167 Things to Do in Philly This Week and Weekend

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical continues at the Forrest Theatre through December 22nd. / Photograph by Jeremy Daniel

FESTIVALS, FOOD, OTHER FUN STUFF

SHOPPING
Punk Rock Flea Market
“Shop for awesome clothing, records, crafts, art, and most of all old punk junk.”
$10 for entry all weekend, December 20th, 4-10 p.m.; and December 21st & 22nd, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 23rd Street Armory, 22 South 23rd Street.

HOLIDAYS
The Miracle on South 13th Street
Every year the residents of this lovely little South Philly block string up the lights and plug in the bobbing reindeer for a group-effort Christmas display that pleases the eye and silences the children. Drive through slowly and bask in its homespun glory. Circle the block and see it again. Keep circling until you run out of gas. Abandon your car and go foot.
Free, through January 1st, South 13th Street between Tasker & Morris streets.

See Also: The Best Places to See Holiday Lights Around Philadelphia

HOLIDAYS/LITTLE TRAINS
Holiday Garden Railway @ Morris Arboretum
Miniature trains wind their way through a quarter mile of tracks in Morris Arboretum’s large outdoor display, encouraging onlookers to consider a life scaled down to match the minuscule landscape before realizing their problems would follow them into the picturesque tiny town, thus poisoning two worlds.
$22, Thursdays-Sundays,, through December 30th, Morris Arboretum, 100 East Northwestern Avenue.

HOLIDAYS/FOOD ARCHITECTURE
Gingerbread Competition & Display
New Hope’s most thematic shopping village has become menagerie of twinkling lights and holiday happenings, but the main attraction is the surely the empty cookie houses built for untamed cookie humanoids with no past, no culture or formal education. They are wild creatures with nothing to lose. Except their pretty little houses. Do not eat these their houses.
Free, continues through January 19th, Peddler’s Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope.

HOLIDAYS/THEATER/MOVIES
It’s a Wonderful Life(s)
This week you’ll have several opportunities to enjoy Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday classic about an aspiring angel who uses his access to the multiverse to convince a banker he makes people’s live better. (And he buys it.) It’s not just movie screenings, either.

• It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play  This is the coolest option: Hedgerow Theatre Company in Media presents Capra’s classic reimagined as a 1940s radio broadcast by playwright Joe Landry. Directed by Pete Pryor. Stars Pryor, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Brian Anthony Wilson, Mary Lee Bednarek, Kennedy McAlister, Tyler Elliott, and pianist Ryan Holmes. $35, through December 29th, Hedgerow Theatre Company, 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley.
• Old York Road Symphony Holiday Sing-A-Long This one’s a concert, too. First join in on a festive performance of carols and other seasonally appropriate sings. Then enjoy the movie. $13, December 18th, 6:30 p.m., Hiway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown.
• It’s a Wonderful Life  County Theater in Doylestown is offering three screening of IaWL this week. $11.50, December 18th at 4 & 7 p.m. and December 22nd at 1 p.m.; County Theater, 20 East State Street, Doylestown.
• It’s a Wonderful Life Philly Film Society and Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region team up for this charity screening. Free admission with donations of individually wrapped factory-sealed snacks & beverages, December 21st, 4 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.
• It’s a Wonderful Life  Another screening, this time in Ambler. ’Tis the season. $11.50, December 22nd, 1 p.m., Ambler Theater, 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler.

SHOPPING
Art Star Holiday Procrastinator Market
Vendors and makers set up shop at the Visitor Center to for your last minute gift-giving needs. Full vendor list here.
December 21st and December 22nd, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Philadelphia Visitor Center, 599 Market Street.

HOLIDAYS
Black Girl Magic Holiday Pop-Up
Enjoy wine, cocktails and mocktails at the Divine Lorraine’s Wine Garden in a festival holiday setting billed as “Philadelphia’s first ever Black-owned, Female-owned Christmas and Holiday Bar and Experience.” Book your time slot ahead of time.
$50-$180, through December 29th, Wine Bar, Annex at The Divine Lorraine Hotel, 699 North Broad Street.

See Also: Festive Philly Bars for the Holiday-Obsessed Among Us

HOLIDAYS
Frankford Hall-idays
Frankford Hall hosts Santa Claus Saturdays and Sundays in December, along with activities for kids and special holiday food and drink items.
Pay as you go, Saturdays and Sundays, Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Avenue.

See Also: Where to Find Santa in and Around Philly

HOLIDAYS
Comcast Holiday Festivities

• Comcast Holiday Spectacular This 15-minute show features “holiday singalongs, performances by the Philadelphia Ballet, and an enchanted sleigh ride around the world” on the Comcast Center’s all powerful video wall/data collection device. Free, shows every hour, through January 1st, Comcast Center, 1701 JFK Boulevard.
• DreamWorks Shrek’s Festive Flight This year, Comcast’s massive and sentient Universal Sphere is offering a “new cinematic experience” featuring Shrek, Donkey, Gingy, and friends “on a magical journey from Philadelphia to the North Pole. Make a free timed reservation online. Free, shows every 15 minutes, through January 3rd, Comcast Technology Center, 1800 Arch Street.

HOLIDAYS/TOURS
Victorian Holiday House 2024
Tour the “exquisite holiday splendor” of the Grundy Museum, whose halls this year are decked with Dickensian decor.
$5, through December 21st, the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Museum, 610 Radcliffe St, Bristol.

HOLIDAYS/SHOPPING
Philadelphia CollageWorks Holiday Market
Benna’s Cafe in South Philly hosts this sale of one-of-a-king pieces of art including cards, jewelry, calendars and more.
Pay as you go, through January 7th, Benna’s Café, 1236 South 8th Street.

HOLIDAYS/LIGHTS
Holiday Lights Display @ Herr’s
Drive through the corporate campus of the Herr’s potato chip company in Chester County and enjoy their all-night light display.
Free, 5 p.m.-7 a.m., through January 5th, 20 Herr Drive, Nottingham.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
Astra Lumina
Astra Lumina is billed as a “multisensory immersive experience for all ages” where you can take “an enchanted night walk in a beautiful sculpture park.” Based on the photos, this looks like a pretty/spooky place to walk through and snap some photos.
$29-$38, continues through January, Abington Art Center, 515 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown.

HOLIDAYS/CIRCUS
Cirque du Soleil
Those jumping, roller-skating, clowning French Canadians are at it again, this time bringing their Twas the Night Before… show full of seasonal delights to the Met for a long run.
$65-$217, December 19th-29th, The Met, 858 North Broad Street.

HOLIDAYS
Black Santa @ Fashion District
In addition to their holiday decorations and events, Fashion District is hosting Black Santa full-time this holiday season. (“This Santa is the first and only one of its kind in the Greater Philadelphia Region,” they claim.) Visits are free, photo packages are available.
Free, through December 22nd, Fashion District, 9th & Market streets.

HOLIDAYS/FISH
Christmas Underwater @ Adventure Aquarium
The aquarium in Camden gets into the spirit with some festive don’t-try-this-at-home attractions including the World’s Tallest Underwater Christmas Tree (claim unverified at press time) and something called the Snowtunda. Also making several appearances is deep-sea god Scuba Santa who rules over Atlantis with a trident and an olive branch. But do not cross Him.
$26.99-$42.99, through December 24th, Adventure Aquarium, 1 Riverside Drive, Camden.

HOLIDAYS
Festival of Trees
The LOVE Park Welcome Center will be decked out with the “most stunning Christmas trees in Philadelphia” which is a bold but unquantifiable claim. Benevolent ice creature Santa will be there Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More info here.
Free (but donations benefit CHOP), through December 24th, LOVE Park Welcome Center, 1569 JFK Boulevard.

KIDS
Bluey x Camp
Take the kids to a 50-minute immersive adventure with misshapen canine icons Bluey and Bingo; run wild and play games in their famous house.
$54, through May 1, King of Prussia Mall, 160 North Gulph Road, Level 3, King of Prussia.

SHOPPING/HOLIDAYS
Christmas Village
The “authentic German Christmas market” — featuring food, crafts, trees, etc. — returns to LOVE Park and the City Hall courtyard for outdoor shopping, sparkling selfie-taking and festive loitering.
Pay as you go, through December 24th, LOVE Park and the City Hall Courtyard, in the neighborhood of 15th and JFK.

HOLIDAYS/LIGHTS
The West Chester Griswolds
What started as a family lawn display has turned into delightful, power-grid-threatening holiday tradition and charity organization. Note: The “singing light bulbs” perform every half hour.
Free, through January 1st, 304 Dutton Mill Road, West Chester.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
Winter at Franklin Square
The Electrical Spectacle is back, filling Franklin Square with twinkling lights in holiday-themed arrangements. There’s also fire pits, street curling, mini golf, a heated tent, hot beverages, “seasonal food” and more.
Free to enter, continues through February 23rd, 5-9 p.m. nightly, Franklin Square, 200 North Sixth Street.

HOLIDAYS
Yuletide at Liberty Hill
This family-friendly attraction in Lafayette Hill includes ice-skating, shopping, a Ferris wheel and other free rides and, on weekends, music, dance, readings by Mrs. Claus and more.
$23, through January 5th, Liberty Hill, 800 Ridge Pike, Lafayette Hill.

HOLIDAYS/LIGHTS
Smedley Street Christmas Light Spectacular
An otherwise unassuming block in Southwest Philly becomes a drive-through attraction every year around this time thanks to the many light-up displays large and small that pop up along the median which peer into passing vehicles.
Free, through January 12th, 2700 Smedley Street (between 16th & 17th streets, Moyamensing and Oregon avenues).

WINTER/ICE SKATING
Winterfest
The family-friendly Winterfest — along the Delaware River, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge — is back for more ice skating, hot chocolate sipping, food munching, game playing, etc.
Free till you skate or buy or do something else that costs money, through March 2nd, Blue Cross RiverRink, 101 South Columbus Boulevard.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
Macy’s Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village
The Christmas Light Show is a glorious, pointillist, 100-story wall of nostalgia. All children must be made to appreciate it yearly. Make a reservation to see Dickens Village — a moody labyrinth of shuddering, ruddy-faced animatronics acting out scenes from A Christmas Carol. Delight in the prospect that all evil billionaires will one day suffer supernatural reprisals. The DV is low-key one of the better done holiday displays in the city, and the scary parts are genuinely scary. Reservations required for Dickens Village.
Free, through December 31st, Macy’s, 1300 Market Street.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
LumiNature
Stroll from one fanciful light display to another, dodging neon circus performers and frostbite in this lovely nighttime attraction at the zoo. My favorite part of LumiNature is the spooky, blissful and slightly deranged voiceover espousing a nondenominational mythology about slumbering animals and ambiguous wintry wonders.
$22-$28, timed tickets required, continues through January 4th, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 West Girard Avenue.

HOLIDAYS/FLOWERS
A Longwood Christmas @ Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens’ annual holiday exhibition returns, featuring lights, fire pits, and “astonishing feats of horticulture, ingenuity, and creativity.” Coincides with Longwood Reimagined, featuring new gardens, glasshouses and landscapes.
$16-$30 admission, through January 12th, Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
Wild Lights
Per tradition, Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown gets into the spirit with live entertainment, music, “unique animal encounters” and North Pole sovereign citizen Santa Claus.
$22.95, through December 30th, 5-9 p.m., Elmwood Park Zoo, 1661 Harding Boulevard, Norristown.

HOLIDAYS/SHOPPING
Holidays on the Hill
The handsome Chestnut Hill neighborhood is hosting all kinds of holiday activities including Stag & Doe Nights (December 18th) and more.
Free unless you buy something, through December 25th, 8000 to 8600 blocks of Germantown Avenue.

LIGHTS/HOLIDAYS
Holiday Light Show at Shady Brook Farm
Every winter a real live working farm in Yardley sets up a two-mile stretch of illuminated holiday attractions. Drive yourself through or hop in the back of an open air wagon. Then pull over for cocoa, s’mores, some fudge puppies and a feeling that these may just be the best moments of your life.
$45-$150 (depending on when you go, what kind of vehicle you drive, etc.), 5-9 p.m., through January 5th, Shady Brook Farm, 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley.

TRAINS/HOLIDAYS
North Pole Express Train / Santa’s Steam Train Ride
New Hope Railroad has a bunch of festive, family-friendly train rides to Lahaska and back. Includes hot chocolate, cookies, live music, appearances by winter wraith Santa Claus and more. (Psst. There are also adult excursions with wine and tapas and such.)
$14 for kids, $74 for adults, through December 30th, New Hope Railroad, 32 West Bridge Street, New Hope.

HOLIDAYS
Holidays at Fonthill Castle
The massive 110-year-old estate in Doylestown will be decked out in holiday finery and open to the public for Winter Wonderland Daily Guided Tours, Guided Holiday Evening Tours and Holiday Lights Meander tours (on Saturdays and Sundays).
$15, through December 31st, Fonthill Castle, East Court Street & Route 313, Doylestown.

HOLIDAYS
Festival of Trees
All the rooms in the Pearl S. Buck House, a picturesque stone farmhouse in Bucks County, will be decked out with decorations, trees and vignettes. Candlelight tours are available in the evenings.
$18, through January 5th, Pearl S. Buck House, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie.

OUTDOORS
Ice Skating @ Rothman Rink
The Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink and Cabin returns to Dilworth Plaza. In addition to the skating, there’s hot chocolate, food, cute little penguins for kids to hold onto while they’re going around the rink, and more.
$10 for skate rental, $9 for 90-minute skate sessions, continues through February 23rd; Dilworth Park, along the western face of City Hall.

SHOPPING/HOLIDAYS
Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market
Local artists and vendors sell their handmade goods in a festive outdoor setting.
Free till you buy something, continues through January 1st, Dilworth Park, 1 South 15th Street.

HOLIDAYS
A Very Furry Christmas Celebration
Sesame Place’s annual x-mas attractions include the 1-2-3 Christmas Tree Light Show, Elmo’s Christmas Wish, the Sesame Street Christmas Parade and more. Speaking of 1-2-3:
#1: Tickle Me Elmo without fur is terrifying.
#2: Sesame Place is owned by SeaWorld yet there are no orca Muppets.
#3: This is not a holiday furry convention.
$40-$47, through January 5th, Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne.

ON STAGE

MUSIC
Musiq Soulchild
The silky-voiced neo-soul star from Philly has no less than eight shows on the schedule for City Winery starting Thursday.
$65-$85, December 19th, 20th and 23rd, 6 and 9:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.

DANCE
Chocolate Ballerina Company
The community-based contemporary dance company presents its annual favorite, The Nutcracker Dipped in Chocolate.
$35-$99, December 21st and 22nd, 1:30 and 7 p.m., Mandell Theater, 3220 Chestnut Street.

MUSIC
Philadelphia Orchestra
As is tradition this time of year, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead the Philadelphia Orchestra in a performance of Handel’s baroque and bombastic Messiah. Featuring soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, tenor Spencer Britten, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir directed by Joe Miller.
$48-$148; December 21st at 7 p.m. & December 22nd at 2 p.m.; Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street.

MUSIC
The Wonder Years
The long-running Lansdale pop punk band plays two big shows in its adopted hometown. Here’s an interesting interview with frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell who got and MBA during the pandemic. Foxing and Queen of Jeans open the show.
$51-$159, December 19th & 20th, Fillmore Philly, 29 East Allen Street.

MUSIC
Billy Harper
The legendary jazz saxophonist plays Solar Myth twice this week, revisiting two records from his discography: Black Saint (1975) on Monday and The Believer (1980) on Tuesday.
$45.32, December 16th & 17th, 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street.

MOVIES/MUSIC
The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert
Watch the holiday favorite movie while Constantine Kitsopoulos leads the Orchestra in performing the score. Stars Gonzo, Kermit, Michael Caine, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and more.
$49-$123, December 18th and 19th, 7 p.m., Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street.

MUSIC
The Crossing @ Christmas 2024
The Grammy-winning professional chamber choir presents two encore performances of What Remains When We Are Gone? David Lang’s poor hymnal. Conducted by Donald Nally. More on the Crossing here.
$43, December 20th, 7 p.m., Saint Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust Street; December 22nd, 5 p.m., Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue.

THEATER/HOLIDAYS/KIDS
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Walnut Street Theatre presents the juicebox version of the beloved Christmas ghost story, adapted by Bill Van Horn.
$20, through December 21st, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street.

THEATER
Wizard of Oz Youth Edition
Media Theatre presents a juicebox musical version of the timeless story of witches and weirdos, featuring the musical score from the MGM film.
$19-$25, through December 29th, Media Theatre, 104 East State Street, Media.

THEATER/DANCE
One-Man Nutcracker
Chris Davis performs every part in this humorous iteration of the classic holiday story/ballet, from the Sugar Plum Fairy to the mice to creepy uncle Drosselmeyer. Directed by MK Tuomanen. An annual tradition this time of year.
$15-$35, through December 29th, Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake, 302 South Hicks Street.

THEATER
The Three Little Pigs
Curio presents this Make/Partake family-friendly theater experience, in which kids make props, voice recordings and other elements of the production they’ll be watching. Written by Paul Kuhn. Directed by Mya Flood, featuring Aetna Gallagher, Judy Gallagher and Arthur Robinson.
$15-$20, through December 29th, Curio Theatre Company, 4740 Baltimore Avenue.

COMEDY/THEATER
Hallmarkable
ComedySportz Philadelphia performs improvised holiday shows that pay tribute to Hallmark Xmas movies. Directed by Kristin Finger, and featuring a cast of local comedians including Yasmine Beydoun, Tom England, Alli Soowal and more. BYOB, too.
$22, through December 21st, CSz Philadelphia at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street.

DANCE/HOLIDAYS
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Philadelphia Ballet performs the classic holiday showdown between the Mouse King and the Sugarplum Fairy and the beloved score by Tchaikovsky.
$27-$243.25, through December 29th, Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street.

MUSIC/DANCE
Winter Wonderland
This winter/holiday music review at Media Theatre features “classic songs with some of the finest singers and dancers to bring it to life.”
$25-$45, through December 29th, The Media Theatre, 104 East State Street, Media.

THEATER
The Play That Goes Wrong
For the second time, 1812 Productions presents the fourth-wall-breaking hit Broadway murder mystery/comedy written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. Directed by Jennifer Childs. Stars Melanie Cotton, Scott Greer, Justin Jain, Anthony Lawton, Ian Merrill Peakes and Karen Peakes.
$60-$66, through December 29th, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place.

THEATER
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Hedgerow Theatre Company in media presents Capra’s classic movie — reimagined as a 1940s radio broadcast by playwright Joe Landry. Directed by Pete Pryor. Stars Pryor, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Brian Anthony Wilson, Mary Lee Bednarek, Kennedy McAlister, Tyler Elliott, and pianist Ryan Holmes.
$35, through December 29th, Hedgerow Theatre Company, 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley.

THEATER
Kiss Me, Kate
Quintessence Theatre presents Cole Porter’s Tony-winning musical about a divorced couple forced to work together to on a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. Directed by Todd Underwood. Stars Chris Cherin and Lilli Eisenhower.
$65, through January 5th, Sedgwick Theatre, 7137 Germantown Avenue.

THEATER
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
The uplifting jukebox musical about the life and music of the famous singer, featuring songs like “I’m a Believer,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and more.
$48-$216, through December 22nd, Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut Street.

THEATER
Peter Pan
The Arden Theatre Company’s Children’s Theatre Productions presents the a new production of the classic story of the boy who never grew up and also he could fly, and there’s a little flying lady and a pirate, based on the book by J.M. Barrie, adapted for the stage by Douglas Irvine. Directed by Whit MacLaughlin.
$25-$46, through January 5th, Arden Theatre, 40 North 2nd Street.

THEATER/HOLIDAYS
Elf: The Broadway Musical
Walnut Street Theatre presents the musical based on the New Line Cinema film by David Berenbaum, about a human raised as an elf in Santa’s workshop. Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin. Music by Matthew Sklar. Lyrics by Chad Beguelin.
$35-$127, through December 29th, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street.

THEATER
Peter Panto: A Musical Panto
People’s Light returns with another whimsical winter show, this time featuring Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, etc. Cheering and singing encouraged. Book by Jennifer Childs. Music, lyrics, and arrangements by Alex Bechtel. Directed by Bill Fennelly.
$49-$54, through January 5th, People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern.

THEATER
Anastasia
Bucks County Playhouse presents the Broadway musical based on the popular animated movie. Book by Terrence McNally. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.
$32-$72, through January 11th, Bucks County Playhouse, 70 South Main Street, New Hope.

THEATER
Fellowship! The Musical
SideQuest Theater presents this “Broadway-style send-up” of JRR Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, featuring tap-dancing Hobbits, a Balrog doing cabaret and more.
$40, Fridays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through December 22nd, 2030 Sansom Street.

THEATER
Spiritual Experience
This “uniquely intimate encounter” is only performed for two audience members at a time. Let’s put your mind at ease now: “Spiritual Experience is not frightening and it does not involve audience participation. Directed by Rebecca Wright. Written by Adriano Shaplin. Performed by Severin Blake, Bailey Roper and Adriano Shaplin.
$150-$200 per performance, through May 11th, the Private Theater, 3408 Brandywine Street.

MOVIES

MOVIES
Chez Jolie Coiffure
Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam’s funny, charming and touching 2018 documentary tells the story of West African expats working in a busy hair salon in Brussels. “Within the walls of a bustling salon, a spirited Cameroonian hairdresser creates a sanctuary where the struggles, aspirations, and resilience of the West African immigrant community are free to roam.”
$15.50, December 21st and 22nd at 3:30 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

Wrapped Up @ Philly Film Society
What do all the films in PFS’s Wrapped Up series have in common? They’re all just great movies that nonetheless did not make the Sight and Sound 100 list. Here’s what’s still on the bill, with fake taglines cause I felt like it.

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004). Tagline: “I never saw this movie because I got dumped when it came out and I was too sad. This is a true story told with no notes.” December 20th, 7 p.m.
• All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950). Tagline: “And now I will read aloud from this file on Eve.” December 15th at 6:30 and December 19th at 7 p.m.
• Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962). Tagline: “Okay Larry, but where specifically are you from? It’s for our mailing list.” December 28th at 4 p.m. & December 29th at 3 p.m.
• Alien/Aliens double-feature (Ridley Scott, 1979; James Cameron, 1986) Alien tagline: “We never should have let this monster onto our ship!” Aliens tagline: “We never should have gone back to the monster planet.” December 27th at 7 p.m. & December 28th at 5:30 p.m.
• The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982) Tagline: “LOL this monster thinks he’s people!” December 21st at 9:45 & December 27th at 7:15 p.m.
• Star Wars Colon A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Tagline: “Some people are just born awesome and important.” December 20th-21st.

$15.50, Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

MOVIES
Millennium Actress
Satoshi Kon and Kô Matsuo’s 2021 anime phenomenon. “An earnest request to interview a retired acting legend about their career is the catalyst for Satoshi Kon’s breathtaking, mesmerizing journey into the past where reality and life on the silver screen collide in unexpected ways.”
$15.50, December 20th at 9:30 p.m. and December 21st at 6 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

MOVIES
The Sugarland Express
Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks and William Atherton star in this 1974 crime comedy that often gets slept on when people discuss Steven Spielberg’s oeuvre. Tagline: “A girl with a great following.”
$15.50, December 18th at 7:30 p.m. & December 22nd at 6:45 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

MOVIES
Home Alone
Petty thieves becomes ruthless home invaders hellbent on murdering a child in Chris Columbus’s holiday comedy. The kid could just call the police, but he too has a taste for violence. Stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara and John Candy. Tagline: “Hey Marv, what say we break into this house and kill this child?”
$15.50, December 19th at 7:30 p.m. & December 21st at 1 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

He Got The Touch: Paul Thomas Anderson
The Film Society celebrates the oeuvre of PTA — “simultaneously a contemporary film maverick with an ostentatious flair and a devotee to the cinematic formalism road paved before him” — by putting some of his best works back on the big screen.

• Phantom Thread (2017) Quoth the IMDB: “Set in 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.” Stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville. Tagline: “Whatever you do, do it carefully.” December 18th at 7 p.m.
• Licorice Pizza (2021) Quoth the IMDB: “The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.” Stars: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman and Sean Penn. December 21st at 7 p.m.; December 22nd at 6 p.m.

$15.50, Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

Holiday Movies @ Ambler Theater

• Home Alone (Chris Columbus, 1990) Tagline: “Holy cow!” December 18th, 7 p.m., $13.50.
• The Grinch (Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier, 2018) Tagline: “He gets meaner.” December 21st, 10:10 a.m., $5.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Larry Roemer, 1964) Tagline: “The Most Famous Reindeer of All Time!” December 24th, 11 a.m., $5.

Ambler Theater, 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler.

Now Showing @ the Art Museum

• The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure, group show of works by contemporary artists from the African diaspora. Through February 9th.
• A Dialog or a Dance: Portraits in Collaboration, exhibitions of works by photographers working with models. Through December 30th.
• Visions of the Land in Edo Japan, paintings and prints from the Edo period, 1615-1868. Through January 13th.
• Begin Again: Repetition in Contemporary Art, through December 30th.
• Firing the Imagination: Japanese Influence on French Ceramics, 1860-1910. Through May 26, 2025.
• Zoe Leonard: Strange Fruit, “empty fruit skins that have been sutured together and sprawled across the gallery floor by the artist.” Ongoing.
• Take a Seat: Understanding the Modern Chair — modern chairs from the permanent collection. Ongoing.
• Expanded Painting in the 1960s and 1970s — radical innovations in painting by Alma Thomas, Sam Gilliam and more. Ongoing.
• Collecting Japanese Art in Philadelphia — Drawn from the works highlighted in the new publication Art of Japan: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ongoing.
• Mythical Creatures: China and the World, explores diversity by comparing mythical creatures in different cultures. Through June 1st.
• Seeing with Empathy: The Female Gaze in American Modernism, ongoing.

$14-$23 admission, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray
Old City’s Science History Institute unveils its new longterm exhibition offering “a novel historical perspective on efforts to feed children in U.S. schools.”
Free, exhibition continues through January 2026, Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut Street.

The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution
The Mercer Museum’s immersive exhibition tells the story of Revolutionary War-era loyalists. “Learn how these local outlaws plotted, schemed, and plundered their way through a divided world in the earliest days of a budding American nation, and why their deep loyalty to British rule in the colonies made them enemies of the Founding Fathers.”
$15, through December 31st, Mercer Museum, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 16th

MUSIC
Q102’s Jingle Ball
This year’s edition of the annual holiday music fest is a smorgasbord of hitmakers, with performances by Katy Perry, Tate McRae, Teddy Swims, Meghan Trainor, Jason Derulo, Gracie Abrams, Shaboozey and Dasha.
$260-$306, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, 3601 South Broad Street.

THEATER
I Put On Pants For This — Live!
1812 Productions explores “the history of physical comedy and variety shows, from Sid Caesar to SNL” in this live show and conversation featuring Jen Childs and Scott Greer, plus guests and vintage videos.
$25-$30, 7 p.m., Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place.

HOLIDAYS
Tyler Hilton and Kate Voegele: One Tree Holiday
Two stars of *One Tree Hill — actors and musicians, both — host “a night of music and holiday spirit” at City Winery. Voegele is also know as the creator of blog and lifestyle company We The Dreamers.
$30-$50, 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.

MUSIC
Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Chamber Music Concert
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia hosts another Concert at the College, this time featuring Orchestra players Charles Abramovic, Juliette Kang, Jeffrey Lang, Priscilla Lee and Ricardo Morales performing works by Williams, Weesner and Brahms. Reception to follow.
$50, 6:30 p.m., Mütter Museum, 19 South 22nd Street.

DANCE
We Call It Tango
A three-act show full of live Argentine dance and music that tells a love story. Who will be performing? No idea. It’s one of those weird Feverup shows that’s full of vague descriptions and short on details. And, like, the Media Theatre’s web site doesn’t even mention the show. I assume this is a real event and not some kind of trap.
$43-$69, 6:30 p.m., Media Theatre for the Performing Arts, 104 East State Street, Media.

HISTORY/TALK
The Dehumanization of Jews in Russian and Soviet Cartoons
Bob Weinberg — author of Jews Under Tsars and Communists — leads a discussion about “anti-Jewish visual imagery from the late tsarist era to the early years of the Soviet Union to reveal popular and official attitudes toward and perceptions of Russian and Soviet Jewry.”
Free, 6 p.m., Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street.

MOVIES/FOOD
Latkes & Vodkas Movie Night
The Weitzman hosts a screening of the 2002 animated comedy Eight Crazy Nights at Khyber Pass Pub. Admission includes a free drink and latkes.
$15, 7 p.m., Khyber Pass Pub, 56 South 2nd Street.

More Monday Stuff

• MOVIES/TRIVIA: Vinofile Plus Pick Up Party: Holiday Movie Trivia. Free, 6 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.
• COMEDY/HOLIDAYS: Dom We Now Our Gay Apparel, with Dominick Pupa. $31.10, 8 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.
• MOVIES: Philadelphia Psychotronic Film Society, “cult/weirdo/trash films.” $5, 7:30 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.
• MUSIC: Monday Night Jazz Jam, rotating performers backed by bassist Richard Hill Jr. and band. $5, 6:30 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah Street.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17th

MUSIC/HOLIDAYS
Spending Christmas with Alicia Witt
The beloved singer-songwriter and actress — Twin Peaks, Longlegs, multiple Christmas movies — just released a new collection of holidays songs I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You, and she’s touring behind it now. Samantha Jayne opens the show.
$25-$49.50, 8 p.m., Sellersville Theater, 24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville.

HOLIDAYS/CABARET
A John Waters Christmas
The iconoclastic filmmaker is known for his hilarious and bawdy holiday shows. This seated show at Union Transfer features Waters, St. Nick the Dick, Father Fistmas, Kris Kringleberries and more.
$50-$149, 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street.

STORYTELLING
The Moth GrandSLAM Championship
Winners from previous installments of The Moth’s open-mic shows will compete for the title of Philadelphia storytelling champion. The evening’s theme is Uncharted Territory.
$40, 8 p.m., Bok Auditorium, 800 Mifflin Street.

More Tuesday Stuff

• POETRY: Voices in Power, featuring Gabriel Ramirez. $20, 7:30 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
• MUSIC/HOLIDAYS: Jane Monheit: The Merriest. $30-$50, 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18th

MOVIES
Murdering the Devil
Lightbox Film Center presents a new 4K restoration of the1969 Czech New Wave comedy directed by Ester Krumbachová about an aging bachelorette desperate to keep a terrible date from going off the rails. Stars Jirina Bohdalová and Vladimír Mensík.
$15.28, 7-9 p.m., Lightbox Film Center, Bok Auditorium, 800 Mifflin Street.

BOOKS
Molly Russakoff
Author and bookshop owner Molly Russakoff celebrates the release of hew brand new novel Red Tape with a reading and reception at her beloved shop in the Italian Market.
Free, 8 p.m., Molly’s Books & Records, 1010 South 9th Street.

MUSIC/HOLIDAYS
Seán Heely’s Celtic Christmas
The US National Scottish fiddle champion Seán Heely leads you on a “magical winter tour through the Scottish Highlands and across the rugged Irish coast” with this holiday concert in the depths of New Jersey.
$58, 8 p.m., Villa Victoria Academy, 376 West Upper Ferry Road, Ewing Township.

More Wednesday Stuff

• MUSIC: Holi-Ditch Day. More info. $56, 1 p.m., Fillmore Philly, 29 East Allen Street.
• MUSIC/HOLIDAYS: Tonks, with Bristoltooth, Fullscreen and Christiana Benton. $12-$15, 7 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
• MUSIC: Cheeky, with Fernette, Manic Envy and DJ Bobby from Rentboy. $15, 7 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 North Frankford Avenue.
• MUSIC: Puppy Angst, with Sleep House, Rat Motel and Wallace, Tonight! $12.44, 7:30 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19th

COMEDY
Doogie Horner
The beloved Philly comedian — and artist, and author — films his next comedy special at Underground Arts on Thursday.
$14.12, 8 p.m., Underground Arts, 200 Callowhill Street.

MUSIC
Skrilla
The Kensington “gangster rock star” rapper headlines the TLA with show named for his latest LP, Zombie Love Kensington Paradise. Skrilla also released an album called Underworld a couple months ago.
$26-$87, 7 p.m., TLA, 334 South Street.

MOVIES/COMEDY
Matt McGinnis’s Movie Riffing Melee
The MST3K producer and “supervising riffer” presents an evening of short holiday films and live joke-making he’s calling Stocking Stuffers. “Along the way, randomly-selected audience members will be pitted head-to-head in a fast-paced comedy competition.”
$18, 7 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville.

TALK/HISTORY
Labor and Power in the World of Atlantic Slavery
Historian and author Randy Browne leads a fireside chat entitled The Driver’s Story: Labor and Power in the World of Atlantic Slavery.
Free, 7 p.m., Library Company, 1314 Locust Street

More Thursday Stuff

• MUSIC: Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends, tribute to Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. Free, 6-9 p.m., Teatro Esperanza, Esperanza Arts Center, 4261 North 5th Street.
• MUSIC/CANDLES: Candlelight: Christmas Special, featuring the Listeso String Quartet. $45, 6 p.m., The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin Street.
• PARTY: Rail Park Holiday Happy Hour, fundraiser for Friends of the Rail Park. Pay as you go, 6-9 p.m., The Trestle Inn, 339 North 11th Street.
• COCKTAIL PARTY: entrəpē, “an immersive evening of visual art, music, and performance.” Sold out, 7-9:30 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 1708 Chestnut Street.
• FOOD: Dining in the Dark: A Unique Blindfolded Dining Experience. $64, 6 & 8:30 p.m., Pyramid Club, 1735 Market Street, 52nd floor.
• MUSIC/TRIBUTE: Bar Dust (Pogues tribute), with The Lower Aetna and Irish Twins. $15, 9 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 North Frankford Avenue.
• MUSIC: Broadway Rave: Dancing Through Life. $16-$29, 10 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl Philly, 1009 Canal Street.
• MUSIC: Mendoza Hoff Revels, co-led by guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devra Hoff. $37.08, 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street.
• MUSIC/TRIBUTE: The Voices of Motown: Christmas. $40-$45, 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
• MUSIC/HOLIDAYS: Anthony Nunziata — My Italian Christmas. $29.50-40, 8 p.m., Sellersville Theater, 24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20th

MUSIC
Silvertide
Philly alt-rock act Silvertide was such a big deal in the early 2000s — playing the Camden amphitheater, charting with singles like “Ain’t Comin Home” and “Blue Jeans,” doing Dylan covers for *Lady in the Water soundtrack — I was surprised to discover how short their original run was. They only released a pair of albums before they broke up on 2007. That’s just the biz, I guess. For the time being they’re back playing reunion shows, including this TLA gig with Foxtrot and the Get Down on Friday.
$41, 8 p.m., TLA, 334 South Street.

MUSIC
Matt Quinn & Friends
The Philly-born Mt. Joy frontman gathers some talented friends TBA for a big hometown show to raise money for nonprofit org World Central Kitchen.
$25-$250, 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street.

MUSIC/HOLIDAYS
Baby’s First Rodeo
Ortlieb’s country party people celebrate 10 years of teaching Philadelphians to two-step with their Honky-Tonk Winter Formal Honky-Tonk Winter Formal. Music by Aaron McDonnell and Midnight Flyer, flowers by Holland & Stokes.
$15, 7-10 p.m. Ortlieb’s Lounge, 47 North 3rd Street.

MUSIC
Marah
The long-running Philly Americana band plays their annual Xmas show. Ma’aM opens.
$29.81, 9 p.m., Underground Arts, 200 Callowhill Street.

MOVIES/HOLIDAYS
The Passions of Carol
PhilaMOCA hosts a screening of this 1975 comedy/porn version of the Dickens holiday classic. Directed by Shaun Costello.
$14.93, 10 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.

More Friday Stuff

• MUSIC: Worldtown Soundsystem (release party), Seraiah Nicole, M11son and Pierre Paloma. $14-$17, 9 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 North Frankford Avenue.
• MUSIC: Quick Chills, with Nervous Nikki and the Chill Pills and The Low Sundays. $12, 7:30 p.m., Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 North Front Street.
• DANCE PARTY: Neon Moon, country line dancing party. $11-$19, 9 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl Philly, 1009 Canal Street.
• MUSIC/TRIBUTE: Come Together — A Trip Down Abbey Road. $15-$25, 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
• MUSIC/TRIBUTE: Start Making Sense (Talking Heads tribute), with Atlassian. $22, 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue.
• MUSIC: Kendall Street Company, with The Reality Check Experiment. $18, 7:30 p.m., MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street.
• MOVIES: Horror at the Hiway, secret screening. Free (only for Hiway Members, but you can join), 10 p.m., Hiway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown.
• MOVIES: Korea in Philly featuring Ailee. $130-$250, 7 p.m., Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, 900 Packer Avenue.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21st

MUSIC/HOLIDAYS
Work Drugs Holiday Spectacle
Catchy, groovy and more than a little yachty, Philly indie rockers Work Drugs once again take the Johnny Brenda’s stage to host another Holiday Spectacle. Featuring the Tisburys and the Coordinators.
$17, 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 North Frankford Avenue.

BIRDS
Weird Duck Winter Solstice
Manny Dominguez joins the Philly Queer Birders as they look for for canvasbacks, ruddy ducks, buffleheads and more. Binoculars will be available to borrow.
Free, 8:30-10:30 a.m., South 13th Street & Admiral Peary Way.

MUSIC
Bobby Zankel 75th Birthday Celebration
Celebrating the mainstay Philadelphia saxophonist, composer and leader of Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound. Featuring David Murray.
$43.26, 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street.

HOLIDAYS
Solstice Celebration @ Glen Foerd
Celebrate the star of winter on the shortest day of the year with a big ol’ bonfire by the Delaware River. Also: drinks, tours, crafts, a fire-building demonstration and more.
Free, 2-5:30 p.m., Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Avenue.

MOVIES
Go
Sarah Polley, who is the best, stars in Doug Limon’s 1999 action comedy with Jay Moher, Katie Holmes, Taye Diggs. Scott Wolf (V), and more. Tagline: “When the lights go down, the world is yours.”
$15.50, 8 p.m., Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street.

DANCE PARTY
Dreamscaping
A party celebrating Black Visioning Group’s Black queer trans dreamers, featuring performances by Ebony Ali, Sabrina Pantal, angel edwards, Ri Bussey and more. Plus Live printmaking and art exhibition by Jaq Masters.
Free, 4 p.m., Icebox Project Space, 1400 North American Street.

More Saturday Stuff

• DANCE PARTY: &Friends Party (End of the Year. Celebration). $10, 8 p.m., Underground Arts, 200 Callowhill Street.
• MUSIC: J. Roddy Walston. $20, 8 p.m., Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 North Front Street.
• MUSIC: Grayscale, with Quarters of Change, Phoneboy and Bike Routes. $45, 7 p.m., Fillmore Philly, 29 East Allen Street.
• MUSIC/TRIBUTE: Luther Relives (Luther Vandross tribute). $35-$50, 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.
• MUSIC/HOLIDAYS: An American Celtic Christmas, with music by Jamison. $38-$59, 7:30 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside.
• MUSIC: Stella Ruze, album release party, with Hezekiah Jones and Brittany Ann Tranbaugh. $17, 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue.
• MUSIC: Xeno & Oaklander, with Gina. $17. 7:30 p.m., MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut Street.
• BAR CRAWL: Official Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl. $15-$60, 2-9 p.m., multiple locations, check in at Woody’s, 202 South 13th Street.
• MOVIES: Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003). Tagline: “A Comedy of Elf-fish Proportions.” $6, 11 a.m., Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22nd

MUSIC
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The rock/neoclassical ensemble presents a tour entitled The Lost Christmas Eve. No matter what they call it, you will likely see lots of holiday favorites performed in a dazzling, dramatic and possibly terrifying way. Like what does that mean? How do you lose Christmas Eve? Is this a blackout kind of thing?
$49-$109, 3 & 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, 3601 South Broad Street.

More Sunday Stuff

• MUSIC: Euphoria Again, with Snoozer and Magic America. $17.85, 7:30 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.
• MUSIC: The String Queens. $22, 7 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue.
• MOVIES: Matilda (Danny DeVito, 1996). Tagline: “A little magic goes a long way.” $5, 10 a.m., Hiway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown.

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