Philly Cocktail Fest, ‘& Juliet,’ The Garden State Film Festival and more in this week’s ‘Things To Do’

Cocktails and hot sauce are part of the offerings this weekend — just not together. The Philly Cocktail Festival brings over a dozen bars to the 23rd Street Armory on Saturday and Sunday to share their best artisanal and classic cocktails. In Croydon, the third annual Hot Sauce Festival includes several “spicy” eating contests. In New Jersey, the four-day Garden State Film Festival gets underway with panels, parties and screenings of indie movies from around the world. As Women’s History Month winds down, talented female artists take a bow. In “& Juliet,” a Shakespearean tragedy gets a girl power reworking at the Academy of Music, and in “Dreamgirls,” at the Walnut Street Theatre, four women find fame is fleeting in the now-classic musical. Pop vocalist JoJo heads to the Fillmore on Friday on the “Too Much To Say” tour and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, now promoting her solo project, “Lives Outgrown,” is at the Met Philadelphia.

Delaware | New Jersey | Food & Drink | Arts & Culture | Wellness | Comedy | Music

Delaware

Bearly Dead 25SP Alligatour

• Where: The Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.
• When: Sunday, March 30, 8 p.m.
• How much: $15

The Grateful Dead has one of the most devout fanbases in music history. So it’s no surprise that multiple tribute bands are covering their work. Bearly Dead is one of them, and the Boston-based quintet heads to Delaware on Sunday. The tribute band has more than 250 songs in their set list, so in true Dead style, you never quite know what concert you’ll get.

New Jersey

Garden State Film Festival

• Where: Multiple venues in Cranford and Asbury Park, N.J.
• When: Thursday, March 27 – Sunday, March 30
• How much: $20 – $105

Hollywood heads to South Jersey with the 23rd Annual Garden State Film Festival. The four-day fest includes screenings of dozens of independent films, gala receptions, panels, parties, a filmmaker breakfast, and various networking events. Actress Ruby Wylder Rivera Modine (and Matthew Modine’s daughter) will be there to accept the Rising Star Award, while Rutgers University is being honored for its Science Storytelling Lab. Thursday’s opening night reception includes previews and mingling with filmmakers.

Food & Drink

Philly Cocktail Fest 2025

• Where: 23rd St. Armory, 22 S. 23rd St.
• When: Saturday, March 29, general admission 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., VIP offers earlier entry
• How much: $39 – $59

As we wind down the month of March and its relentless news cycle, it’s time for cocktails. The latest event on the Philly food and drink calendar, the inaugural Philly Cocktail Fest is heading to town. More than a dozen bars, including Jerry’s Bar, Prohibition Tap Room, Enswell and The Morris will compete for Best Cocktail. Some proceeds go to the Trauma Survivors Foundation, which helps provide mental health support to first responders and healthcare workers.

Philadelphia Hot Sauce Festival

• Where: Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, 909 Ray Ave., Croydon, Pa.
• When: Saturday, March 29, Sunday, March 30, 11 a.m.
• How much: $9

If you’ve got that “hot sauce in my bag swag” that Beyoncé sang about on “Formation:” this is the event for you. The two-day fest features over 30 hot sauce vendors, live podcasts, special guests, DJs, food trucks, fresh beer and a balloon artist. Numerous eating contests include a hot wing eating challenge and a spiked pizza eating challenge. You’ll need a strong stomach and some milk to compete.

Arts & Culture

& Juliet

• Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.
• When: Through Sunday, April 6
• How much: $36 – $209

You all know the story. Romeo and Juliet fell in love, their families disapproved, and they both died. But in this contemporary reworking of the classic, Juliet lives and undergoes a journey of self-discovery set to a soundtrack of pop music anthems. The show boasts a diverse cast and proves, once again, that Shakespeare’s timeless stories can be adapted in ways that contemporary audiences can appreciate.

Peter Wolf: Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Grifters, Drifters and Goddesses

• Where: Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central, 1901 Vine St.
• When: Thursday, March 27, 7 p.m.
• How much: $5

He was once the frontman of the J. Geils Band and the husband of Faye Dunaway. Both of those things were short-lived, as Peter Wolf explains in his memoir “Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses.” The Bronx, N.Y. native, now 79, will talk about his life and career, including his early days with both Bob Dylan and David Lynch, as well as his time with Dunaway. The Philadelphia Citizen’s Larry Platt directs the conversation. Books will be available for sale on-site.

Dreamgirls

• Where: Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.
• When: Through May 4
• How much: $35 – $127

In 1981, “Dreamgirls” hit the Broadway stage, winning six Tony Awards and making stars out of Jennifer Holiday, Loretta Devine and Sheryl Lee Ralph. In 2006, Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for the movie version (and earned the O in her EGOT).  The story of the Chicago girl group, the Dreams, oft-compared to the real-life turmoil of the Supremes, returns to Philly.

Trash Talk Archaeology Night

• Where: Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd St.
• When: Friday, March 28, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• How much: $35 – $300

After hours kicks off at the Museum of the American Revolution with a cocktail reception. The evening then heads to the Lenfest Myer Theater for a conversation with museum president and CEO R. Scott Stephenson and citizen archaeologists and podcast hosts Matt and Melissa Dunphy. On The Boghouse, the Dunphys talk about how they discovered artifacts from Philly’s historic past during a home renovation. The evening includes information on the museum’s discovery that their current site was once an illegal tavern in the 1700s, part of the Trash Tells The Truth exhibit.

Into the Blue: Pursuit of Color

• Where: Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
• When: Opens Saturday, March 29
• How much: Free with museum admission

Every year, students at the Penn Museum are tasked with curating an exhibit that shows off the knowledge they’ve gained about the museum’s collection and how to present it to the public. This year, they’re exploring the unique qualities of the color blue. While it may seem the most mundane of hues, the color is prized across all cultures and hard to find in nature. The exhibit encompasses 4,000 years of artifacts in 20 pieces from the Middle East, China, Africa, ancient Egypt and Central America.

In the Heights

• Where: Bristol Riverside Theater, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, Pa.
• When: Through Sunday, April 27
• How much: $20 – $64

Before becoming a global phenomenon with “Hamilton” Lin-Manuel Miranda penned “In The Heights” set over three days in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. The music includes a mashup of hip-hop, salsa, soul and merengue that reflect the multicultural area and its residents. Special events during the show’s run include the Friday Festival on March 28, Wine Down Wednesday on April 2, Latino Theatre Night on April 5, and Thirsty Thursday on April 10. ​

Wellness

Philly Health and Healing Expo

• Where: The Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, 4700 Drexelbrook Dr., Drexel Hill, Pa.
• When: Sunday, March 30, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• How much: Free, $5 VIP (includes tote bag)

If the current news cycle is increasing your anxiety and has you wanting to bury your head in the sand, that’s understandable. Here’s your chance to take a break from the headlines at this health and wellness event. It brings local practitioners together, offering products, treatments and workshops to soothe even the most fractious mind and overstressed body. You’ll also have the option to purchase vegan and organic food onsite.

Comedy

Bruce Bruce – Stay In Your Lane Tour

• Where: Punch Line Philly, 33 E. Laurel St.
• When: Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., Sunday, March 30, 7:30 p.m.
• How much: $43.80

Comedian Bruce Bruce has been on the comedy circuit for decades. The Atlanta native hosted BET’s seminal comedy show, “Comicview” and appeared on HBO’s classic “Def Comedy Jam” series, MTV’s “Wild N’ Out” and in movies like “Idlewild” and “Think Like a Man.” Or, you may have seen him in one of his multiple comedy specials, including “Bruce Bruce: Losin’ It.” Now he’s in Philly for four shows starting on Friday night.

Music

JoJo: Too Much To Say Tour

• Where: The Fillmore Philadelphia, 29 E. Allen St.
• When: Friday, March 28, 8 p.m.
• How much: $50 – $103

Known to her fans simply as JoJo, 34-year-old pop vocalist JoJo Levesque doesn’t get the accolades that artists in her peer group like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Charli XCX do, but she should. JoJo has been heralded for her stellar vocal chops, even if she’s not the hit-making machine the others have been. She’s crisscrossing the country on the Too Much To Say Tour, the lead single from her EP, “NGL,” which came out in January. She’s in Philly at the Fillmore on Friday night.

Gail Ann Dorsey

• Where: City Winery, 990 Filbert St.
• When: Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
• How much: $25 – $35 

The noted bassist, vocalist and songwriter was born in Philly, but after moving to London in the ‘80s, she became an in-demand studio musician noted for her work with David Bowie and others. Dorsey released three solo studio albums, “The Corporate World,” “Rude Blue” and “I Used to Be…” from 1998 to 2003 that blend R&B, soul, funk and jazz in her own unique way. Expect selections from those releases and covers of the work she’s done with music luminaries, including Lenny Kravitz, Tears for Fears and Ani DiFranco at her City Winery show.

Beth Gibbons: Lives Outgrown

• Where: The Met Philadelphia, 858 N. Broad St.
• When: Saturday, March 29, 8 p.m.
• How much: $48 and up

As the frontwoman for Portishead, Beth Gibbons earned a diehard group of fans who saw the group as pioneers of the genre trip-hop — loosely defined as a combination of hip-hop and EDM. The group’s three studio albums and one live release earned them a devoted fan base despite their limited catalog. Though the group hasn’t officially announced a breakup, they have been on hiatus for over a decade. Gibbons released her first solo project, “Lives Outgrown,” last year. She’s on the road through the end of the year both here and overseas. The tour stops in Philly at the Met Philadelphia.

Kronos Quartet

• Where: Penn Live Arts at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
• When: Sunday, March 30, 7 p.m.
• How much: $39 – $89

Founded in 1973 by violinist David Harrington, the innovative quartet has collaborated with diverse composers and artists, pushing the boundaries of classical music. Composer Terry Riley, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year, has written more than 30 works for the quartet including “The Gift,” “This Assortment of Atoms – One Time Only!” and “One Earth, One People, One Love,” so you will hear some of his music at their Annenberg concert. Thomas Schuttenhelm will lead a post-show talk on Network for New Music.

She’s Got Soul

• Where: Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St.
• When: Sunday, March 30, 3 p.m.
• How much: $51 – $121

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, this concert pays homage to some of music’s greatest female vocalists, including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Adele and Gladys Knight. A powerhouse singer in her own right (you’d have to be to represent that talented group!), Capathia Jenkins and the No Name Pops, under the direction of Lucas Waldin, perform a repertoire of the songs these women turned into classics.