Honolulu is proud to be hosting its second annual Twestival Global event on March 25, 2010!  If you’d like to help organize this fantastic social media meetup and fundraiser, or volunteer at the event itself, please join the Honolulu Twestival mailing list.

And if you’d like to sponsor the Honolulu Twestival, please get in touch!  As you know, 100 percent of the ticket sales go toward the global charity, Concern Worldwide. So the Honolulu Twestival itself is made possible only through the support of forward-thinking, web-savvy local sponsors.

We’re about to announce our venue, and we’re already working hard to bring you another great lineup of local entertainers and ‘ono eats!  Stay tuned for more details.  If you’d like to check in on our progress, as always, our planning wiki is open to the public.

This year’s global charity is Concern Worldwide, a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Only through the power of Twitter — and a group of fantastic volunteers, and many wonderful and generous sponsors — could something like the Honolulu Twestival come together in just two weeks. And tonight, it all comes together at Oceans 808 at Restaurant Row. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., people will come together to prove the power of social media to bring social change. We’ll eat, drink, enjoy some great music and meet some cool people… and raise money for charity: water in the process.

As of 10:30 a.m. HST, we’ve raised $3,060. It costs $4,000 to drill a well to provide a community with clean, save drinking water. We’re easily within striking distance of our city goal! Please join us at Oceans 808 tonight!

But if you can’t, you can still donate in support of the cause. Then, feel free to enjoy the festivities (or is it Twestivities?) in Honolulu and around the world, LIVE, as it unfolds. This is a global event, and the Aloha State will close it out in style!

• Twestival Video via Live Earth
  The official global video channel for Twestival. Watch Twestivals, live, around the world, including Honolulu… the grand finale!
• Twestival on Flickr
  A slideshow of photos tagged with “Twestival” across the Flickr photosharing website. You can also look specifically for “hitwestival“!
• Twestival via Twistori
  Track mentions of Twestival across Twitter, live!
• Honolulu Twestival via 808Talk
  Vernon Brown’s homegrown tracker for Honolulu Twestival talk.
• Honolulu Twestival via Twitter Groups
  Yet another presentation of @hitwestival and related mentions across Twitter.

The list of fantastic prizes that will be given out at the Honolulu Twestival keeps getting better and better!  Thanks to DK Restaurants, you could win a “Taste of the Steak House” gift certificate to d.k Steak House or a “Taste of Sansei” gift certificate to Sansei.  These gift certificates are good for a dinner for two, featuring a pre-set menu including several courses of each restaurant’s most popular dishes!

Get your tickets now, and join us tomorrow to meet up, rock out, eat, drink, and do good.

Mahalo to Jamie of The Bead Gallery for donating two beautiful handmade jewelry pieces to the Honolulu Twestival. You could win one of them just by showing up, or increase your chances of winning them (and our many other fantastic prizes) by buying more tickets for $5 each. All proceeds go to charity: water!

On the left, the peach necklace is “Sundara” (beautiful in sanskrit). Features Bali silver links, natural-color mauve freshwater pearls, and a laser etched shell pendant. On the right, the green necklace is “Forever Green.” Features freshwater pearls, shell pendant, and a sterling silver chain and toggle clasp.

Get your tickets now!

We’d like to thank the team at eHawaii.gov and the Hawaii Information Consortium for sponsoring the Honolulu Twestival.

The Hawaii Information Consortium has run the Hawaii state internet portal since 2000 and has deployed over 40 applications, including business filings and name searches, tax filings, camping permits, online ID services, professional and vocational license searches, wedding permits, and more.

“Twitter is a great tool for many government applications,” says Russell Castagnaro (@rcastag), General Manager of eHawaii.gov. “As we work with all of the state and county partners here, we will find more and more valid uses for Twitter and other Web 2.0 and semantic web technology.”

“charity: water is an extremely important cause,” he adds. “In most of Hawaii, clean water is not a problem. We are very lucky. We support charity: water because we can, because its the right thing to do, because we live aloha.”

eHawaii.gov welcomes feedback. You can e-mail them at info@ehawaii.gov, or DM them on Twitter via @ehawaiigov.

The Honolulu Twestival aims to demonstrate the power of “social media to bring social change.”  But ultimately, the way we’ll raise money for charity: water is by inspiring people to buy tickets, and bringing people to the event.  To that end, we are grateful for the support of some of Hawaii’s top media outlets for supporting our event.

Honolulu Twestival sponsor KGMB9, along with both of Hawaii’s leading daily newspapers — the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin — have donated space on their websites to advertise our event to all of Hawaii. This on top of several great write ups in columns and blogs and event listings!

Want to join them in spreading the word?  The graphics below (a 728×90 banner and a 300×250 rectangle) are being made available to anyone to use on their own websites or blogs to promote the Honolulu Twestival.

From The Honolulu Advertiser:

“The Honolulu Advertiser is proud to be a part of the wave of social media with more than 40 blogs, including the popular ‘The Warrior Beat‘ by Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Advertiser encourages readers to share and participate daily online. Readers have immediate access to social tools, including a profile page, personal blog, a GetPublished feature to post a story or photo, and the ability to share messages with friends and family.”

The Honolulu Twestival is jam packed with awesome. Great live music, a treasure trove of fantastic raffle prizes, great food and drinks, good people coming together for a good cause. We’re honored to have some special guests joining us on Thursday, whose talent and social media savvy will be key to keeping the fun flowing.

Angela Keen (@AngelaKeen) joined Twitter in March of 2009 2008. She has 23 years of experience in television and radio news, as well as marketing and communications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Hastings College in Nebraska. Angela is the child of a “geek.” Her father was a pioneer in geekdom and exposed Angela to the latest technology as it evolved from the 70’s, 80’s to modern times (starting with ham radio)!

She is known for her work in front of the camera, serving more than 11 years on air at KGMB9 News. Angela also woke up early with the people of Hawaii as the co-host and weathercaster for KHNL News 8 Today. And for the past 22 years, companies all over the Mainland have used Angela’s expertise for voiceovers and creative marketing. In addition to her on-air work, Angela has 13 years of experience working behind the scenes as a volunteer, communications consultant, and advisor to many non-profit organizations. Over the years, she has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local organizations through her volunteer efforts.

Today, Angela works at Straub Clinic and Hospital as Manager of Physician Relations. She is responsible for recruiting and hiring physicians for the hospital. She also manages the hospital’s referral program where she recently revamped and rebranded the entire program.

Maleko (@djmaleko) maintains the family legacy of music and entertainment. One of four brothers with entertainment careers, Maleko stands out as the emcee in a family of disc jockeys. He currently hosts “Maleko’s Room” during the afternoon drive on Star 101.9-FM, and is the program director for Radio Free Hawaii 101.9-HD2, Hawaii’s first Hybrid Digital radio station.

You can find Maleko weekly hosting events at nightclubs, live music events, charity fundraisers, auctions and even conventions. On stage, Maleko is frequently seen as the emcee for nearly every major rock concert in Hawaii, including recent performances by All American Rejects, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, Hoobastank, No Doubt, Evanescence, and Pepper.

On screen, recently Maleko appeared as the host of the reality show “Heart of Paradise.”

Online Maleko is the co-founder and web designer for HNLnow.com: a local Hawaii entertainment and nightlife website designed to function interactively with social media APIs including Twitter, Facebook, iPhones and even Myspace.

Our friends at Chi.mp have been immensely supportive of the Honolulu Twestival. In one weekend, they’ve sold 20 tickets to staff, friends and family. That’s $400 that goes directly to charity: water. This support comes despite the fact that the entire team has been working hard on the next big Chi.mp release, and many chimps will be in Los Angeles for Twiistup.

There will be Chi.mp representatives at the Honolulu Twestival, though. In fact, Chief Operating Officer Mike Curtis (@mcurtis808) will be on hand on Thursday… and hints that he’ll have a special opportunity for those who show up that night.

Just one more reason to get your tickets now, and join great people in support of a good cause. Every cent of your $20 goes directly to charity: water, and that $20 can give somebody clean, safe drinking water for 20 years.

The Honolulu Twestival is happy to welcome AIG Hawaii aboard as its latest sponsor!

AIG Hawaii will donate an additional $5 direct to charity: water for every ticket sold (online or at the door). Additionally, AIG Hawaii will give away certificates for $50, $75, and $100 in free gas to Twestival attendees!

“We have been in Hawaii for over 50 years with a history of supporting the community in ways that enrich and preserve our quality of life,” said John Tapper, AIG Hawaii’s E-Marketing Manager. “As an extension of that commitment, we are pleased to support ‘charity: water’ in bringing safe drinking water to people in developing nations.”

AIG Hawaii is the largest provider of mass marketed automobile insurance in the state of Hawaii.  Follow the company on Twitter @AIGHawaii!

Get your tickets now to the Honolulu Twestival!  Now your $20 ticket will be worth $25 in support of charity: water!

Great live music from five fantastic acts. A pupu buffet and two included drinks (plus $3 drink specials). A pau hana party with good people in support of a good cause.  Still not enough to get you to Oceans 808 on Feb. 12?  Well, how about a chance to win some fantastic prizes?

That’s right. Through the generosity of several local companies, we’ll be holding a “charity raffle” at the Honolulu Twestival.  No purchase necessary to win, everyone gets a free ticket at the door. But you can improve your chances by buying additional tickets for $5 each, and all funds go to charity: water.

You could win:

• A two-night stay at Wyland Waikiki
• One of two 30-minute Ocean Massages from Spa Pure at The Wyland Waikiki
• One of two two-night stays at any hotel from the Aqua Boutique Collection from Aqua Resorts
• A one-night stay at the Sheraton Waikiki and a $100 dining certificate at RumFire from @starwoodhawaii
• A “Taste of the Steak House” special menu dinner for two at d.k. Steak House and a “Taste of Sansei” special menu dinner for two at Sansei.
• A roundtrip voyage on the Hawaii SuperFerry for two, car included!
• Two submarine tour tickets from Atlantis Submarines
• A 23-piece round tray from Happy Hearts Mochi
• One of two original handmade jewelry pieces (”Forever Green” or “Sundara”) featuring freshwater pearls from The Bead Gallery.
• One complimentary tuition to Hawaii Bartending Academy
  
• Admission for four to the Waikiki Aquarium
• A Personalized Twitter Shirt in premium black by Valentino Valdez Design
• $500 closing cost credit on a loan from Innovative Mortgage Solutions

And more great prizes are coming soon! Be sure to check our Honolulu Twestival Raffle page for updates. Buy one ticket, or buy twenty, win big… and still, every dollar raised goes to charity: water.

Of course, you can only win if you’re there.  So buy your tickets now to the Honolulu Twestival.  You won’t want to miss it!