Cape May Crab Festival, inclusive play, and Deco on the Delaware: Your plans 8/2 – 8/8, 2018

Take a day trip: Cape May Beer and Crab Festival
Aug. 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May, New Jersey
Free entry, pay-as-you-go food and drinks

Start August right with a smorgasbord of local and regional seafood, beers, and wine. Live bands, including The HoneyHawks and Jake Tavill, are playing all day, and you can visit an old-fashioned Victorian circus.

Make a vacation of it by taking a trip on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which travels between the Cape and Lewes, Delaware. Every Friday night until the end of the month, you can catch live bands performing aboard a round-trip excursion across the Bay. The ferry has also teamed up with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts to offer package trips that include tours of historic, Victorian Cape May and trolley tours to the lighthouse.

At the movies: Blackstar Film Festival
Aug. 2-5
Lightbox Film Center, Institute of Contemporary Art, and Pearlstein Gallery, West Philadelphia
Tickets: $12 per film; panels, yoga, and some other programming free

The seventh annual Blackstar Film Festival starts Thursday and runs through Sunday with more than 80 feature, documentary, and short films by black creators. Highlights include the world premiere of Terence Nance’s new HBO series “Random Acts of Flyness,” and free panels on everything from screenwriting to Afrofuturism to surveillance.

For the fam: Inclusive play

This week, a slate of events is specially geared toward children on the autism spectrum, children with learning or developmental disabilities, and others who are easily overwhelmed by too much sensory input.

Family Inclusive Special Hours at the Camden Adventure Aquarium
Aug. 4, 6-8 p.m.
1 Riverside Drive, Camden
Tickets: $21.99

Dimmed lighting, reduced noise, and limited ticket sales make will make this a peaceful opportunity to visit the aquarium. Those with dietary restrictions may bring their own snacks. Personal care attendants are admitted free of charge.

Play Without Boundaries at the Please Touch Museum
Aug. 5, 9 -11 a.m.
4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia
Free, registration required

In addition to reduced lighting and noise, the Please Touch Museum is offering activities and experiences specially designed for children on the autism spectrum — and for their parents. Representatives of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research will be available to talk about the resources the center offers, as will Elwyn SEEDS, a preschool for children with developmental delays. Other activities include therapy pets from PAWS to play with; dance and movement therapy; and even a “virtual reality based autism therapy product.”

Autism Cares Special Needs Family Night at Clementon Park and Splash World
Aug. 7, 6 -9 p.m.
144 Berlin Road, Clementon, New Jersey
Tickets: $15

On Tuesday night, the Clementon Park and Splash World water park will close to the general public — and open to families with a special-needs guest of any age. Visitors must purchase a discounted ticket through the Autism Cares Foundation; $5 of the $15 ticket price is a donation to the organization.

Musical guests: Erykah Badu featuring Talib Kweli
Aug. 2, 8 p.m.
Dell Music Center, 2400 Strawberry Mansion Drive, Philadelphia
Tickets: $25-75

At times controversial, but ever influential, Erykah Badu is considered the godmother of soul, a touchstone for all R&B artists who’ve followed her. She performs Thursday at the Dell with hip-hop artist Talib Kweli.

Learn something: Maria Dumlao Interactive Workshop
Aug. 3, 7 p.m.
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine St., Philadelphia
Free

Artist Maria Dumlao, whose work I wrote about back in May, will share some of the process she uses to make her photo-collage works on Friday. According to the Asian Arts Initiative, participants will use colored paper, filters, and text to “collaborate on a collage that addresses their individual and/or community’s visibility and invisibility in/within Philadelphia.”

Step back in time: Deco on the Delaware
Aug. 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Glen Foerd Estate, 5051 Grant Ave,, Philadelphia
Tickets: $45

Break out your best “Great Gatsby”-era attire for this Jazz Age-themed party at the Glen Foerd Estate. Guests, who are asked to dress in 1920s vintage finery, will be treated to period music, lawn games, demonstrations of contemporary table manners, makeup, and hair styling. Prizes await “Most Dapper Gent” and “Most Fashionable Flapper,” so come dressed to win.

Eat up: Peach Festival at Woodford Mansion
Aug. 4, noon-2 p.m.
Woodford Mansion, 33rd Street and Dauphin Drive, East Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Free

Hosted by the East Fairmount Park Coalition, this free celebration of all things peach will offer peach ice cream, peach cobbler, and other refreshments, as well as tours of the mansion, games, and live music..

The Ambler Farmers’ Market is also having a peach-themed day on Saturday. You can stock up on the fuzzy fruit and learn how to make peach preserves and peach cocktail.

Take to the streets: 10th Annual Second Street Festival
Aug. 5, noon-10 p.m.
North Second Street between Green Street and Germantown Avenue
Free entry, pay-as-you-go food and drink

This massive block party features food, drink, arts vendors, crafts, games, and bands on multiple stages throughout Northern Liberties.