April 26-28: Asian Arts Initiative Benefit | ECOFEST | Wissahickon Clean Up | Flavors of the Avenue | Fairmount Arts Crawl | Carnaval de Puebla | Chinatown Parklet

Happy free pretzel Friday! Kick off your weekend in true, salty Philly style at any Philly Pretzel Factory store today. The company is giving away free pretzels in honor of National Pretzel Day.

BENEFIT Asian Arts Initiative 2013 Benefit Banquet and Auction

Friday, April 26, 6pm. Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street. Dine for a good cause at the benefit for the Asian Arts Initiative tonight. Attendees will enjoy an eight-course meal, brief performances and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit the Asian Arts Initiative, which fosters neighborhood development and art that explores the diverse experiences of Asian Americans. Tickets start at $75.

FEST ECOFEST at Washington Avenue Green

Saturday, April 27th, 8:30am-12:30pm, 1301 South Columbus Boulevard. Plans to transform Pier 53 into a park space will be unveiled at this Saturday’s ECOFEST at Washington Avenue Green (WAG). ECOFEST will also feature bird watching in WAG’s three distinct habitats and lessons about plants and wildlife along the Delaware River. 

CLEAN UP Wissahickon Creek Clean Up

Saturday, April 27, 9am -12pm, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive. The Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) are joining forces to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom. This spring marks the 43nd  anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association’s annual Creek Clean Up, and the fourth year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA to clean all 21 miles of the Wissahickon Creek. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, its surrounding trails, and its many tributaries. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek to collect anything from plastic bags and sewing sets, to mattresses and tires.

FEAST East Passyunk Flavors of the Avenue

Saturday, April 27th, 12pm – 4pm, East Passyunk Avenue, between Dickinson and Morris streets. Peruse East Passyunk this weekend and sample your way through the annual Flavors of the Avenue. Twenty-five avenue restaurants will offer samples of their signature dishes as a street festival, complete with vendors, live music and a craft market, takes over South Philly. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available for $30 at the entrance tent beginning at 10 a.m.

FEST Fairmount Arts Crawl

Sunday, April 28th, 2pm-6pm, Throughout the Fairmount neighborhood. Craw along Fairmount Ave as the shops and sidewalks are transformed into pop-up galleries for local art. This Sunday the Fairmount Arts Crawl is back for its annual spring event, now in its ninth year. More than 45 of Fairmount’s businesses will open their doors to local artists and art lovers. The businesses will host more than 70 art installations, encompassing art of all sorts — from sculptures, prints, paintings to photography and mixed media. This years event includes performances by local musicians and a lineup of the city’s favorite food trucks.

CARNAVAL Seventh Annual Carnaval de Puebla

Sunday, April 28th, 10am-6pm, Festival, 1058 Tree Street; Parade, Ninth and Washington streets. The nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo festival is set to happen right here in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 28. Mexican music, art, food and costumes will fill the streets of Pennsport during the seventh annual Carnaval de Puebla. The festivities celebrate the area’s Mexican population and influence. Attendees will dress in traditional costume to represent historic individuals from the monumental battle. Others will dress in beaded masks, capes, headdresses and other traditional attire while reenacting Mexican folk dramas. Around noon, more than 350 dancers will perform and parade on Ninth Street from Wolf to Washington streets. 

OPENING Chinatown Parklet Opening – POSTPONED

Sunday, April 28, 1-3pm. 10th Street at Cherry Street. Spring is here, and that means the city’s parklets are in bloom. The first new parklet to pop up this season will open this Sunday in Chinatown. The grand opening will feature music and a photo-booth. Tweet a photo from the parklet on the 28th (using  #parklet) to @PCDC_Events, and you’ll get $1 off a TeaDo drink in the month of May. 

Enjoy the weekend!

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