Black History Month Events in Philadelphia
Here are some highlights to add to your calendar this February.
Celebrate Black History Month with tours, events and more. / We Still Here mural, 22 Maplewood Mall, courtesy Mural Arts Philadelphia / Gaia, Jetsonorama, & Ursula Rucker; photograph by Steve Weinik
From tours to museum exhibits and beyond, there are so many ways to celebrate Black History Month in Philadelphia. Here are just some of the highlights to explore.
Black Cinema Week
The Philadelphia Film Society presents a week featuring a selection from their Black 90s series, along with parties, mixers and trivia events to accompany the films.
January 31st-February 6th, various locations.
African American Children’s Book Fair
One of the oldest and largest single-day events for African American children’s books in the country, the afternoon includes visits and book-signings with authors and illustrators, games, giveaways, and the opportunity to purchase books — from preschool to young-adult lit.
Free admission, February 1st, 1-4 p.m., Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch streets.
Black History Celebration at Please Touch Museum
Learn through play as PTM celebrates Black History Month with storytimes, live performances, hands-on workshops and more.
Included with admission of $22, February 1st, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic.
Black History Month Celebrations at Philadelphia Museum of Art
PMA has two days of celebration for Black History Month, both with pay-what-you-wish admission. First, a family festival will be held on Sunday, February 2nd. There will be several hands-on art activities, plus a dance party in Great Stair Hall.
On the evening of Friday, February 7th, the museum will have tours of their special exhibit, “The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure” before its final weekend. Plus, a collage activity with Philly artist Yannick Lowery, a food pop-up by Darnel’s Cakes, and DJ music.
Pay what you wish, February 2nd, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and February 7th, 5-8:30 p.m. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Black History Month at the Betsy Ross House
On weekends in February, the Betsy Ross House will have free programming featuring storytelling that highlights the contributions of Black Americans through history. On Saturdays, meet Ona Judge (enslaved by George Washington’s family) or Sarah Bass Allen (a noted abolitionist and the Founding Mother of the African Methodist Episcopal Church). Then, on Sundays, the Once Upon A Nation storytelling bench will be visited by storytellers sharing short, interactive tales of Black history in Colonial Philadelphia.
Free, Saturdays and Sundays in February, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street.
Mural Arts’ Black History Month Civic Heroes Trolley Tour
This special 90-minute trolley tour features murals that represent Black historical figures, civic heroes and social justice issues. View these murals, hear the stories behind them, and learn about their artists and the mural-making process along the way.
$28-$38, February 8th, departs from PAFA, 128 North Broad Street.
The Drunk Black History Show
Comedian Gordon Baker-Bone hosts an interactive show that promises “a wild ride through the untold stories of iconic Black figures.”
$20-$25, February 8th, 8:30 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
AAMP Family Fun Day: Black History Heroes
The African American Museum in Philadelphia hosts its second annual youth costume party for Black History Month. Kids age 13 and under are invited to dress as their favorite figure in Black History, then join their “Wax Museum Activity,” where they can strike a pose and tell guests fun facts about themselves.
$10-$14, February 22nd, 1-3 p.m., African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The legendary dance troupe returns to the Academy of Music with Revelations — a celebration of African American heritage set to spirituals, song-sermons, gospel and holy blues — as well as other dance pieces.
$29-$90, February 28th-March 2nd, Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street.
Black History Month at the National Constitution Center
In addition to daily self-guided tours and activities, you can experience The Four Harriets of History, a show exploring the lives of Harriet Tubman, Harriet Robinson Scott, Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Beecher Stowe — four women who fought to end slavery — during Black History Month at the museum.
Included with admission of $15-$19, through February, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street.
Black History Month at the Free Library of Philadelphia
There will be free events at libraries throughout the city all month long, including storytimes, author talks, crafts, cooking classes, and much more. Check out the schedule here.
The Original Black History Tour
This tour follows the footsteps of enslaved people, abolitionists, slaveholders and founding fathers in Philadelphia.
$20-$35, Saturdays throughout the year.
