29 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend

Philly Beer Week

Friday, June 3rd

Philly Beer Week Nothing says summer in the city like legions of discounted draughts. From rooftops to gardens to pop-up pubs, the anticipated tap-takeover kicks off this weekend with an itinerary of tastings scattered throughout Philly. (Here’s a fun drinking game: Take a sip every time a beer event is mentioned in this roundup.)

Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show This showcase in the series of park events features the watercolors, oils and acrylic creations of local painters. The event started in June 1932, when a small group of Philadelphia art students came to Rittenhouse Square to hang their work between the trees on clotheslines.

Art for the Cash Poor @ Crane Arts  Journeying a few miles north towards Fishtown, the weekend of art festivals continues with InLiquid’s annual summer art sale. Featuring the works of both experienced and emerging artists, the nonprofit organization strives to prove their mission that anyone can be an art collector. To wit: The collection of jewelry, paintings, photography, fashion and ceramics are priced under $199.

“Urban Scuba” | Photo from riansandersjunk.com

JUNK’s Urban Scuba: Retro Dive @ Shiloh Baptist Church Acclaimed as “audacious” by the New York Times, the Philly-based contemporary dance company gathers inspiration from garbage—really! Garbed in snorkels and goggles, the dancers gyrate under the sea and in the air, suspending from lyra hoops and swaying on ladders.

Philly Beer Week @ Spruce Street Harbor Park Philly’s millennial migration sparked a few movements, especially the manifestation of beer gardens. But Spruce Street Harbor Park’s floating flotilla of bars is arguably the foremost of its kind, as the harbor is the hub of Philly Beer Week, including this weekend’s samplings from eight local breweries alongside an expanded Art Star Pop-Up.

Red 40 & The Last Groovement @ FringeArts  Mastering the art of seduction and song, the titillating troupe is seizing the stage. 

Philadelphia International Children’s Festival @ Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Those with youngsters should check out this jamboree of circus, theatre, story-telling, musical performances, crafts, activities and more.

Tiny Dynamite’s Brewers Fayre @ Arden Hamilton Family Arts Center Even the theatre is observing the brewski bash, as the troupe premieres this new play about a woman disenchanted with her agoraphobic husband, encompassed in Tiny Dynamite’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint project. The immersive series not only serves audiences the performing arts but also a whole pizza and one half of a quart of beer.

Wizard World Comic Con @ Convention Center Michael J. Fox travels back from the future and Chris Hemsworth makes a trip from Asgard to convene in Philly for one of the largest pop culture events on earth.

Jon Rudnitsky @ Helium Comedy Club One of the youngest rising acts in comedy, this Jersey-native is one of the featured members for Saturday Night Live’s 44th Season and was recently selected as one of the New Faces at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.

Photo from http://www.manncenter.org

Anthony Hamilton and Fantasia @ The Mann Center Apparently, life continues after American Idol, as the reality show’s third-season winner embarks on a national tour with the Grammy Award-winning soul hip-hop singer-songwriter. Both artists will belt their beloved ballads and throw in a few new tunes from Hamilton’s latest album, What I’m Feelin’, and Fantasia’s The Definition Of…, set to release in July.

Be Well Philly Boot Camp We wouldn’t be doing our duty if we didn’t tell you about Be Well Philly Boot Camp, hosted by our sister site Be Well Philly. It’s Philly’s biggest, baddest day of fitness, health and fun for women of all ages and fitness levels. Expect indoor and outdoor fitness classes, inspirational speakers, delicious food and drinks (There’s a healthy happy hour to end the day!), and more free swag than you can count. Best part? The dress code is t-shirts, yoga pants and sneakers.

Fairmount Avenue Arts Crawl When you’re not moseying from bar to bar this weekend, check out another kind of crawl, this one along Fairmount Avenue. Artists of all mediums set up an array of stations, like face painting in front of Eastern State Penitentiary and mindful coloring at Yoga Habit.

Collegiate Rugby Championship @ Talen Energy Stadium Colleges from across the country compete in a sport from across the pond.

The Roots Picnic @ Penn’s Landing  If you haven’t heard, soda isn’t the only casualty of the Kenney administration, as Quest Love and his crew won’t be performing in this year’s WaWa Welcome America. But that isn’t stopping the hip-hop and-neo soul band from rocking out by the riverside with an extensive lineup of artists this weekend, including Usher, Future, Leon Bridges, Willow Smith, and many more.

Fete Day @ Elfreth’s Alley Stroll along the nation’s oldest residential block for an afternoon of crafts, music and Colonial games. Step inside the historic homes where time has stood still for nearly 300 years.

African Celebration @ The Please Touch Museum Representing West African countries like Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Ghana and more, the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble visits the children’s museum with amazing stilt walkers, drummers, ground masquerades and talented drummers and dancers, including activities like craft-your-own African mask; Play with Percussion programming, where you can explore a variety of African percussion instruments; and an End of the Day Dance Party.

Dance Party @ The Painted Bride Groove in the gallery as this intimate and iconic exposition celebrates 47 years as a sanctuary for under-represented and renowned artists. The fundraiser includes a feast by Miles Table and Catering, open bar and cocktails by D’usse Cognac, auction, raffle, dancing to the funky band Breakwater, DJ 4ocus and pop-up performances of music, dance, masks, henna design, puppets and more.

Schuylkill Shindig @ Schuylkill Banks by Walnut Street From one river to the other, the weekend of revels resumes with live music by The Bigness and hors d’oeuvres from 24 (the new Garces Group restaurant coming to 2401 Walnut St), Shake Shack custard, Schuylkill River Trail Ale, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages.

Photo from www.greatbeerexpo.com/philly/

Great Beer Expo @ The Navy Yard And from one port to another, the Navy Yard hosts Philly’s 8th annual Great Beer Expo, featuring nearly 60 breweries with over 125 beers to sample. Proceeds from this colossal celebration of suds goes towards Philly’s Committee to Benefit the Children, which provides resources for the treatment and care of children with cancer, leukemia and serious blood disorders.

Al Pachino @ The Borgata Make way for the bad guy. There’s a bad guy comin’ through. Better get outta his way. Pachino will share an intimate onstage conversation and audience Q&A about his life and legacy.

Philly Improv’s Düofest @ The Adrienne Lucy and Ethel, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Countless comedic acts come in couples, and this four-day festival is a testimony to just that, drawing the funniest two-person improv troupes from across North America.

Yoga @ Laurel Hill Cemetery Align your chakras amid the lamented, as this one-hour Hatha class overlooks the Schuylkill River.

Sunday, June 5th

The Unlikely Candidates | Photo from radio1045.iheart.com

Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party @ Penn’s Landing The alternative rock station hosts a blowout block party with a plethora of punk and pop, including the Head and the Heart, Broods, Family of the Year, the Unlikely Candidates and Bear Hands.

Philadelphia International Cycling Classic A mini Tour de France makes its way up the Manayunk Wall, a grueling 17 percent grade hill, as thousands of professional cyclists from across the world compete in the 12.3-mile circuit course that weaves its way through the city.

Beyoncé @ Lincoln Financial Field Yeah, yeah, we all know he cheated on her. Now watch Bey get the best vengeance, converting the innovative visual album Lemonade to the stage for sold-out crowds across the globe.

Irish American Festival @ Penn’s Landing Extracting cultures from overseas and plopping them on Penn’s Landing, the PECO Multicultural Series launches with the luck of the Irish, celebrating a day of bagpipes, jigs, and jugs of Guinness.

Craft Beer Day @ East Passyunk How are we doing on that roundup drinking game, champ? The old Native American trail is calling all craft connoisseurs with 13 hours of 13 award-winning East Passyunk Avenue bars and restaurants host tastings, food pairings, meet the brewer events, and more.

Philly’s 1st Annual Coffee and Tea Festival @ The Navy Yard  Think hot and cold teas. Hot and cold coffees. You’re gonna need it all after a weekend of binging brews.