May 3-5: PlazaPalooza | Queen Village house & garden tours | African American Presence on the Delaware | Preservation Alliance walking tour | Bartram’s plant sale | Manton Street Park cleaning | Burger Brawl

Happy weekend Streeters! This weekend is packed with outdoor activities to help you make the most of the beautiful weather in store. 

FESTIVAL PlazaPalooza

Saturday, May 4. 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. 23rd and South Street, Catharine Thorn Fountain. Help the South of South Neighborhood Association celebrate all of its hard work and community building at its annual spring PlazaPalooza. The festivities are set to take place in and around the Grays Ferry Triangles, where SOSNA has dedicated much of its time and efforts over the past couple years. PlazaPalooza will feature new local bands, beer from Grace Tavern and food from nearby restaurants. Activities for kids include a fire truck, dunk tank and more.

TOUR Queen Village House & Garden Tour

Saturday, May 4, Noon-4pm. Tours begin at Old Swede’s Church, Christian and Water streets. For the 35th year running, take in a self-guided walking tour of Queen Village’s carefully restored and kept row houses, from 18th century trinities to 21st century homes. Other treats are the private and community gardens, courtyards, and two historic churches. Proceeds from the tour will support Queen Village Neighbors Association projects. Cost $25

OPENING African American Presence on the Delaware River

Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. The new “Tides of Freedom: African American Presence on the Delaware River” exhibit opens this Saturday at the Independence Seaport Museum. The museum, in partnership with African American scholars and University of Pennsylvania’s professor Tukufu Zuberi, have put together an interactive exhibit complete with photos, videos, interviews, art and artifacts. Together these pieces showcase the Delaware River’s roll in early African American history.

TOUR The Preservation Alliance Walking Tour: Littlest Streets Fitler Square

Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. – noon, Meet at center of Fitler Square, 23rd & Pine Sts. The Preservation Alliance kicks off its walking tour season this Saturday morning with a free tour celebrating Jane Jacobs. The “Littlest Streets Fitler Square” tour will introduce attendees to the neighborhood just southwest of Rittenhouse Square, where early Irish settlers and other immigrants settled. Learn more about these settlers and their industrial ties to the nearby Schuylkill River. View a full list of Preservation Alliance Walking Tours here.

SHOP Bartram’s Garden Spring Plant Sale

Saturday, May 4th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Bartram’s Garden, 54th St. and Lindbergh Blvd. Create a naturalist’s delight in your home with a selection of plants propagated in the Bartram Nursery and well-suited to this region. Bartram’s Garden will host tours and family activities, as well as sell garden tools, gifts, and supplies. The plant sale is an annual fundraiser that shares plant knowledge, builds community, and supports Bartram’s Garden’s year-round efforts.

CLEAN Spring Cleaning at Manton Street Park and Community Garden

Sunday, May 5th, noon – 2pm, 410 Manton Street, Philadelphia, PA. Spring is in full swing and that means spring cleaning can’t be far behind. Pennsport has its fair share of green space and therefore its fare share of cleaning and greening to do. Join volunteers this Saturday as they tidy up the neighborhood’s Manton Street Park and Community Garden.

FEAST Third Annual Philadelphia Burger Brawl

Sunday, May 5th, Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine Street. If by Sunday all the walking and garden tours, street fairs and spring cleanups have left you hungry, you will be in luck. More than two-dozen local burger chefs will compete burger-a-burger in the Philadelphia Burger Brawl. Initially conceived to help supply Meredith Elementary school with up-to-date technology, Burger Brawl has since expanded to fund the construction of computer labs at schools across the city. With this philanthropic mission in mind, tickets to the burger fest are priced at $75 per person.

Enjoy the weekend!