to create a family-friendly tech playground located directly across from building, right on N3RD Street — not to mention the crew behind Philly Tech Week will be stationed there with PTW19 t-shirts and all types of PTW-related swag and enthusiasm!

Players that get closest to 215 points will be entered to win the top prizes while all players will be eligible to win a variety of smaller prizes and gifts. Winners will all be determined by raffle, and you have from Friday, May 3, through Friday, May 10, to complete this hunt. You’ll get the notification about the prizes via Scavify the morning of May 11.

Check out these fun activations along the way:

• Challenge friends to a few rounds of Shapes the Game at Elfreth’s Alley Museum.
• See the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion mural comes to life with Yetzer Studio’s Philly Insects AR app at Elfreth’s Alley Museum.
• Drive robots with Central High School’s Robolancers and student reps from local robotics teams at MILLESIME.

PLUS, support the arts through this cool installation by Philadelphia Weekly and Tiny Room For Elephants:

Along with partner PW, we’re inviting individual and corporate patrons to participate in the PW Honor Box Adoption Project, which takes old newspaper honor boxes off the streets, refurbishes them and then pairs them with a local artist to let their imagination run wild. PW is asking for your support in this project to keep the momentum going: Sponsorship is $500 per box.

You can see the first six honor boxes designed by Tiny Room for Elephant artists IRL on Friday at Linode, and check out participating artists’ work here. Want one of these beauties in or near your business (or wherever)? Get in touch with dperry@philadelphiaweekly.com.

Special thanks to the Philadelphia Weekly, Philly Startup Leaders, Old City District and the Philadelphia Design District for their support of #PTW19 Kickoff Festival!