Bob Marley, Harry Potter, and the nation’s largest urban health festival: Your plans 7/26 – 8/1

Take A Day Trip: The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington

2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware
Open every day but Monday and Tuesday
$12 for adults, $6 for children

Last Saturday was a busy one at Delaware Art Museum, and it seems that’s the rule rather than the exception. When I arrived, a free yoga class was beginning in the outdoor sculpture garden (that’s every first and third Saturday, from 9 to 10 a.m.). Inside, the second annual Wilmington Writers Conference was just getting started. (“Last year, we wanted to see what kind of writers community we had in Wilmington,” an organizer told me. All 200 spots filled up.)

Go for the trio of exhibitions reflecting on the tumultuous events of 1968 — and stay for the deep community programming. There’s a photography show of the southern civil rights movement by Danny Lyons and a show of drawings of the Montgomery bus boycotts by Harvey Dinnerstein and Burton Silverman. But the real star is “Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot,” a piece specially commissioned by the Delaware Art Museum from conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas. In it, he investigates the legacy of the 1968 unrest and occupation of Wilmington that followed Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in a series of artworks that really must be experienced in person.

The museum is also organizing forums where people who remember that fateful year can share their stories — there’s one tonight — and it’s presenting three original performances from local and regional artists responding to the year’s events, running from Aug. 9 to Sept. 16. There’s something for all ages: On Aug. 18, the museum is hosting its first campout in the sculpture garden.

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Musical Guests

The People’s Festival: A Tribute to Bob Marley
July 28, 2 p.m.
500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Delaware
Free
If you are in Wilmington this weekend, be sure to check out the 24th annual People’s Festival, a tribute to Bob Marley, his music, and his legacy. Wilmington was the first place outside Jamaica that Marley called home. And this year, entry to the music festival and street fair will be totally free. Performers include Etana, The Meditations, The Hip Abduction, The Image Band, and Jamall Anthony. There will also be a beer garden, food and craft vendors.

XPoNential Music Fest
July 27-29,
Wiggins Park, BB&T Pavilion, Camden
$40-$170
An eclectic array of musicians, from David Byrne to Femi Kuti to Sylvan Esso to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will take the stage this weekend at the 25th annual XPoNential Music Fest. See the full lineup here.

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At The Movies

Newsreel ’68: Program 1
July 26, 7 p.m.
Lightbox Film Center, 3701 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
$10
If you aren’t in Wilmington, but still interested in reflecting on the counter-cultural currents of 1968, Lightbox Film Center in West Philly is kicking off a series of screenings Thursday that feature short documentary films made at the time. Tonight’s screenings include “Summer ‘68,” on the protests surrounding that year’s Democratic National Convention; “The Case Against Lincoln Center,” about the community of Latino families displaced for the construction of New York’s City cultural hub; an early portrait of Noam Chomsky; and a reflection on Black Panther Party leadership in 1967. A second event with more films will take place Aug. 23.

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Happy Birthday, Harry Potter

Everyone’s favorite fictional wizard celebrates his birthday Tuesday, and there’s events around the region where you can join in, from an all-ages Harry Potter birthday party at the Haverford library, to a Potter-themed prom in Center City.

Harry Potter Birthday Bash
July 28, 1-3:30 p.m.
Haverford Township Free Library, 1601 Darby Road, Havertown
Free

The Geeky Cauldron: A Harry Potter Pub Quiz
July 26, 8-10 p.m.
Fado Irish Pub, 1500 Locust St., Philadelphia
$5

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” with the Philadelphia Orchestra
July 26, 7:30 p.m.
Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Ave., Philadelphia
$25-$90

Potter Prom Night
July 27. 8 p.m.
Fado Irish Pub, 1500 Locust St.
Philadelphia
$25-$30

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Celebrate Health

Pennsylvania Care Health Fest
July 28, noon-8 p.m.
Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia
Free
The country’s largest urban health festival returns to Penn’s Landing this weekend with a kids carnival, a rock-climbing wall, yoga and dance lessons, health screenings, mindfulness workshops, and a double-Dutch competition. There will be free performances Saturday by musicians including T.I., Sister Nancy, Dru Hill and Estelle. And some events kick off early: Check out salsa dancing Thursday in Society Hill and a healthy cooking class Friday in West Philly.

Philly Vegan Pop Flea: The Power of Color Market
July 28, noon-4 p.m.
Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia
Free
This specialty pop-up market will feature vegan and veg-friendly vendors, all owned or operated by Philadelphia-based people of color. A huge array of products will be on sale, from gourmet, plant-based organic desserts including lemon cheesecake by 7 Fruits Raw Treats, to artisanal soaps from O’Savon.

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Rev Your Engines

East Passyunk Car Show and Street Festival
July 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
1904 East Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia
Free
Cool cars, $5 deals at some of Passyunk’s best bars and restaurants, live music and DJs on every block, all combine to make this a street fair worth catching. Cars and motorcycles will be judged at 3:30 p.m., and there’s a $5 raffle to win a Piaggio Typhoon scooter.

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This article is part of a new effort recommending things to do in the Philly region. Tell us what you think.