There’s a ‘PHL Innovation Picnic’ happening at The Navy Yard this summer

It’s almost summertime, so you know what that means: time to get out the man rompers check out what outdoors-y tech events are on the calendar.

First up, the PHL Innovation Picnic is aiming to take over the gigantic lawn at The Navy Yard with food, music, drinks and games. (The Navy Yard, you say? Yes, the Navy Yard. We hear venture firm Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which is headquartered down there, lobbied for the location. We are all for harder-to-reach party destinations. See: the Penn Center for Innovation. It adds to the appeal.)

The organizers are a coalition of some familiar names from Philly’s tech scene: PACT, Safeguard Scientifics, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, University City Science Center, Life Sciences PA, Philly Startup Leaders, Philly New Tech Meetup. Though the list of nonprofits is still being hashed out, all ticket sales will go to “local tech and entrepreneurship charities,” according to the event’s Ticketleap site.

“There’s so much about our innovation community to be celebrated, and it’s hard to pretend we’re siloed when there’s flip-flops and cornhole boards around,” said Ben Franklin’s spox Jason Bannon. “If we can relax together for a few hours to kick off summer and support some good causes, we all win.”

We also hear there will be Field Day-esque activities with teams from local startups competing. If it’s true, watch out, because our editor in chief Zack Seward has never lost a sack race.