Your alternative guide to St. Paddy’s Day weeekend in NW Philly

In Philadelphia, St. Patrick’s Day can seem like more of a three-week marathon of pub crawls. If that sort of thing appeals to you, chances are you’ve already made some plans for this weekend involving the vast amount of bars Philadelphia offers. But for people with a free schedule who want to do something a bit different than the usual fare, Northwest Playlist has compiled a list of alternative events happening this weekend.

Morris Arboretum Guided Tour -100 E. Northwestern Ave.  The University of Pennsylvania’s botanical garden offers free tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., free with the price of $16 admission.  Each tour is based on the interest of its attendees, so no two are alike. Magnolias, cherries, rhododendrons and azaleas are a few of the plants that will be in season. 

“The Oedipus Cycle” at the Sedgwick Theater – 7137 Germantown Ave. All three tales of the tragic King Oedipus–“Oedipus”, “Oedipus at Colonus” and “Anouilh’s Antigone”—will be performed in one day on March 17 at 2, 5 and 8 p.m., respectively. Tickets range from $10 per individual show to $40 for all three performances.  French playwright Jean Anouilh’s retelling of Antigone will also be performed through March 25.

Vegan Fest at Weaver’s Way – 559 Carpenter Lane.St. Patrick’s Day weekend is associated with green, but Sundays’ Vegan Fest is all about green eating. They’ll be plenty of grilled vegetables to go around and sample booths set up from vegan vendors and live music. It runs from noon to 4 p.m.

Firkin Madness at Iron Hill Brewery – 8400 Germantown Ave. It’s like March Madness, but with craft beer. From March 17 until March 31, local microbreweries will compete against each other elimination style throughout Iron Hill Brewery’s nine locations. Saturday’s St. Patrick’s-themed kickoff at the Chestnut Hill location pits West Chester’s Irish Coffee Porter against Wilmington, Del.’s Chocolate Leprechaun from noon to 5 p.m. The real winners are beer drinkers with this one.