Live Philly wants to liven up your weekend

Back when he worked in marketing for liquor brands and night life venues in the city, Tyrone Dixon — founder of marketing and social discovery company Live Philly — wondered why people kept having the same kind of plans on the weekends.

“Most of the time people really weren’t aware of things outside their own social group,” said Dixon. “People were really limited on how to experience the city.”

In 2017, his company got to work on a fix. It launched the first version of a mobile app called Let’s Live Philly, offering a curated list of events and things to do around Philly, from your more traditional live music venues and bars to more adventurous activities like  an autocross-style driving experience where you can take a Ferrari for a fast spin.

From the app, you can get event details, view options on a map and track your faves.

“If you’re into brunch, that’s there,” Dixon said. “If you’re into art shows, that’s in there. This also lets businesses add discounts or free entry into their places.”

Theater Week starts today! Put on your theater best, grab a friend, and head down to one of the 100 events going on in the city hosted by @theatrephiladelphia. #WeLivePhilly #LivePhillyapp

. pic.twitter.com/i5276KSASO

— Live Philly (@letslivephilly) February 7, 2019

Earlier this month, the company — a team of five perched out of Center City coworking space Pipeline Philly — relaunched its app as it gears up for a multi-city roll out, Dixon said.

Though Philly’s the first city, the plans are to launch in Atlanta by the end of 2019, with another seven U.S. cities coming online by 2021.

Dixon, a 33-year-old father of two, says the app is one way he’s trying to be a proponent for the city’s own branding, hopefully luring visitors to the city while connecting natives with things they weren’t aware of.

“I’m a big champion of what Philly has to offer,” Dixon said. “We got some big goals, man,” Dixon said. “All we can do is continue to shoot big.”