WingBowl

Let me tell you about Wing Bowl. Wing Bowl is a chicken wing eating contest. More specifically, Wing Bowl is a chicken wing eating contest held between the hours of 6-10am where the spectators start tailgating at 4 am, and then everyone meets up at the strip club afterward. Wing Bowl is more predominately known to those living in Pennslyvania or near the Philidelphia area. Thanks to great commentary by Howards Stern, myself and two pals decided to fly 3000 miles and experience Wing Bowl for ourselves.

Here is the WingBowl rundown for an out of towner.

Tickets: Wing Bowl is held at the Wells Fargo center and sells out every year. That’s 20,000 people flocking to drink beer at watch people eat chicken wings at 6 am. It’s always held the Friday before the SuperBowl and tickets tend to go on sale approximately 2 months before. In our case, we already had our plane tickets booked before we had our event tickets. It was imperative we got tickets to Wing Bowl 25. The event is hosted by 94 WIP radio station in Philly. I followed their Twitter to find out when tickets would go on sale. Even better, I found out about a twitter exclusive presale event. Since I live on the West Coast, when tickets went on sale at 9 am, I was up at 6 am…..on a Saturday. Tickets run about $10-15.

Where to stay: The Wells Fargo center is located in South Philidelphia. I wouldn’t necessarily stay nearby. Downtown or Historical Philly has plenty of hotels, bars, restaurants, and is a better area of town to stay in. Public transportation is relatively cheap in Philly, so take an Uber, Cab, or even a train to and from the event.

Rules of the Venue: No BACKPACKPACKS! This one hits close to home. Since we had no vehicle, we had to carry our beer while we tailgated. Hence the backpack. Well, the venue won’t let you take an empty backpack in. I lucked out and had a foldable backpack. My pal, however, was forced to throw away a backpack he’d owned since Freshman year of high school. The event starts at 6 am, the parking lot opens at 4 am. There are no real rules of the parking lot, expect for no extreme violence or vandalism. Things I hope most people have good common sense against.

The event: Wing Bowl is a party. The parking lot is packed. The venue in packed, everyone is highly intoxicated and having a good time. People show up to the event in party buses; there are kegs, DJs, and dancing all at 5 am. There are Wingettes or strippers walking around. People eating excessive amounts of food and then violently projectiling said food on the jumbotron for everyone to see. They usually have an entertainer, so you get a mini concert. Coolio was at WingBowl 25, and we were all treated to a live version of Gangsters Paradise.

The Afterparty: Just because a champion has been named doesn’t mean the party is over. It is WingBowl tradition to visit the strip club afterward. WingBowl is to strip clubs in Philly what Black Friday is to retails shops. The clubs offer free breakfast and more drink specials.

It’s definitely an event you won’t forget. It’s wild, fun, and full of people just looking to have a good time. If you live nearby, or are keen on a visit to Philly in February, grab your coat, pack a few beers, and experience Wing Bowl for yourself!