28 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend

Creative Africa at The Art Museum

Friday, May 13th

• Pennsylvania Guild Fine Craft Fair @ Rittenhouse Square  All weekend long, a sea of canopy tents floods Rittenhouse Square for this annual fine crafts fair, featuring over 150 vendors.

• PAFA’s 115th Annual Student Exhibit The illustrious institution’s student show, sale and scholarship competition. 
• Jane Bunnett & Maqueque @ The Painted Bride Comprised of natives from Ontario to Havana, the all-female sextet synthesizes sounds from across the globe, manifesting an exquisite union of Afro-Cuban rhythms infused by folk, jazz and soul.
• Blue October @ Electric Factory Charting seven Top 40 singles over seven albums, the distinguished grunge-meets-alternative band performs their latest album, Home. 
• Joe Machie @ Helium Club In addition to his frequent wisecracks on Comedy Central, the “Last Comic Standing” finalist has also gotten laughs on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and has made appearances as a panelist on the Fox News program, “Red Eye.”
• Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta @ Kelley Drive Once a year, thousands of student athletes from colleges across North America convene along the Schuylkill for the largest collegiate regatta in the United States.
• MOMIX: Opus Cactus @ The Prince With inventive props, bizarre apparatuses and spellbinding sounds, the renowned illusionist troupe embodies American Southwest culture, creating a hypnotic portrayal of desert terrain. The New York Times calls the spectacular sight a “feast for the eyes.”
• Point Break Live! @ Union Transfer The parody blitzes Philly once again, brah!
• Underground Railroad Game @ FringeArts Reprising its run from last year’s Fringe Festival, the critically-acclaimed play satirizes America’s approach to race through the tale of two middle school teachers’ classes on the Civil War.
• The Invisible Hand @ Studio X In its Philadelphia premiere, the tycoon of a major investment bank is kidnapped and held for ransom by an Islamic militant group in Pakistan.
• Art in the Open @ Schuylkill Banks All weekend long, the shores of the Schuylkill river will be studded with the works of local artists.
• Cirque du Soleil’s OVO @ Liacouras Center Flying trapezes conquer Temple’s campus with Cirque’s latest extravaganza that explores an eccentric egg encircled by a colorful ecosystem.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAIsCS85bJM

Saturday, May 14th

• Creative Africa @ Philadelphia Museum of Art From contemporary creations to centuries-old relics, the spectacle paints a landscape of African art, encompassing a scope of mediums, like photography, fashion and architecture. The exhibit runs through September 25th.
• The Avett Brothers @ The Mann Trailing the announcement of their fourth live album, Live Vol. Four, the folkloric fusions of this bluegrass-meets-rock band is fitting with the theatre’s open-air ambiance.
• The 1975 @ The Mann Collaborating with Wolf Alice and The Japanese House, the indie rock quartet from Manchester crosses the pond and seizes the Skyline Stage.
• Plazapalooza @ 23d & South Games, grub and grooves invade the Greys Ferry Triangle. Expect live performances from the music of South Street Sounds, Tall Trees, Dreaming Tree, Kamara, New Pony and Tropical Disease.
• Hawthorne’s Annual IPA Block Party @ Hawthorne’s Cafe The streets of Hawthorne will hail with India pale ale in this seventh annual honor of brewskies.
• Greater Northeast Philadelphia Beer Festival @ Cannstatter Volkfest Verein Just a few miles away, the greater Northeast will also celebrate stouts in this sixth annual event.
• Yardley 9th Annual Beer Fest While you’re at it, you might as well hit up a third alcohol assemblage.
• Ayurveda and the Art of Self-Care @ Studio 34 After legions of beer, decompress with an Ayurveda workshop, a practice of yoga that promotes daily detoxification, strong digestion, balanced doshas, and mental clarity. You’ll need all four after that beer-festival crawl.
• All Vinyl Dance Party @ FringeArts  Calling all mother funkers! Revel in the resonating vibes of vinyl tracks, hosted by DJ Jersey Dan.
• Kid Flix @ International House  Amid a Minions mania and the Frozen frenzy, refresh your cinematic pallet with these picks from the New York’s International Children’s Film Festival.

  Sunday, May 15th

• Philadelphia Songwriters Project Finals Showcase @ Ardmore Music Hall  Fostering opportunities for local and regional songwriters for over a decade, this nonprofit hosts the finale of its 2016 season. Audiences choose four winners who will embark on a summer tour, performing for our region’s top venues and festivals. One member of the vocal quartet will sing in Delaware’s Fire Fly Music Festival.
• PhilaSoup’s Spring Soup @ Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub The education non-profit that provides micro-grants to teachers hosts its final “soup” of the 2015/2016 season. Four educators will present their ideas for projects in need of funding. At the end of the presentations, attendees vote for the project they liked best. Whoever gets the most votes gets the biggest percentage of the grant, but every teacher receives a portion. PhilaSoup matches the ticket revenue grant up to $500 to make the total grant awarded even bigger.
• New Hope and Lambertville Celebrate Pride  Running through May 22nd, Sunday’s activities include Pride’s “Pig Out” roast and a cocktail competition.
• Smashadelphia @ The Tracadero 
  Video Game aficionados, you could win a $1,000 pool by mastering MarioKart and media matches. Guests of honor include famous YouTubers and cosplayers.
• Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: Tribute to Miles Davis @ The Kimmel Center  In between renditions of Davis’s timeless tunes, the trumpeter debuts his new composition.
• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard @ Underground Arts The Merlocs and Mercury Girls accompany the Australian seven-piece garage punk band of “theremin-wielding psychopaths,” translating the trippy verve from Down Under.