Events
January
New Year’s Day
Held: January 1st
Location: Downtown Philadelphia
215-336 3050
Call for additional information
Climaxing months of drill in a ritual dating to
pagan times, some 15,000 Mummers parade along Philadelphia streets, codified
into four divisions: Comic Clubs, Fancy Clubs, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades.
Chinese New Year
Held: Chinatown
215-922-2156
Call for additional information
In Philadelphia’s Chinatown, the year starts with
New Moon on the first day and ends on the full moon 15 days later with the
Lantern Festival.
February
Philadelphia International Auto Show
Held: early February
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center
800-999-6810 or 610-758-9691
Call for additional information
Sometimes starting in January, the Philadelphia
International Auto Show cruises each year into the Pennsylvania Convention
Center, produced by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia
with more than 700 classic, luxury, and exotic vehicles.
South Street Mardi Gras for Fat Tuesday
Held: February
Location: South Street
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
South Street, Philadelphia's hip strip is where
Mardi Gras is celebrated on Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
African American History Month
Held: February
Location: Various venues
215-289-6484
Call for additional information
Events throughout the city celebrate Africa
American history.
Manayunk in Bloom
Location: Cotton and Cresson Streets
Held: Easter holidays
215-482-9565
Call for additional information
Spring brings Manayunk in Bloom, an annual event
with fun at Pretzel Park, at Cotton and Cresson streets for the annual Easter
Egg Scramble. Merchants stock up with Easter finery and accessories.
Philadelphia Flower Show
Location: Philadelphia Convention Center
12th & Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Held: early March
215-988-8899
Call for additional information
One of North America’s largest collection of specimen orchids radiates color at
the Philadelphia Flower Show, going strong for more than a century. Festivities
surrounding the show start in January.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Philadelphia's Irish community goes green with more than 100 floats and 10,000
marchers.
The Book and the Cook Festival
215-545-4543
Cooks share their books and recipes at different
restaurants and at the convention center during Kitchen Aid’s “The Book and the
Cook Festival”.
April
Spring Splash on South Street
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Celebrants parade down South Street in Easter
bonnets.
Baseball Season Opens
215-965-7676
When the Phillies were formed in 1883, the team was on its way to becoming the
oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of the professional
sports.
May
Broad Street Run
215-235-7481
Call for additional information
The venerable Broad Street Run’s 10-mile course starts at Broad Street and
Somerville Avenue, ending in the Philadelphia Naval Business Center. (Not for
Runners Only Health & Fitness Expo is at the Cruise Terminal, Pier 1, near the
finish line.)
Annual Canal Day
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Attracting crowds along Main Street, this long-standing neighborhood event
celebrates the 1823 opening of the Schuylkill Navigation System, part of the
Manayunk Canal.
Dad Vail Regatta
215-886-1123 or 215-483-2909
Call for additional information
The second week of May brings crew teams from schools across the U.S. to
compete on the Schuylkill River in the nation’s largest collegiate regatta.
Jam on the River
Held late May
Location: Penns Landing
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Enjoy music on the banks of the Delaware River on Memorial Day weekend.
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
215-965-7676
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The Rittenhouse area celebrates spring with music, dance, outdoor and indoor
sales and displays by area retailers, gallery exhibits, and more on Walnut
Street from Broad to 19th, and within Rittenhouse Square.
June
Manayunk Arts Festival
Held: end of June
Location: Main Street, Manayunk
215-482-9565
Call for additional information
Philadelphia Magazine Manayunk Arts Festival is
possibly the largest outdoor arts and crafts show in the Delaware Valley. This
juried show features over 250 artists from across the entire country. The
festival typically attracts over 250,000 people to see one-of-a-kind work
displayed.
First Union U.S. Pro Cycling Championship
215-482-9565
Call for additional information
The First Union men’s pro cycling championship claims to be the nation’s
longest running, richest single-day race on the Pro Cycling Tour. The Amateur
Wall Climb has cyclists pedaling up the Manayunk Wall, a stretch of road at a
45-degree angle. The race starts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
First Union Liberty Classic
215-482-9565
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International women cyclists compete in the First Union Liberty Classic, the
only World Cup Cycling race event for women in the U.S.
Sunoco Welcome America
215-576-7125
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Events start a week before July 4th, with fireworks on the Delaware the Friday
preceding the 4th of July fireworks celebration.
July
Fourth of July
215-576-7125
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The birthplace of the nation hosts more than 50 free events culminating in a
14-hour July 4th extravaganza.
Dragon Boat Races
610-642-2333
Call for additional information
Benefiting the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the International Dragon Boat Races
feature eight lanes of action with up to 100 teams.
August
Eagles Football Opener
215-965-7676
Named the Eagles to symbolize the New Deal’s National Recovery Act,
Philadelphia’s team first played the Chicago Bears in a 3-3 tie.
September
Labor Day Events
215-965-7676
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Concerts and more mark Labor Day weekend festivities.
Museum of Art Rodin Garden Party
Held early September
215-235-7469
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Early in September, Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art gather
for the Rodin Garden Party at the Rodin Museum, with opportunity to win prizes
in a raffle that funds museum initiatives.
Puerto Rican Week Festival Parade
Held late September
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Running since 1964, Philadelphia's annual Puerto Rican Week Festival (Festival
Puertorriqueño Fildelfia) includes Puerto Rican Day (the last Sunday of
September), a grand parade (Desfile Puertorriqueño) and the Miss Puerto
Rico-Philadelphia pageant.
Philadelphia Fringe Festival
215-413-9007
Call for additional information
Each September, the Philadelphia Fringe takes over with an extended festival of
new art attracting thousands of onlookers to admire works of more than 1,300
artists in theater, dance, performance art, music, poetry, puppetry and visual
arts.
Annual Sippin’ by the River
215- 965-7676
Call for additional information
Sippin’ By The River at Penn’s Landing, hosted by the Crohn’s & Colitis
Foundation of America serves samples from more than a dozen vineyards and some
two dozen breweries, along with tutored tastings.
Annual German-American Steuben Parade
Held late September
215-332-3400
Call for additional information
The event is held over a three day weekend; beginning with a gala banquet
followed by an ecumenical service, a parade, a Strassenfest and Octoberfest.
October
Columbus Day Parade
215- 965-7676
Philadelphia celebrates Columbus Day with a parade on the second Sunday in
October along Broad Street.
Philadelphia College Festival
Held mid November for one week
215-965-7676
Call for additional information
Events include College Day on the Parkway, a
concert and expo. The College Day event is organized by the Philadelphia Museum
of Art. It features eleven of the City's top arts & cultural centers including
the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Franklin Institute Science Museum, Free
Library of Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences, Galleries at Moore College
of Art and Design, Rodin Museum, University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Institute of
Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania and The Fabric Workshop and
Museum.
Manayunk Annual Antiques & Collectibles Festival
215- 965-7676
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The festival showcases goods of more than 250 professional dealers from across
the nation.
November
Philadelphia Marathon
Held mid November
215-685-0054
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The annual Philadelphia Marathon starts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 26.2
mile race through Philadelphia and companion 8K race.
Thanksgiving Day Parade
215-965-7676
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Dating to 1920 as the nation's first Thanksgiving
Day parade, Philadelphia’s spectacle now lasts three hours and features more
than a dozen marching bands, floats, a youth choir and more. Santa shows up at
the end, launching the Philadelphia Holiday Festival.
Holidays on Main
Held: Friday after Thanksgiving
215-482-9565
Call for additional information
To kick off the holiday shopping season, shoppers
will be greeted with unique gift-giving ideas at many retail locations, along
with musical entertainment and Santa Claus strolling Main Street.
Free metered parking on Saturdays for the season.
December
Holiday Light Show
215-965-7676
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Since 1956, a multi-media holiday light show has unfolded with water fountains,
organ music and more in the Grand Court at Center City.
New Year’s Eve
Held December 31st
215-965-7676
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Fireworks on the Delaware are a focal point of festivities.
Arts and Entertainment
Opera Company of Philadelphia
The Academy of Music
1420 Locust Street (at Broad and Locust Streets)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
215-732-8400
Call for performance schedule
Season runs Oct – May
The opera company performs 5 productions
annually.
The Pennsylvania Ballet
1101 South Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-551-7000
Call for additional information
Season run Nov – June
Pennsylvania Ballet has established itself as a
cornerstone of Philadelphia's cultural life and Its annual audience of over
100,000 includes visitors from all over the country.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
The Kimmel Center
260 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-893-1999 (to order
tickets)
215-893-1900
(performance schedule)
Designed and built especially for the Orchestra,
the Kimmel Center hosts the Orchestra's home subscription concerts each year
from September through May. The center includes two performance spaces, the
2500-seat Verizon Hall for orchestral presentations and the 650-seat Perelman
Theater for chamber music concerts.
The Merriam Theater
250 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-732-5446
The Merriam Theater has played an integral and
entertaining role in the city’s cultural life. It has had some of the world's
most famous stars grace its stage including Al Jolson, John Barrymore, Helen
Hayes, Katherine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Sammy Davis Jr., Angela Lansbury and
Mickey Rooney, just to name a few.
New Freedom Theatre
1346 N Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19121
215-765-2793
Since 1966, New Freedom Theatre, the nation's
largest African-American theatre, has presented professional repertory
productions specific to the African American experience in America. Today, New
Freedom Theatre presents over 150 performances a year.
The Prince Music Theater
100 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19110
215-972-1000.
The new 450-seat proscenium theater features
state-of-the-art theater technology, full fly loft, film-screen, black box
theater, cabaret, cafe as well as rehearsal and audio/video recording
facilities. In addition to Prince Music Theater productions, the facility will
be utilized by numerous arts and entertainment companies including The Curtis
Opera, The Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Philadelphia Festival of World
Cinema and Philadanco.
Mann Center for Performing Arts
123 South Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
215-546-7900
If you're looking for great music – or even a
cultural arts adventure – look no further than The Mann Center for the
Performing Arts. Conveniently situated in Philadelphia's beautiful Fairmount
Park, The Mann offers a diverse selection of internationally acclaimed artists
and programs – from pops, jazz, gospel, and contemporary concerts to dance,
classical performances and more.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-763-8100
Hours: Tues – Su 10am – 5pm, Fri evenings
through 8:45pm
Closed Mondays, Legal Holidays and Thanksgiving.
Admission Charged, free on Sundays until 1pm
This museum features over 200 galleries filled with treasures spanning
continents and cultures, drawn from a collection of more than 400,000 works of
art. The huge stone edifice of the museum, supported by majestic Doric columns,
looks over the Schuylkill River. Scale the steps made famous in the "Rocky"
movies.
Rodin Museum
Twenty-Second Street & Ben Franklin Parkway.
Philadelphia, PA 19019
215-763-8100
Hours: Tues – Sun 10am-5pm; closed Mondays and
holidays
Housing the largest collection of Rodin
sculptures and drawings outside of Paris, the Rodin Museum is home to the “Gates
of Hell” and “The Thinker”. The most famous of Rodin's works, the
Thinker, can be seen outside
the museum, in the front yard.
Forrest Theatre
1114 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-923-1515
Call for additional information
The Forrest is a quintessential "road house",
stripped to the bare walls and used primarily by touring theatre and dance
companies. Many musicals, dramas and comedies have been launched from the
Forrest Theatre. Yiddish Theatre, one man shows, dance programs, Gilbert &
Sullivan productions and the Philadelphia Orchestra have all graced this stage.
Sports
Philadelphia 76ers-NBA
Wachovia Center
Wachovia Center Complex
3601 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA. 19148
215-339-7642
Season runs Oct - April
Philadelphia Phillies-MLB Baseball
Citizens B
Philadelphia
