BlackStar Film Festival

This year’s 11th annual BlackStar Film Festival is taking place on August 3-7, 2022 at the Penn Live Arts at Annenberg Center! There will be a variety of in-person and online events. Tickets for the festival are available here.

The 2022 Blackstar Film Festival is set to play a total of 76 films representing 27 countries! Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from actors, filmmakers, and artists! For more information on the festival visit https://www.blackstarfest.org

Wawa Welcome America Festival

The 16-day Wawa Welcome America Festival begins on Sunday, June 19, and runs through July 4, 2022. For the first time since the pandemic, the main event returns to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a massive July 4th concert and dazzling fireworks display. You won’t want to miss the performances by award-winning artist Jason Derulo and pop star Ava Max! A number of museums are offering complimentary admission during the festival. The list of museums can be found here. Plan your visit with family and friends and enjoy this fabulous, free festival!

The Odunde Festival Returns!

Stop by the annual Odunde Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2022, located on South Street from 10am to 8pm. This event is one of the Nation’s Largest African American street festivals in Philadelphia. 

Visit with your friends and family and enjoy this day-long authentic celebration of African Culture. A variety of vendors will include food, crafts, clothing, jewelry, and more. There will also be a live performance from rapper Doug E. Fresh on the main stage at 6:30pm that you don’t want to miss.

Take part in this cultural event to celebrate the coming of another year of African Americans and Africanized people around the world.

Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride

The 12th Annual Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride is back! All you need is a mask and a bike, so leave your shirt, pants and even underwear at home. Join the city of Philadelphia on Saturday, August 28, 2021, at 5 pm, by participating in this one-of-a-kind event to promote body positivity, advocate for the safety of cyclists and protest dependence on fossil fuels. 

Body painting will be available until 4:30 pm so don’t forget to arrive early! The ride is free, no registration is needed, and will be 9.21 miles long, starting at FDR Park and ending at Eakins Oval. For more information visit PNB’s Facebook here!

 

Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market Hosts Dozens of Local Vendors Year Round

There are multiple ways to support your community’s businesses and making sure they thrive, one of which is to shop at your local farmers’ market.  The Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market has managed to keep supporting its dozens of vendors, many of which offer fresh produce, baked goods and seafood year round. Here are just a handful of the vendors you can expect to see this Saturday.

Good Spoon Soupery is a Fishtown-based café with a rotating selection of hearty seasonal soups, sandwiches and salads. 

Shore Catch brings a variety of locally sourced seafood to the market, including freshly caught scallops, tuna and swordfish from the Jersey Shore.

Market Day Canelé is a Philadelphia vendor specializing in canelés, French custard-filled pastries flavored with rum and vanilla, but they also have some other equally delectable baked goods for sale.

Shellbark Hollow Farm offers fresh eggs as well as an array of goat milk-based products, sourced from its award-winning Chester County location.

Buck Wild Bison sources premium, grass-fed bison meat from its farm in Port Norris, NJ, available in ground form as well as burgers, steak or jerky.

Hands on the Earth Orchard from Lititz, PA, specializes in hand-picked apples and other fruit, but they also offer apple cider donuts, cider and caramels.

Finally, The Pasta Lab is a Philly-based vendor offering homemade pasta as well as fresh cheese, pancetta, and ingredients to make your own sauce.

You can check out these businesses, as well as lots of other great local vendors, at the Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market. They’re open every Tuesday and Saturday at Rittenhouse Square Park, located at the intersection of 18th and Walnut Street. Weather permitting, the outdoor market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (267)-586-5675 or click here for more information. 

Philadelphia Flower Show to Be Held Outside in 2021

The nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, the Philadelphia Flower Show, is still on board to make a comeback next year. Recently, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society announced that the 2021 show – titled “HABITAT: Nature’s Masterpiece” – is set to be held from Saturday, June 5 through Sunday, June 13, 2021. Normally, the event is held in the winter.

In addition to the date change, organizers have made other changes regarding the 2021 Flower Show. For the first time in the show’s nearly 200-year-long history, it will be held entirely outdoors. While the event was previously housed in the Philadelphia Convention Center, next year’s attraction will take place at FDR Park in order to comply with COVID-safe event regulations.

15 acres of South Philly’s largest park will be reimagined as a stunning floral display. In preparation for the event, the world’s premier floral and landscape designers are creating an immersive experience centered around three specific “districts”, all related to the exhibition’s theme.

Tickets for the 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show can be purchased on the PHS website in January. To limit attendance, attendees will be required to indicate a specific date and select an A.M. or P.M. time slot.

Five Frightfully Fun Attractions for Your 2020 Philadelphia Halloween

Pumpkin season is here! Even though it’s bound to be an unconventional Halloween this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy all the exciting – and safe! – events that Philadelphia has to offer. Unsure where to start? Here are some suggestions for you!

If you’re a fan of the supernatural, check out the official Ghost Tour of Philadelphia for a candlelight walking tour of some of the historic district’s most ghostly landmarks. With its rich history, Philadelphia is considered one of America’s most haunted cities – you’ll be sure to see it for yourself after touring the highlights of Old City, Society Hill, and Independence National Historical Park after dark.

Looking for a more family friendly activity? Spooky Mini Golf returns to Franklin Square for the whole month of October. The park’s Philly-themed golf course gets a seasonal makeover with lights, fog, cobwebs, and a variety of decorations to get visitors of all ages into the Halloween spirit.

The Franklin Institute is embracing spooky season by hosting its first-ever Franklin Fright Weekend from October 31st to November 1st. Guests are invited to tour the museum in costume, trick-or-treat through its many iconic exhibits, watch live Scare Shows, and encounter some surprises along the way.

Some movie theaters might still be on hold when it comes to reopening, but the Philadelphia Film Society has been catering to the city’s community of film lovers since August when they opened their drive-in theater at the Navy Yard. This Halloween night, the PFS will be screening four classic scary movies that you can enjoy from the comfort of your car – and as a special treat, they’ll be playing for free.

To round out this year’s lineup of exciting autumnal activities, the Philadelphia Zoo is hosting a socially distanced – but just as festive! – version of its annual Boo at the Zoo attraction. Guests are encouraged to explore the zoo in costume, with kids receiving a free bag of candy upon exiting.

12 Bars of Charity Bar Crawl – Philly

Photo by Paloma A. on Unsplash

Do you love to drink while raising money for charity? If so, we have the perfect event for you! Register now for the 12 Bars of Charity Bar Crawl. Simply visit https://bit.ly/2rxn6FU to purchase your $40 ticket, and choose which charity gets your donation.

On the big day, pick up your 12 Bars of Charity shirt when you check in at Smokin’ Betty’s. Next, you’re ready to start crawling! You must have your event shirt on in order to use the bar crawl shuttle. Give back this holiday season by drinking your way through Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse, Smokin Betty’s, Devil’s Alley, Strangelove’s Beer Bar and both Misconduct Tavern locations. Sign up now to have fun for a good cause!

Linvilla Orchards Food Truck Frenzy

Truck loads of food are coming to Linvilla Orchards for a Food Truck Frenzy! They are partnering with a number of food trucks to bring you this exciting event at Linvilla Orchards.

There will be a variety of delicious trucks. Dos Gringos, The Plum Pit, The Cow and the Curd, Gotta Lotta Gelata, Roasty Toasty, and Deerhead Hot Dogs are among the few on the food-tastic agenda. Along with delicious truck treats we’ll have live music, hayrides, pony rides, face painting and the straw bale maze. You don’t want to miss this family-fun event!

No need to fear, there will be beer! Ship Bottom Brewery handcrafts every batch of beer and only uses the freshest ingredients. Not a beer person? Don’t whine about it, they will also be serving wine. You won’t want to miss this day filled with food & fun! 

DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 16 & Sunday, November 17, 2019

TIME: 11am-4pm

LOCATION: Linvilla Orchards, 137 West Knowlton Rd, Media PA, 19063

You Gotta Try This

FOX 29 “Good Day Philadelphia” co-host Mike Jerrick and Barry Gutin, co-owner of Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar and member of CORE’s Board of Directors, are hosting a Tasting Party at Vie Ballroom for Good Day Philadelphia viewers to sample items from local chefs/restaurants, many of whom have been featured in the regular Good Day Philadelphia segment, “Ya Gotta Try This™.”

The event is being produced by, and proceeds from the event will benefit, CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees). www.COREgives.org  CORE grants support to children of food and beverage service employees navigating life-altering circumstances such as illness, injury or natural disaster. Watch a video HERE on how CORE helped local Philadelphia chef Eli Kulp.

Participating chefs include: Jean-Marie Lacroix, Guillermo Pernot, Eli Kulp, Nick Elmi, Jennifer Carrol, Townsend Wentz, Scott Schroeder

Date: Monday, October 21, 2019.

Time: GENERAL ADMISSION BEGINS AT 6:30PM. VIP ADMISSION BEGINS AT 5:30PM.

Tickets: Click HERE for tickets.