This weekend marks the return of SXSW, the annual festival-conference in Austin, Texas, that welcomes leaders in tech, art, and, in some cases, viral orange hockey mascots.
The one and only Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty will be heading to Texas this weekend, doing a meet-and-greet with his non-Philly fans (of which there are many) and getting his photo taken with visitors at – where else? – the Comcast NBCUniversal House.
RELATED: You can now purchase a three-foot-tall Gritty bobblehead
Though Gritty may be the most recognized Philadelphian to attend SXSW, there are hundreds of others planning to be there, too, many as part of the Amplify Philly initiative which has worked to increase Philly's presence at major events, such as SXSW, over the last few years. After debuting at the event in 2017, the groups behind Amplify Philly are planning a return this weekend.
Helping propel Amplify Philly are marketing agency REC Philly, event management company Witty Gritty, and Philly Startup Leaders. Together the organizations will push the city's greatest entrepreneurs, musicians, organizations, and technologies out of the Amplify Philly House, situated on one of SXSW's busiest areas. The collective will also host six panels – and serve many, many cheesesteaks.
Separately, several Philly-native musicians will be performing throughout SXSW, including singer-songwriter Ali Awan, rock band Nothing, and, of course, Questlove. Check out the full list of acts here.
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