Special Events

Global talks, tours, and feasts

Highlights from past programs!

Members and Friends Cocktail Party at Carpenters’ Hall – December 4, 2021

An opportunity to get together with friends, meet our staff and board members in person, and learn what inspires us all to be a part of our 130-year history.

We met at the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place in the early history of the United States, Carpenters’ Hall. It is the very place where you can actually stand where the First Continental Congress met. As part of the program, we offered access to the private library and a chance to hear historic facts from Carpenters’ Hall’s experts. Sponsored by the New Libertly Distillery, whiskey tasting was part of the program.
Culinary Exploration with Emmy Award-Winning television host and food and travel writer, Kae Lani Palmisano – October, 28, 2021 a@ Plays and Players Theater

There’s more to food than what’s on the plate. Every dish is a living history, an integral part of an identity that contextualizes where we come from, how cultures influenced one another, and where we’re headed next. Our guest, Emmy Award-Winning television host and food and travel writer, Kae Lani Palmisano, hosted an interactive discussion on the many ways in which food expresses cultural identity and how her travels across four continents changed the way she thinks about what we eat. Kae Lani shared the perspectives she’s gained over her career and how her travel experiences inform her reporting. She also explored how we as avid travelers and passionate foodies, can be mindful of how we approach and appreciate cuisines from around the world.

Cash bar at Quig’s Pub, known as the “actor’s speakeasy,” a private club inside Rittenhouse’s Plays and Players Theatre.
Special Event – Preservation/Restoration: The National Museum of Brazil, Notre Dame de Paris, Palmyra, Gloria Dei Church
Feb. 27th @ Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’ Church). Co-sponsored by the Geographical Society of Philadelphia and the Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation, join us for a program that will take place in the church sanctuary. An evening at the oldest church of PA Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’), a panel of experts who preserve and document historic sites around the world will share their insight and pictures, followed by a reception in Riverside Hall with live piano music provided by The Jazz Sanctuary.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME in 2019!

Special Event – Georgian Food and Wine Tasting Feb. 18th @ New Georgian House, in partnership with Les Dames D’Escoffier. Join GEO’s president and archaeologist, Jill Weber, for wine, food, and Georgian culture!
Isa Betancourt; entomologist, photographer, and biodiversity explorer. March 5th @ Plays&Players Theater, Fool the Expert/Nerd Night…my bug is what?
UN Speaker Series – Dr. Abraham Joseph, March 13th @ American Philosophical Society

Dr. Abraham Joseph, Senior International Strategic Advisor is an expert on International Economic Policy Development and Practice with three decades of experience at the United Nations and with the Governments of India and Timor-Leste.

Marco Polo – March 27th – ITALY’s Sardinia, Puglia, Tuscany @Positano Coast by Aldo Lamberti
GEO’s 128th Legacy Event – April 17th @Union League

Honoring a true Philly Hero, Dr. Derrick H. Pitts; the Chief Astronomer and the Planetarium Director at Franklin Institute