15,000 Expected at This Weekend’s Old City Fest

Photo by CJ Dawson Photography

In the spirit of fall festival season, the annual Old City Fest returns this weekend with pumpkins, hay bales and fodder shocks lining the streets of our most historic hood. Organizers say they expect around 15,000 to show up—quite likely the largest gathering of people in one place since all the pope stuff on the Parkway.

From noon to 6 pm on Sunday, October 11th, 3rd Street (between Market and Race) and Arch Street (from 2nd to 4th) will be closed to make room for a festival stage, activities and an exhaustive lineup of food, drink and knickknack booths.

Live demo by The Clay Studio. | Photo by CJ Dawson Photography

There will be 20 food and drink vendors—like Buddakan, High Street on Market, Wedge + Fig and Foobooz’s No. 2 Best Bar in Philadelphia, Khyber Pass Pub—but the majority of the 100-plus vending tables spotlight Old City as a shopping and arts haven. There will be a design showcase hosted by folks like Biello Martin Studio, Dane Decor and Jonathan Adler. Independent artists, like As the Crow Flies, The Golden Hen and Stitch Prism, will have their own little area at the festival, called “Indepdendents Row.” There will also be two fashion shows at 3rd and Cherry streets, where models will strut the runway wearing threads from Smak Parlour‘s fall collection and sporting hairdos courtesy of Lakshmi Hair Studio.

You can catch live music throughout the day— from the Red Hot Ramblers starting at 1 pm, and the West Philadelphia Orchestra will close out the festival starting at 4:30. For families, there’s something happening in the “Family Fun Zone” at the top of every hour, like a performance by students from the Arden Drama School at 1 pm, and a dance party with Music Monkey Jungle at 4.

For the full lineup and more info, head here.