It’s that time of the year when members of the micro-blogging site Twitter gather offline to celebrate a special festival called Twestival. “People like us, called Tweeps or Tweeple, finally get to see the faces behind the names we have been following. Total strangers become friends or business associates. The best part of the party is that it is for a cause. The funds collected at these gathering will be sent to local charities,” says Abhishek Baxi, convenor of the Delhi edition.

Twestival turns two this year and India has added to the numbers. Last year, the festival was restricted to Delhi and Mumbai, this time it will be held in Ahmedabad, Pune and Bangalore as well. Globally, the festival can be held on any day between September 10 and 13. “The Delhi party is on Saturday, and the charity we’re supporting is the Khushboo Welfare Society which provides care and support to ‘special’ individuals,” says Ashish Chopra of the Delhi Bloggers and New Media Society which is organising the festival.

“Last year, I took a courageous decision to attend the Delhi Twestival though I knew nobody. But within minutes, I was part of a large group, we exchanged our Twitter names and many of them have become good friends,” says Chipo Mugomba, 26, from Zimbabwe who arrived in India 2007. The meet-up will be held at Kunzum Gallery in Hauz Khas and the guest list ranges from 15-year-olds to senior citizens. “There’ll be soft background music like jazz and country and lots of ice-breaker games,” says Baxi. The food platter is packed with delectable snacks and the bar is being stacked with beer. “If you’re feeling lucky, try the raffle which has gifts like DVD sets,” he adds. The compulsory donation amount is Rs 500. Will Delhi’s most famous tweep Shashi Tharoor make it? Nah, he’ll be too busy with the packers.

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