Saturdays just got more interesting.
Sign upYour browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
The Sea Dragon at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in 2023. On top of forming a 100-foot long tunnel, the dragon breathes smoke onto the attendees at Franklin Square. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)
Is it hot enough for you? It is if you’re talking about your choices in weekend plans. With the season’s first heat wave comes some eagerly anticipated festivals.
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival continues through Saturday in Wilmington. In Philly, both the Manayunk Arts Festival and the Chinese Lantern Festival kick off this weekend. The Hispanic Festival returns, but to a new location near 30th Street Station. Kidchella is back as a free one-day concert, and Carlos Santana comes to town with Counting Crows under the stars in Camden.
New Jersey | Delaware | Special Events | Arts & Culture | Kids | Music
Few people truly deserve the title of legend, but Carlos Santana is one of them. The leader of the eponymous band known for its 1970s funk psychedelia is now a senior statesman whose 1999 album “Supernatural” returned him to mainstream success. On Friday night, he’ll perform in South Jersey with Counting Crows, another legacy band.
Wilmington native Clifford Brown was a transcendent jazz trumpeter who worked with Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey and Max Roach. His career was cut short by a fatal car crash in 1956, but not before his music set the tone for a generation. The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival has commemorated his life and music since 1999.
Pride comes to the Queen as the downtown venue hosts a concert and festival for the LGBTQ+ community. Drag queens and vendors join Uniiqu3 and headliner Aluna. DJ Shady Lady and DJ Carl Michaels keep the beat.
Philly’s annual Chinese Lantern Festival heads to Franklin Square, where it will stay through August. The colorful event includes the famous 200-foot-long dragon, along with 1500 handcrafted lanterns illuminated by 15,000 LED lights. During the fest, which celebrates Chinese culture through food, music and dance, there will be pay-as-you-go Chinese food and three live performances each night.
Friday marks the summer solstice, heralding the first official day of summer and the longest period of daylight in 2024. That makes it a good time for Make Music Philly, Throughout the city and suburbs there are opportunities at multiple venues to, you guessed it, make music, unlimited by genre, experience or ability.
At the Manayunk Arts Festival, Main Street will be closed to vehicular traffic as more than 300 vendors in multiple disciplines participate in the juried competition. Retailers and eateries are also part of the fest, now in its 35th year.
The South Street Summer Solstice Block(s) Party hosted by MilkBoy South Street brings retailers and eateries together along Fourth Street for live music performances, pay-as-you-go food, drink and more on a street closed to traffic for the party’s duration.
If the last time you made pottery was in sixth grade art class, the ninth annual Clay Fest is the place to get your hands dirty again. The free, open-to-the-public, all-ages festival celebrates clay in all its forms, encouraging attendees to create something. Demonstrations and design opportunities include making frames, bowls and succulent planters, a sensory book-based activity for kids, a live music performance and an ice cream social.
The American Swedish Historical Museum has moved its Midsommarfest indoors due to the ongoing heat wave. There, you can hoist the maypole, listen to traditional Swedish folk music by Last Chance and enjoy other family-friendly activities. Flower crowns and smörgåstårta (Swedish sandwich cake) are available for purchase.
The Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing hosted concerts and multicultural festivals for several decades, but it’s being replaced by a brand new waterfront park, now under construction over I-95. A staple of those summer festivals, Concilio’s two-day Hispanic Fiesta has relocated to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. Merengue icon Joseph Fonseca and salsa musician Huey Dunbar will perform.
Although British author C.S. Lewis is best known for his “Chronicles of Narnia” series, he wrote more than 30 books, including ones with philosophical and religious themes. In a one-man multimedia show, “C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up and Further In” actor Max McLean embodies Lewis using his own words. Post-show, he will host an audience discussion.
At The Barnes, there’s always another lens through which one can view impressionists Matisse and Renoir. In the“Matisse and Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes” exhibit opening this weekend, 34 of their works are displayed together, offering historical context for the two as individual artists and in juxtaposition to one another.
Ebony Roberts created the United We Heal Film Festival out of the desire to use art to effect intimate personal change. Now in its third year, the festival brings local and national filmmakers together to showcase their short films. New in 2024 is a music category. Post-screenings, there will be a Q&A with Roberts and the filmmakers, along with jury-selected and audience awards.
This summer, Kidchella has scaled down from a monthly series to a free, one-day concert. As in previous years, performers include kid-friendly bands like Johnny Shortcake, City Love and Alex & the Kaleidoscope. Community-based organizations will be on site, and there will be areas for kids to play and create art. Smith Playground is also celebrating 125 years of advocating for and providing a safe space for kids to play in an urban landscape.
The 2nd Street strip of clubs, bars and restaurants is hosting the Old City Eats Block Party to showcase its popular corridor. Organizers will provide multiple water stations, and popular spots like Khyber Pass, The Record Bar and Amada will offer pay-as-you-go food and drink.
Overbrook Night Market, also known as “Rep’s Night Out,” highlights local restaurants, food trucks and businesses while celebrating West Philly’s Overbrook and Overbrook Farms neighborhoods. The latest iteration includes more than 30 local food and drink entities, a family zone and DJs on two stages.
Pride Month roars on with the Philly Pride Bar Crawl, which has drawn more hundreds of participants for its jaunt around the city’s LGBTQ+-friendly bars. Tickets include 2-3 drinks/shots, a drag show, drink and food specials, a stadium party cup and an after-party. And, you’re partying with a purpose, as proceeds go to The Trevor Project, which works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
Chestnut Hill hosts its second annual Pride Party, which promises cold drinks, hot beats and fierce vibes at the neighborhood’s NoName Gallery, which also acts as a community event space. Some of the good vibes will be supplied by DJ Xtina, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the William Way Community Center.
Tell us who your favorite Batman is and we’ll know whether you’re a boomer, Gen X’er, millennial, or Gen Z’er. Thirty-five years ago, Gen X’s Batman was Michael Keaton, and it’s the Tim Burton-directed version that arguably has the best soundtrack and score. Prince, as you may remember, did the soundtrack back then and Danny Elfman composed the score. The Philadelphia Orchestra will play Elfman’s score live to screen along with the movie. You’ll hear Prince songs as well, as several are in the movie.
Better known around these parts as Philadelphia Phillies icon Tug McGraw’s son, country star Tim McGraw is headlining the Standing Room Only Tour 2024. He’s country royalty, though, along with his wife Faith Hill. McGraw won the 2023 ACM Icon Award, releasing his most recent album “Standing Room Only” in the same year. He’s touring in support of it, coming to the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
British chanteuse Corrine Bailey Rae is heading to the Xcite Center on the Plum Red Lipstick Tour after the release of her latest project, “Black Rainbows.” It’s a creative left turn from her usual pop/R&B lane, inspired by an exhibit by Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago.
Thirty years have passed since Mary J. Blige’s debut album “My Life.” During that time, she’s forged a multiple Grammy-winning career as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, selling millions of records as one of the most groundbreaking artists of her era. Now she’s been named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In honor of the album that gave her her start, a group of musicians will recreate it. The 30th Anniversary Tribute to “My Life” features Jacqueline Constance and Bekah Elaine, along with Black Canvas.
Some bands aren’t meant to be megastars but attract enough of a diehard following to release music, have a measure of success, break up, regroup and then do it all again. One of those bands is Something Corporate. The Southern California-born quartet enjoys a cult following on the strength of their early success, signing to MCA in the early aughts. They’ve brought the original band back together and are touring the world through the rest of the year. This weekend, they’re in Philly.
British musician Frank Turner is known as much for his kinetic shows as he is for his music. Considered equal parts punk, folk and rock, Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls put out their 10th studio album, “Undefeated,” in January. He’ll be in Philly supporting the project on Saturday at the Fillmore.tk
Saturdays just got more interesting.
Sign up