It may be hot outside but this weekend, winter is coming.
On Saturday, July 16, Gilson Snow will bring their annual outdoor charitable initiative — the Summer Snow Day Festival — to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time ever.
Taking place at Xfinity Live!, the packed day of events will feature real snow, snowboarding competitions, ice carving, a ski artist showcase, an apres-ski lodge, live music, 50-plus drink samples, games and the Knoebels Kids Zone with rock climbing, a bounce house and a few more surprises.
Coming up on the 10-year anniversary of the company, the Pennsylvania-based organization has a lot to celebrate in terms of expansion.
“The Susquehanna River Valley has been an amazing place to live, work and grow our company. After meeting the folks at Xfinity Live! in South Philly, and seeing their amazing venue, we knew we had the perfect location for our first Summer Snow Day away from our facility,” explained Gilson Snow CEO and Co-Founder Nicholas Gilson in a statement.
Gilson officially launched its Snow Day event in 2017 at the company’s headquarters in New Berlin, Pennsylvania. At its core, the day was started to give back to the local community, and 2022 will mark the first year that there will be two separate events — with the same purpose.
The first Summer Snow Day of 2022 will be hosted at Xfinity Live! this Saturday. The second will be hosted as the 6th annual original Gilson Summer Snow Day at their headquarters located in the Susquehanna River Valley on Saturday, Aug. 13. Gilson had looked at a variety of locations to launch their first off-campus Summer Snow Day experience including Denver, Boston and Los Angeles; however, they ultimately decided to land in Philadelphia.
“We are excited to partner with Gilson to host Summer Snow Day,” said Xfinity Live! Director of Operations Justin DeSalvo in a statement. “Xfinity Live! has hosted many events over the past 10 years, but this is one of our most unique events to date. It will be awesome to bring this version of winter sports to the Stadium District.”
A full schedule of events (which ranges from the snowboard and ski artist showcase to the rail jam competition on real snow) can be found online, but throughout the showcase, visitors can also check out a variety of drink options from local favorites (think Yards and Stateside Vodka) and from the Susquehanna River Valley (think Rusty Rail Brewing Co. and Civil War Cider Co.).
There are a few ways to experience the event as well: Tickets run for $45 for general admission, including access to the festival grounds, a souvenir tasting glass, and free samples of craft beers, wines, ciders and spirits. VIP tickets are $65 and include early access, a souvenir tasting glass, lanyard, souvenir Gilson cup, 20% off the Gilson Store, two full-size drink tickets, in addition to the sample.
Then there’s the Ultra VIP tickets which include all the same perks plus admission to the Ultra VIP indoor mezzanine (think a buffet and a four-hour exclusive open bar).
At the heart of the event, however, is charity, and while there on Saturday, Philadelphians will be directly helping The Share Winter Foundation— a grantmaking organization working to improve the lives, health and fitness of youth through winter sports.
“Share Winter is honored to be a part of Gilson’s Summer Snow Day as we prepare to expand our reach in Pennsylvania in winter 2023,” explains Share Winter CEO Constance Beverley in a statement. “Partnering up to create access and on-snow opportunities is a hallmark of Share Winter’s work, and taking a moment mid-summer to share our love of winter in Philadelphia is a dream.”
Gilson has also pledged to donate a portion of event proceeds to Carve for Cancer, a non-profit focused on blood cancers.
“At Carve for Cancer we’re ‘shredding blood cancer’ and Gilson has been a huge supporter since day one,” added Carve for Cancer CEO Josh Frank. “Our Winter Sports and Music Festival at Montage Mountain has become a staple in northeast Pennsylvania. Funds raised by our organization fund live-saving research and patient care through our Live Like Brent Foundation (named for our late founder, Brent. P. Evans). We’re so grateful Gilson has continued their commitment to us and we can’t wait for summer snow day at Xfinity!”
For more information about Gilson Summer Snow Day and where to purchase tickets, visit gilsonsnow.com/summer.
