BOSTON — In Boston on October 1, CITGO Petroleum Corp. sponsored the red carpet at the grand opening event of the city’s first Wahlburgers restaurant located in Fenway Park and adjacent to the iconic Boston CITGO sign, giving attendees a taste of the benefits of newly released Club CITGO mobile app.

Wahlburgers is a chain of casual burger restaurants owned by the celebrity Wahlberg family from Boston, including actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg along with their brother Paul (who is the restaurant’s chef), which has been featured in its own ongoing reality show on A&E for four seasons.

Fenway Park marks the chain’s fifth location, with others in the Massachusetts area and more in the works in Las Vegas, Orlando and Philadelphia.

Mark Wahlberg is known for his starring roles in Planet of the Apes, The Departed (which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Ted and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Prior to the event, he used his social media channels to encourage his nearly 20 million online fans and followers to join Club CITGO. Approximately 4,000 followers “favorited” and “liked” his posts.

On the red carpet, the event’s 350 guests were encouraged to download the Club CITGO app for the chance to win up to $500 in gas gift cards along with other prizes. Club CITGO brand ambassador Jessica Kenworthy was also on hand to meet with attendees and explain more about the benefits of the app, including access to special in-store deals, prizes and offers at participating CITGO locations.

In addition to the Wahlburgers opening, CITGO’s partnership with Mark Wahlberg will continue later into the year, as the company will serve as a sponsor of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation holiday party in December, bringing gifts, food and a visit from Santa Claus to underserved children from local Boston Boys & Girls Clubs. Involvement with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation is part of CITGO’s Fueling Good initiative, encouraging everyone to get involved and give back to their local communities.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.