6 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend: It’s Cherry Blossom Festival Time

By Hannah Feinberg· 4/11/2014, 1:22 p.m.

We round up six of the weekend’s top to-dos:

RISK! First Person Arts Festival

Get a lesson in oral history with Kevin Allison and RISK! at Underground Arts. Comedian/actor/storyteller Allison, of MTV's The State, takes his incredibly popular podcast into live format, showcasing storytellers and their stories. Even in the age of oversharing, RISK! performers reveal personal tales that are more than status-deep. For those new to storytelling, Allison will follow Friday's performance with RISK! storytelling workshops Saturday and Sunday. Friday, April 11th, 8 p.m., $20, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill Street.

2014 Cinedelphia Film Festival

Cinedelphia's second film festival continues into the weekend with hot picks curated by local found-footage outlet Video Pirates. Friday sees the world premiere of Life of Pia, "a comedic, multimedia celebration of the life of ’80s icon Pia Zadora." Throughout the weekend, expect more weird and wacky celluloid gems, including rarely screened classics and newly compiled VHS oddities. Stay up until the wee hours at PhilaMOCA, with four consecutive screenings Friday starting at 7:30 p.m, and another marathon Saturday starting at 1 p.m. . Check out the full line-up here. Friday, April 11-26, various showtimes, $10, PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.

Pop-Up Museum: Sin and Salvation

Eastern State Penitentiary opens its 2014 season with a look into the sins of some of history's most notorious criminals. The pop-up exhibit "Sin and Salvation" goes up this Saturday, and features artifacts from Al Capone, "Slick Willie" Sutton, amongst other infamous American baddies. Most of the pieces on display have been hidden away in the historic prison's back rooms and archives, and for 11 days only are available for public viewing. Among the hundreds of artifacts are signs of sin (shanks, photographs, wanted posters) and salvation (writings and photos of prisoners indicating reform.) Saturday, April 12th, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue.

Indian Dance with Malavika Sarukkai

Internationally acclaimed dancer Malavika Sarukkai brings her masterful Bharatanatyam choreography to the Annenberg Center. Her performance will be accompanied by live traditional music. The beautiful and precise dance style doubles as a story-telling performance, with Surkkai narrating the stories on the banks of India's holy river with grace and beauty. Sarukkai is in Philadelphia for one night only on her return trip to the U.S. Saturday, April 12th, 8 p.m., Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street.

Philly Poetry Day

This Saturday Philly Poetry Day brings 24 hours (yes, from midnight to midnight) of poetry and poetry-themed events in a new festival curated by its participants. Amateur poets, published poets, poetry enthusiasts, or anyone with something to say or an ear to listen is invited to host their own pop-up poetry reading, which they can list on the Poetry Day site. It's a democracy of words happening all over the city. Check out where you can find (or host) a reading here. Saturday, April 12th, midnight, see site for locations and times.

Cherry Blossom Festival

The perennial show of spring's gorgeous early bloomers is on display this weekend around Philadelphia. As part of this year's festival, Japanese-themed events will take place throughout the area all week, including Sakura Sunday at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. There, check out arts and crafts, guided garden tours, Little Akiba (a celebration of all things J-Pop), and live performances on two stages, all with a backdrop of cherry blossoms. You can check out the complete itinerary for Sakura Sunday here. Sunday, April 13th, 9:30 a.m., Horticulture Center, Montgomery Drive & Belmont Avenue.

Find more events now through June in our carefully curated Philadelphia Event Listings.

6 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend: It’s Cherry Blossom Festival Time

Get our weekly picks of what to do this weekend and the latest on Philly's arts and entertainment scene.

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