So, around 30 minutes after I publish my unofficial guide to SL20B, an e-mail arrives announcing the SL20B Sweepstakes – something which I admit I’d missed when visiting the event’s Welcome Area.
Why is this newsworthy? Because the prizes – particularly for those in the United States – are pretty impressive, including as they do:
A physical world Chevrolet Bolt EV car (US residents only).
A physical world Asus high-end gaming laptop (US Residents only).
A Second Life Lifetime Premium membership.
A 1 Year Premium Plus membership.
DAILY 1 Year Premium membership.
No purchases are necessary to enter the sweepstakes, just a visit to the SL20B Welcome Area during the festivities, and click on one (or both, in the case of US residents) Sweepstakes kiosks.
The National (US residents only) and Global (US residents + rest of the world) Sweepstakes kiosks at the SL20B Welcome Area
There are also a couple of official web pages providing more information and rules, and which run a clock giving the time remaining to enter:
A screen cap of part of the official Global Sweepstakes website for SL20B
So why not give it a go – the Daily Premium prizes are worth a visit on their own, to say nothing of the rest. Just expect the Welcome Area to be busy!
Update: SL20B includes National and Global Sweepstakes with some impressive physical world and Second Life prizes – read more here!
Second Life marks its 20th anniversary in 2022 with 11 days of celebrations and exhibitions across multiple Birthday regions in Second Life. As with previous years, the event folds into in, live music, DJ sets, art, shopping (via the dedicated Shop and Hop event), exhibits by Linden Lab and – particularly exhibit by Second Life residents and communities.
The following is intended to provide a general overview of the celebrations and highlight some of the key aspects, although as there was (again) no preview opportunity (or even any announcement through the SLB Press Corps group, which makes me wonder what we’ve collectively done to be shunned by the Lab), this has in part been put together in a bit of a rush in order to still be relevant around the time of the opening ceremony.
SL20B: The Arboretum
Dates and Theme
This year the SLB festivities will open on Thursday, June 22nd, through until Sunday, July 2nd. Thing will launch on June 22nd with the start of the 3-day Music Fest, with the rest of the festivities and events running from June 25th.
We are pleased to announce our Birthday theme for this year: Our Fantastic Future. The cornerstone of this idea is what we would define as eco-futurism including sustainability, a focus on our environment, and the next generation of our world. Some might call this science fiction, but what is science fiction except a dream for a possible future? In Second Life we build worlds. Our worlds, our way. For SL20B, we invite you to show us your worlds of the future!
The best way the stay abreast of all that’s going on is via the official calendar of events, which I’ve embedded below.
Use the Week / Month options, top right to change the calendar view.
Click on any given line item on any given day of festivities to view more information, including teleport SLurls.
SL20B Guide Magazine
Published to coincide with the celebrations is the SL20B Official Guide Magazine. This not only provides a guide to all of the SL20B regions, it includes interviews with members of the Lab’s board and management team, it charts the history of Second Life, with input on the subject from both Lindens and a cross-section of residents (apparently including someone called “Pey”, for some reason who wibbles at some point within it).
The magazine is again a new venture for the Lab where SL Birthday events are concerned, and allows residents and also ISSSU users to find out more about the platform and its attractiveness, with articles tracking some of the popular activities within SL: fashion, content creation, and home décor. There is also a potted history of Second Life from 2003 through to 2023, which appears to be modelled on the (now) staple of SLB event: The Tapestry of Time exhibit, which appears within the SL20 Birthday regions.
For those interested in finding out what is where within the Exhibit regions, Pages 84 through 105 provide an alphabetical breakdown of the exhibitor regions and the exhibits to be found within them.
Key Events
Grand Opening
Patch Linden will be formally opening SL18B at 12:00 SLT at the Mandala Stage, which will also be streamed as a You Tube Lab Gab special, in which Strawberry Linden will afterwards host a tour of the SL19B regions.
Music Fest and Shop and Hop
As has become the tradition, the Birthday will kick-off with a 3-day Music Fest taking place at the Mandala Stage and featuring many of Second Life’s top vocalists and musicians. The full schedule (at the time of publication can be found in my SL20B: Music Fest, Lab Gab, Shop and Hop post, and in this official post post.
SL20B: The community Walkway Gallery with the Welcome Area beyond
Lab Gab Linden Talk Shows
As per usual, SL20B will feature a series of Talk shows featuring various members of the Lab’s Board, management team and advisors. These will be a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions, and whilst also already covered in the Music Fest, etc., blog post mentioned above, I’m including the schedule here for completeness, and further information can be found in this official blog post.
Patch Linden, Vice President of Product Operations (Live)
Tuesday 27th June, 13:30
Grumpity Linden, Vice President of Second Life Product and Mojo Linden, Vice President of Engineering (Pre-recorded)
Wednesday 28th, June, 13:30
Linden Lab Executive Chair Brad Oberwager and Founder Philip Rosedale (Live)
Thursday 29th June, 13:30
Chief Marketing Officer StyFy Linden and VP of Marketing Brett Linden (Pre-recorded)
Friday 30th June, 13:30
Meet the Moles. The Moles are builders, scripters, and content creators employed by Linden Lab to work in the Linden Department of Public Works (Live)
The Welcome Area
Never been to an SLB event before – try starting at the Welcome Area where you’ll find lost of help, things like the SL20B Hunt HUD, and more!
The Tapestry of Time and Gift Area.
First presented in 2018, the region-wide Tapestry of Time presents visitor with a walk-through of Second Life’s history from 2003 through to the present day using images, text and videos. True, not everything has been recorded, but there’s enough within the region to be of interest to the historically minded.
within the Tapestry of Time can be found the SL20B Gift Area, offering gifts from the Birthday exhibitors and from merchants participating in the Shop & Hop event.
The Community Gallery Walkway
For 20 years, Second Life has offered us a virtual space to create, define and explore, bringing people from around the world together to create, share, discover new interests and make new friends, participate in games and adventures, to learn and discuss, and simply have fun.
For SL20B, the Community Gallery walkway, extending to / from the Welcome Area, has been created to offer a place where visitors can share their memories of their times and adventures, memories that turned a virtual world into a community of Residents.
SL20B The Tapestry of Time and Gift Area
Exhibitor Regions
As is common for SLB events, the mix of content is varied, and the representation of interests broad. Role-play groups, arts, communities, are represented across the nine regions open to exhibitors; some are static, others are interactive in nature.
Direct links to the exhibitor regions can be found in the SLurls lists at the end of this piece.
Note that teleport boards are available at the centre of all Exhibitor regions for easy of moving between them.
Adult Exhibitor Regions
for the first time at SLB, Adult content and groups are permitted to exhibit at the event, with four dedicated regions – separate to the main exhibitor regions – open to visit. These have a dedicated Teleport Hub sitting kitty-corner admits the four regions, and I’ve also included individual region SLurls at the end of this article.
Advice on a Better Experience
The SL19B regions – celebratory and Shop & Hop can get exceptionally busy. To help ease the pain for you:
If you have a high draw distance, reduce it to as low as is comfortable for your enjoyment.
Turn off shadows in your viewer if you usually have them enabled.
Go to Preferences → Graphics and reduce the slider Max # Non-Imposter Avatars to a minimum and dial-down your Complexity slider.
Remove texture-heavy HUDs to free-up more texture memory.
To assist the simulator, remove unnecessary scripted attachments.
Dress lightly, avoid accessories of high complexity.
SLurls and Destination Guide Links
Core Event Region SLurls
The Welcome Area – teleports to the stages, Tapestry of Time, Pod Tours, Gift Area, Community Gallery and Shop and Hop, etc.
The Arboretum – home to the Opening Ceremony, Lab Gab specials and more (rated General):
The Second Life 20th Birthday celebrations are almost upon us, with the regions opening on Thursday, June 22nd, and will remain open through until until Sunday, July 2nd.
The following is a summary of the Music Fest and the Lab Gab sessions with will take place throughout the event. Please note that where SLurls are given, they will not be available for public use prior to the event opening.
Music Fest
As with more recent(ish!) years, festivities will kick-off immediately following the opening on Thursday, June 22nd with the Music Fest, a 3-day celebration of live music in Second Life, and on Monday, June 19th, Linden Lab published the line-up for the event. This year, the festival will be taking place at a dedicated 4-region venue (which presumably will be used for other entertainment as well), comprising the four SLB regions of Amaze, Astound (primary landing point), Astonish (alternate landing point) and Imagination (alternate landing point).
At the time of writing, the scheduled line-up comprised:
Time (SLT)
June 22nd
June 23rd
June 24th
10:00
Gates Open
—
AnLaik
11:00
—
—
Fly Kugin
Noon
Opening Ceremony¹
Made in SL: the Movie¹
Mimi Carpenter
13:00
SEMINA
Tia Rungray
TEMPIO Breil
14:00
Marqs DeSade
DorianKash
Tally Mercury
15:00
Justin Elias Anatra
Randy De Lucia
Jordan Lively
16:00
Holly Giles
Joaquin Gustav
Slade S. Simunyé
17:00
Ruvi Gatchie
ryeshure
spiritLed
18;00
Frogg Marlowe & Jaycatt Nico (Effinjay)
Oblee
Cosmic Cat
19:00
Grace Loudon
FrankLee
Ras Solaris | Waverino
20:00
Angelikus Deo
Maximillion Kleene
Gabriel da Silva
21:00
—
John Rocky
—
At the time of writing, the Second Life Birthday calendar gave the SLurls for the Opening Ceremony and the film festival as those of the Music Fest. However, it appears that:
According to the official Talk Show blog post, the Opening Ceremony will in fact take place at the Mandala Stage (no SLurl available at the time of writing).
SL20B will feature a series of Linden Specials, featuring a mix of pre-recorded and live interviews with members of the the Lab’s board and management team. These can be attended in-world and will also be streamed via the Second Life You Tube channel. For those wishing to view the events in-world, the SLurl are as follows:
Patch Linden, Vice President of Product Operations (Live)
Tuesday 27th June, 13:30
Grumpity Linden, Vice President of Second Life Product and Mojo Linden, Vice President of Engineering (Pre-recorded)
Wednesday 28th, June, 13:30
Linden Lab Executive Chair Brad Oberwager and Founder Philip Rosedale (Live)
Thursday 29th June, 13:30
Chief Marketing Officer StyFy Linden and VP of Marketing Brett Linden (Pre-recorded)
Friday 30th June, 13:30
Meet the Moles. The Moles are builders, scripters, and content creators employed by Linden Lab to work in the Linden Department of Public Works (Live)
Shop and Hop
Coinciding with the Birthday celebrations is another Shop and Hop event, this one on a vast scale: 20 regions and 480 merchants! Find out more via the SL20B Shop and Hop Destination Guide category, or check out the list of participating merchants (with SLurls).
Second Life Birthday Calendar
The provides a full breakdown of events -note again that all times are SLT. Click here to open it in a separate browser tab.
Destination Guide links
Note: some of these may not be available until Thursday, June 22nd:
The 2023 Second Life Hair Fair is currently open, and runs through until Sunday, July 2nd, 2023. As with previous years, is being run to raise money for Wigs for Kids, with every purchase seeing a percentage donated to the cause, with the Bandana booths and Donation kiosks donating 100% of all proceeds received.
As with recent years, the event takes place across six regions, appropriately called Foils, Brunette, Streaks, Noirette, Redhead and Blonde, laid out in a block of six, with Foils, Brunette and Streaks to the north and Noirette, Redhead and Blonde to the south, separated by an intervening stream. The landing zones for the regions form decks spaced along both banks of the stream, both helping to lighten the load of arriving avatars and providing vantage points from which those (such as myself) who prefer to do so, can cam-shop without necessarily having to wander the stores.
As is usual for Hair Fair, the shopping regions are wisely lightly decorated in order to minimise viewer-side lag that might otherwise be created by having a significant amount of extra object and texture rendering. For those who enjoy perusing stores directly, the broad boardwalks ensure there is little chance of bumping into others, whilst those who might tire of walking can use one of the rezzers located along both boardwalks to rez a sittable “bus” and ride the length of the walkways.
The list of participating merchants can be found on the Hair Fair website, while for those who may not find something they wish to purchase, donation kiosks are available to help support Wigs for Kids, or there are the Bandana Booths, one located in Foils and the other in Blonde. within them, visitors can purchase a bandana or a Hair Fair Hare companion (all proceeds on both to Hair Fair), and learn about the history of the Hair Fair Bandana Day & booths.
Hair Fair 2023
About Wigs for Kids
For more than forty years Wigs for Kids has been providing hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families. The effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a child’s outward appearance. Hair loss can erode a child’s self-confidence and limit them from experiencing life the way children should. With an injured self-image, a child’s attitude toward treatment and their physical response to it can be negatively affected also.
Wigs for Kids helps children suffering with hair loss look themselves and live their lives. Families are never charged for the hair replacements provided for their children; Wigs for Kids rely completely on both the donation of hair and / or money to help meet their goals.
SL Pride, the event celebrating diversity organised by and on behalf of Second Life’s LGBTQ+ community officially opened on Friday, June 9th, 2023 and runs through until Sunday, June 18th, 2023.
Given the uncalled for backlash and targeting of the LGBTQ+ community and against gender rights within western nations, coupled with the overall suppression of the community around the world, the theme for this year’s event is, appropriately a message of strength.
NOT GOING BACK – NOT BACKING DOWN
– Second Pride 2023 Theme
As with recent years, the 2023 Second Pride event is hosted across two regions – Second Pride East, with its traditional urban theme, and Second Pride West, with its similarly familiar beachfront and pier design. Straddling the two is the central park and events area, with the landing points for both regions sitting-side-by-side and facing one another across the region boundary.
Second Pride 2023: Dim Sum Gardens
Also as with previous years, the regions utilise a Second Life Experience to assist with teleports, etc., and if you have not previously visited the event or joined the Experience, doing so is recommended. Posters at the landing points will also provide visitors with information on the festivities and entertainment, which will be focused on the main stage in the park, the Beach Stage, located alongside the beachfront with its Second Pride Boardwalk and associated amusements, rides and stalls, with smaller, more intimate events also being held at the Bandshell / City Venue.
And if that weren’t enough, the Bijou Theatre will be hosting a series of special performances and light shows. When you arrive there, just walk the red carpet to the doors and you’ll be TP’d directly to the theatre proper. Details of the shows – and on the more than 70 live performances and events taking place through the event, please refer to the Event Schedule on the Second Pride website.
If you’re new to the LGBTQ+ communities is second Life and wish to learn more, you can drop into the Second Pride Community Resource Centre, while those who wish to sit in quiet contemplation, the Second Pride Memorial Chapel with its message of Solidarity, is available. Or you can just relax at the Dim Sum Gardens or simply tour the two regions!
Second Pride: boardwalk and pier
Funds raised at this year’s even will benefit:
LGBTQ Freedom Fund: is a US-centric organisation which is focused on securing the safety and liberty of people in US jails and immigration detention centres, with a focus on LGBTQ individuals. Because of whom they love / hoe they identify, a tangle of discrimination and poverty disproportionately traps LGBTQ people in cycles of crime and incarceration, with the impact particularly felt by transgender, brown, and black individuals.
In tandem with provide financial support to secure the release of LGBTQ+ people unfairly incarcerated, the fund works with the public and policymakers to curb the mass detention of LGBTQ individuals, given the fact that sexual minorities are three times more likely to be incarcerated than heterosexual individuals. The sweep of criminalisation is extraordinary, with some estimates suggesting that, at some point in their lives, 70 percent of low-income LGBTQ people are homeless – and as a result can be considered vagrants and subject to arrest and indefinite incarceration in many US states.
The It Gets Better Project: founded as a non-profit organisation in the United States in 2010, the Project now involves international affiliate organisations across 19 countries. Together they are able to reach millions of young people around the world, promoting the vision of a world where all LGBTQ+ youth are free to live equally and know their worthiness and power as individuals. A huge part of this work is in outreach through storytelling – those within the community telling their stories and inspiring / encouraging others. The Project additional fosters community-building and promoting open discussions on the challenges young LGBTQ+ people have to face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity journey, and to positively influence the outlook of both those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those who do not.
Second Pride 2023
With entertainment, shopping, camaraderie, friendship, fun, support and more, do be sure to make time to visit SL Pride, share in the entertainment, tour the regions, have fun – and donate to the supported charities.
Relay for Life of Second Life, Relay Weekend, June 10-11th, 2023
Saturday, June 10th and Sunday June 11th mark the annual Relay for Life of Second Life Relay Weekend, raising money for the American Cancer Society and their projects to help and support cancer sufferers and their families and caregivers the world over. With American Cancer Society (ACS) regions forming the anchor-point for the event, 35 regions have been combined to provide the weekend’s track, which all Second Life residents are invited to walk for a part of the weekend and show support for those who have been stricken by cancer and / or remember those in their own families / circles of friends who have been lost to the disease/ are living within its shadow.
The theme for this year is Hope Floats, and this is reflected in the multiple camps and places to visit which line the RFL walk as it loops through the regions. The event officially opens at 10:00 SLT on the morning of Saturday, June 10th, with the opening ceremony taking place on the ACS2 and ACS 3 regions. Immediately following this is the first of a continuous series of laps around the walk, which will continue through until the closing ceremony at 10:00 SLT on the morning of Sunday, June 11th.
This first lap of the track is reserved for those dealing with cancer or who have survived its impact on their health, together with their family members and caregivers. However, residents as a whole are encouraged to line the track and show their support for them as they make their way around it. After it comes the Parade of Teams: those groups active within Second Life who are active in both supporting ACS through organising and running their own fund-raising events, and who help to make this weekend the Relay Weekend the event it is.
Relay for Life of Second Life, Relay Weekend, June 10-11th, 2023 – learn about ACS Hope Lodges
After the Parade of teams, from 14:00 SLT onwards on June 10th, through until 09:00 SLT on June 11th, there will be a series of hourly themed walks around the track, open to anyone to join for as long as they choose. As always, participants are invited to join in with the theme, all of which are listed below (all times SLT).
Saturday, June 10th
Sunday, June 11th
11:00 Survivor/Caregiver Lap
00:00
Space Walk among the Stars
Kirk or Spock? Baltar or Six? Ground Control or Major Tom? Go sci-fi!
12:30 Parade of Teams
01:00
Mount Up and Ride
Ye-haw! – but why stop with riding horses?
14:00
Purple Power Hour
The Name sez it all!
02:00
Your Pets Want Out
Bring your pet for a walk.
15:00
Under the Sea
Are you mermaid? Merman? Grouper or Penguin? Seas creatures unite!
03:00
Small But Mighty
Dinkies and Tinies unite!
16:00
Unicorns, Fairies, Fantasy+
Come as your favourite fantasy character or dressed for your favourite genre
04:00
Wild Wild West
NOW is the time for horses, big hats and cowpokes!
17:00
Over the Rainbow & Into the Clouds
Clouds, rainbows, pride
05:00
Skate into the Morning
Make like Marty Mcfly or don those rollerskates and roll!
18:00
Ride the Wave, Dude
Surf’s up and beach parties are the order of the hour!
06:00
Fight Back Hour
ACS, Relay, or Team shirts
19:00
Relay Sock Hop
Poodle skirts, vinyl, diners
07:00
PJs, Coffee, and Curlers
For the all-nighters: wear your coffee and drink your PJs (!)
20:00
Light It Up
Torches, candles, neon lights, etc.
08:00
Making Strides
Pink, Strides (breast cancer) awareness
21:00 Luminaria Ceremony
~ Remember ~
09:00
Floating to the Finish Line
Carry (ride?) balloons around the track
22:00
Fly Your Kite
– or that of your team, if you’re a team member!
10:00 Closing Ceremony
23:00
Relay Snow Storm
Dress up warm or get those Xmas Hols glad rags out!
11:00
Dancing in the Streets
make like Martha and the Vandellas or Mick and David and dance around the track!
Luminaria Ceremony and Lanterns
At 21:00 SLT on Saturday, June 11th, the track will be in darkness and silence, with all those in the Relay Regions are asked not to engage in open text or voice chat but to walk the track in silence or stand to one side, as the names of those to be remembered are read.
It is a time for each of us to reflect on how this disease has touched us personally. And it is a time for us to look inside ourselves with quiet reflection and find hope. Because no matter what our experience has been with cancer, we all share the hope that we will one day live in a world where our children, and their children, will never have to hear the words “you have cancer”.
– Relay for Life of Second Life event web page
Along the sides of the relay track are the Luminaria lanterns that can be used to commemorate and / or honour someone you know who has succumbed to or survived cancer. Lanterns can be lit for a minimum donation of L$50 (all proceeds to Relay for Life of Second Life). Donations can can be made by clicking a lantern and then either selecting a set amount or typing in an amount of your choice. You can also optionally enter whether you are lighting the lantern in memory or in honour of someone, and also add their name and / or a message.
Relay for Life of Second Life, Relay Weekend, June 10-11th, 2023
So, get ready to join the fun and help raise money for a very worthy cause!
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 