This year’s election is one of the most historic (and eventful) ones in history. From Monday July 25 – Thursday July 28, 2016, the 2016 Democratic National Convention was held at the Wells Fargo Center in our great city. This week brought some of the biggest and best names to Philadelphia. All these amazing people in one place only meant one thing: great events throughout the city all week!
Saturday 7/23
DNC Media Party as told by Madison
How to party like a Philadelphian…
To kick things off in true Philly style, the city welcomed all media to the Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park. I was greeted by a Rocky look-alike on the way in (of course), and there was an abundance of all the classics I’d expect to give everyone a taste of Philly: cheesesteaks, crab fries, water ice and beer. Live bands and DJs kept the party going all night, keeping guests on their toes. Notable Philadelphians, such as Mayor Kinney and Eagles player Connor Barwin, came out for the fun and mingled with guests. With open access to the field, guests could walk around, run the bases, or take pictures anywhere from first base to home plate! This event was a great way to have fun and relax before the craziness of the week began…
And as fate would have it, Kate happened to share an UberPOOL on the way to the party with a Chief of Staff from Obama’s administration. He said, “I’m going to do a very ‘DC thing’ and give you my card.” Skip to Wednesday to see how that story unfolds and how he changed her life…
Sunday 7/24
Women Making History event as told by Kate
Making history, one woman at a time…
The first annual Women Making History Celebration and Awards Ceremony took place on Sunday at Water Works. The event brought together accomplished women in all industries of business, media, arts and politics to champion each other’s achievements. As we mixed and mingled, the energy and GIRL BOSS POWER in that room was palpable. Attendees included Ben FM’s Marilyn Russell, Joan Shepp, Renee Hughes and many others. I even bumped into former Mayor of Philadelphia and current CNN Contributor Michael Nutter, so I could personally thank him for helping bring the DNC to our city.
Monday 7/25
BuzzFeed Audio presents: Historical Event as told by Kate
For the humorous and hangry non-politically intense people…
Buzzfeed Audio welcomed us to the Trocadero Theater on Monday night to watch a live podcast. There was a wide range of discussions and interviews from politics to Philadelphia. They broke the audience into “states,” which included an “I Can’t Even” state, a “Hangry” state, and an“Emoji shrug” state. The food, catered by Tasty (from all those awesome Facebook videos), was just as great as they look!
Wednesday 7/27
Mayors Against Discrimination Forum as told by Kate
With the Mayors across the country…
I accompanied client Samantha Giusti, Executive Director of DVLF, to the Mayors Against Discrimination Forum held at City Hall. It was really cool experience to walk up the steps of City Hall into the Mayor’s Reception Room, which houses paintings of every Mayor of Philadelphia. US Mayors discussed how cities in the US are striving for change for LGBT equality and how municipalities can support the proposed federal Equality Act.
DNC, Night 3 as told by Kate
That time I shared an UberPOOL with someone from the Obama administration…
In the late afternoon, I got a text from my new UberPOOL friend at the Obama administration, who happened to have an extra ticket to the DNC. We had been texting all week about all the fun parties and events! Without hesitation, I graciously accepted the ticket. With ALL the different types of media everywhere, walking through the Wells Fargo Center for the first time that night was overwhelming. I immediately bumped into Hasan Minhaj and Jordan Klepper from The Daily Show! With POTUS and VEEP speaking, the house was packed. I sat next to a sweet lady who volunteers in Michelle Obama’s office and she knew everyone! Being there was surreal. The crowd cheered, cried, and clapped all night …as did I. Just when I was about to leave after Obama’s speech, the crowd went wild… because out walked Hillary Clinton! With a big hug, HE was officially with HER. THANK YOU to my new DC friend, I’ll be forever grateful!
Thursday 7/28
Philly PR Girl Watch Party as told by Grace
Watching history unfold with a whole lot of Philly pride…
Philly PR Girl threw our very own DNC watch party, not just to watch Hillary’s acceptance speech, but to celebrate all these historic moments happening in our very own city! Guests were welcomed to our new(ish) HQ for an evening of DNC fun, but also a celebration of America and acceptance. Regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality – and who you were voting for – all were welcome to enjoy the festivities. We celebrated in style with patriotic attire and Philly-favorite foods like Campo’s sandwiches, Philly Pretzel Factory soft pretzels, and Rita’s Water Ice for dessert. A special thanks to one of our favorite artists, Denise Fike, for doing her live fashion illustrations! I don’t think I’ve ever looked better. After mixing and mingling, we all fell silent to watch Hillary’s monumental acceptance speech. We watched her 54-minute speech in awe as she became the official 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
Hillary’s Victory Party at the Kimmel Center as told by Victoria
Perks of having a friend who works on Hillary’s campaign…
After Hillary’s official acceptance speech on the DNC stage, people all across Philadelphia began to find their way to an after-party of choice. With so much going on, I turned to my good friend from college, Giancarlo Stefanoni, who happens to be Finance Director of Pennsylvania for Hillary’s campaign. (He’s a pretty big deal.) I quickly got the scoop on the hottest party of the night: Hillary’s victory party at the Kimmel Center. It was an incredible atmosphere being in the center of Philadelphia with hundreds of people buzzing with enthusiasm after Hillary’s empowering speech. We took pictures, drank wine and mingled with fellow Democrats. Around 2 a.m., Hillary took the stage with Bill, Tim and Anne to thank everyone for their support. And just like that, the room was abuzz again! Around 3 a.m., we decided to be responsible humans and head home soon, but the party was nowhere close to ending. Oh, what a time to be a Democrat in Philadelphia!
Snoop Dogg Unity Party as told by Joanie
“We’re at that stage in life to where we need a perspective other than the male’s train of thought…” – Snoop Dogg
On the final night of the DNC, I got the chance to see Snoop Dogg at the “Unity Party” co-hosted by the Super PAC Priorities USA Action, the House Majority PAC and the Senate Majority PAC. A friend called me just an hour before the concert began at the Electric Factory, and there was no question! On being a Hillary supporter, Snoop has said, “I would love to see a woman in office because I feel like we’re at that stage in life to where we need a perspective other than the male’s train of thought… and just to have a woman speaking from a global perspective as far as representing America, I’d love to see that. So I’ll be voting for Mrs. Clinton.” Snoop rapped a bunch of his classics like Gin and Juice, Who Am I, Drop It Like It’s Hot and made tributes to major rap influences 2PAC, Biggie and Eazy-E. Award-winning actress of TV series Weeds and author Mary-Louise Parker hosted the “Unity Party” that had DJ Samantha Ronson and singer-songwriter October London on deck to open for Mr. Dogg. iHeartRadio also had an interactive photo booth with pictures being displayed on the stage screen, which I was featured on! Let’s just say this performance exceeded my expectations!
What were your favorite moments? Share them with us in the comments!
