The Jonas Brothers, ‘Mamma Mia!,’ spooky-season openings and more in this week’s ‘Things to Do’

Design Philadelphia kicks off Thursday with over 100 events dedicated to design from multiple disciplines. Reel October also opens at the Philadelphia Film Center, launching a month of 35mm screenings running to the Philadelphia Film Festival. On Friday, the emphasis shifts to music as the Delaware Symphony Orchestra performs Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances at The Grand Opera House. V. Shayne Frederick leads a John Coltrane centennial tribute at the Barnes Foundation and the Jonas Brothers bring their Burning Up Tour: All Over Again to Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Saturday, the Collingswood Book Festival takes place over six blocks of Haddon Avenue in South Jersey. In Philly, the Revolutionary Germantown Festival brings history to life with reenactors and activations. Spooky season also causes a fright Friday and Saturday with new haunted house openings, and on Sunday, multiple fall festivals take over the city and suburbs.

Delaware

Symphonic Dances

• Where: The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m.
• How much: $35 and up

In 1940, near the end of his life, Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his final major composition in the United States. It premiered in 1941 with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, but critics were unmoved. Over time, though, it became known as one of the Russian composer’s greatest works. The Delaware Symphony Orchestra production, led by music director Michelle Di Russo, features Chaeyoung Park on piano and includes compositions by Tower, Berlioz and Ravel before closing with Rachmaninoff.

---

New Jersey

‘Death of a Salesman’

• Where: Levoy Theatre, 126–130 N. High St., Millville, N.J.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2 p.m., 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4, 3 p.m.
• How much: $23–$30

Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1949 drama follows Willy Loman, an aging salesman confronting the gap between his expectations and his reality. After its Broadway premiere under director Elia Kazan, it was immediately recognized as a defining work of American theater, with themes that remain relevant. This production is part of the Levoy Theatre’s Broadway series, which brings “Annie” to the stage in November.

Sips Undersea: Harvest with the Hippos

• Where: Adventure Aquarium, 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, N.J.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 5–9 p.m.
• How much: $44.99–$125

In their native Africa, hippos are known as the most dangerous mammals on earth. Now that you have that fun fact, be advised that Adventure Aquarium’s resident hippos, Genny and Button, are safely behind glass. They’re a highlight of Sips Undersea, which turns the attraction into a unique date night with a 21+ after-hours experience blending lighting, music, themed cocktails and seasonal visuals.

Collingswood Book Festival

• Where: Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, N.J.
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• How much: Free, pay as you go

Now in its 24th year, the festival is a free celebration of reading and literacy, including author talks, book signings, poetry readings, workshops, children’s programming and live literary-themed performances. Held over six blocks of Haddon Avenue, it features more than 60 presenting authors alongside roughly 275 additional writers, publishers and exhibitors. Featured authors include Jeannine A. Cook, proprietor of Harriet’s Bookshop, whose new memoir “Shut Up and Read” came out earlier this year.

Fall New Jersey Jeep Invasion

• Where: Ocean City, N.J. boardwalk between 5th and 14th streets
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, noon to 5 p.m.
• How much: Free for spectators

If you’re a Jeep driver or just a fan of the classic American vehicle,  you’ll be happy to know a car show and competition is happening in South Jersey. On Saturday, bring your Jeep or just your appreciation for the brand first made as military vehicles. The Jeep Wrangler, in particular, is the most customized car in the world, so imagine what variety of aftermarket bedazzling its owners will show up with.

---

Special Events

Festivals Roundup

• Where: Multiple venues
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1 to Sunday, Oct. 4
• How much: Various prices

Rain has derailed multiple festivals this summer. Fortunately, this weekend’s forecast is leaning toward a beautiful fall weekend (fingers crossed), so the following fests should go on as planned.

• Chestnut Hill Night of Lights: The annual event highlights local retailers and a holiday lighting display.
• Cityside Pumpkin Patch: Liberty Point adds a pumpkin patch with food and activities by the Delaware River.
• Mid-Autumn Festival: The rescheduled Asian-themed fest in Chinatown includes food, music and dance performances.
• Heart of Kensington Creates Art Crawl: A family-friendly art-filled tour through Kensington with activities included
• Newtown Market Day: Reenactments, vendors, food and music at the annual celebration of the historic market day
• Roxtoberfest: Dress up the dog and grab your fraulein for this German-inspired neighborhood festival.
• Mt. Airy Arts Festival: Celebrate, create and purchase art at the annual community arts fest.
• None Such Farm & Market 2026 Pumpkin Festival: It’s pumpkin pickin’ time at the Bucks County farm.
• St. Nicholas of Tolentine Italian Festival: Porchetta, pasta, cannoli, and The New York Tenors will be at the annual South Philly fest.
• Downingtown Fall Fest: Ring in fall at this suburban festival.
• State Street Fall Festival: Almost 200 vendors will be on hand at this fall fest in Media.
• Fall Harvest & Great Pumpkin Patch: Fall-themed activities and a free pumpkin in Villanova

Spooky Season Roundup

• Where: Multiple venues
• When: Most through Sunday, Nov. 1
• How much: Various prices

It’s spooky season. How did we get here so fast? More haunted house openings are happening this week, including Eastern State Penitentiary and South Philly’s cavernous Fright Factory.

• Spooky Mini-Golf: Franklin Square’s annual family-fun event on the mini-golf course
• Fright Factory: One of the largest haunted house attractions in the area
• Halloween Nights: Eastern State Penitentiary opens its Halloween-themed doors for the spooky season.
• The Pumpkin Press Speakeasy at Newsroom: The Northern Liberties hotspot adds immersive Halloween decor, food and drinks for the season.

Design Philadelphia

• Where: Multiple venues
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1 to Sunday, Oct. 11
• How much: Various prices

The citywide fest dedicated to all things design includes more than 100 exhibitions, installations, talks, workshops and public activations, highlighting architecture, urban planning, fashion, product design, graphic design and more. This year’s programming includes large-scale, city-spanning projects such as “A People’s Philly,” “The Architecture of Us,” and activations at public transportation sites, including Suburban Station and Walnut-Locust Concourse in partnership with SEPTA.

Out and About in Manyunk

• Where: Gay Street, Manyunk
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• How much: Free, pay as you go

Manayunk’s annual National Coming Out Day transforms Gay Street and the surrounding blocks into an LGBT community fest. Programming opens with a free morning group run, then moves into drag story time hosted by Brittany Lynn, an open-air drag show featuring Philly Drag Mafia, and a karaoke dance party. After sundown, the Venice Island Performing Arts Center hosts a screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” by Transylvanian Nipple Productions, a troupe that has been performing the cult classic since 1997.

Black-Tie GayBINGO!

• Where: Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St.
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m.
• How much: $200 and up; tickets available via call-in only or potentially at the door.

Get ready, get set for a formal, one-night extension of Philadelphia’s long-running monthly GayBINGO! Series. The campy drag-hosted bingo fundraiser supports HIV/AIDS services at Action Wellness, a longtime LGBT community service organization. The series pairs traditional bingo with performance art, comedy and community fundraising led by the Bingo Verifying Divas, a rotating cast of drag performers.

Revolutionary Germantown Festival

• Where: Cliveden of the National Trust, 6401 Germantown Ave.
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• How much: Free

The Battle of Germantown was partially fought on Cliveden grounds, which hosts a living history lesson in the form of a festival. Stations feature British and Continental soldier reenactors, blacksmithing, candle dipping, paper making, basket weaving and storytelling from figures who “lived” through the occupation of Philadelphia. Outdoor programming includes court-martial reenactments, music, food vendors and community partners at nearby historic sites along Germantown Avenue.

Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association Championship

• Where: Headhouse Plaza, South 2nd Street
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 1–4 p.m.
• How much: Free for spectators

Given the city’s ratio of cars to parking spaces, knowing how to parallel park is essential. The Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association Championship has drivers compete to claim bragging rights as the city’s best parallel parker. The competition unfolds across three challenges: precision, or getting closest to the curb in a single attempt; accuracy, or navigating a tight space in the fewest moves; and composure, or staying cool while facing distractions under pressure. Twenty contestants have already been selected, and you can cheer them on — or add to the pressure by heckling them the way you would if they were taking way too long to park in front of you.

20th Annual Mutt Strut

• Where: Philadelphia Navy Yard, 4747 N. Broad St.
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• How much: Registration $25 and up

The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society hosts the 20th Annual Mutt Strut, bringing dog lovers to the Navy Yard for a 1.5-mile group walk and fall festival. The event includes a full slate of activities: agility courses, costume contests, adoptable dogs and “Ask the Vet” and “Ask the Trainer” stations. For pet parents, there’s live music, food trucks and a beer garden. PAWS is working to make Philadelphia a no-kill city, and this fundraiser helps that effort.

Boo @ The Zoo

• Where: Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave.
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3 to Sunday, Nov. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• How much: $24–$31

Designed as a family-friendly Halloween event, Boo @ The Zoo encourages kids in costumes to “trick or treat” throughout the property.  They can also participate in interactive features like pumpkin feedings for animals, pop-up educational programs on misunderstood species and seasonal activations, including a decorated train ride, costume contests and Halloween-themed installations. Note: No costumes with guns, weapons, or adult masks allowed, so we’re guessing no lightsabers, either.

---

Arts & Culture

‘Mamma Mia!’

• Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St.
• When: Through Sunday, Oct. 4
• How much: $37–$156

A global Broadway hit built entirely from ABBA’s catalog, this jukebox musical first premiered in London in 1999. Since then, it’s been a massive worldwide hit, spawning a 2008 movie and sequel starring Meryl Streep. The production tells the story of a young woman preparing for her wedding as she invites three possible fathers to her Greek island ceremony, unfolding through some of ABBA’s greatest hits.

‘Girl From the North Country’

• Where: Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St.
• When: Through Sunday, Oct. 25
• How much: $47–$72

A Tony Award-winning musical by Conor McPherson, the production reimagines Bob Dylan songs. Dylan approached the Irish playwright thinking he might craft a story around his music that wasn’t a traditional “jukebox” biography. Set in 1930s America, the story unfolds through a rotating ensemble of intertwined characters, underscored by live performances of Dylan classics like “Forever Young,” “Hurricane” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Collective Futures Launch Party

• Where: Star|Bolt, 1936 N. Front St.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m.
• How much: Free, with registration

A citywide, six-week project from Collective Futures showcases more than 30 artist-run spaces, DIY venues and community-based organizations across Philadelphia, unfolding through exhibitions, performances, workshops and public programs from early October through mid-November. Thursday’s kickoff gathering will bring artists, curators and cultural organizers together to preview the participating exhibitions and amplify the spaces involved in the initiative.

‘Murder for Two’

• Where: Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media, Pa.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1 to Sunday, Oct. 18
• How much: $27–$47

The production may be a two-hander, but don’t let that fool you. There are a lot of characters in this comedic murder mystery musical. Written by actors Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, the show stars Kinosian as the investigating police officer, while the two actors rotate through the roles of all the suspects.

The show premiered off-Broadway in 2013 and quickly became a regional theater favorite.

‘Big Babies’

• Where: Arden Theatre, 62 N. 2nd St.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 11
• How much: $16.30–$52

Dinner parties gone wrong are a common theme in TV, films and theater lately. Playwrights Kate Brennan and David Lee White bring their unique take in a production that centers on a couple hosting their first adult dinner party since having a baby, only for the evening to unravel into chaos. Pier Players, a Delco-based theater company, focuses on developing new, intimate actor-driven works. Deborah Lynn Meier directs, with production by Chelsea Cylinder.

Reel October

• Where: Philadelphia Film Center, 1412 Chestnut St.
• When: Through Sunday, Oct. 11
• How much: $14–$30

A month-long celebration from Philadelphia Film Society is this year’s run-up to the Philadelphia Film Festival. It brings a curated slate of 35mm screenings and programming marking both the 35th anniversary of the Philadelphia Film Festival and the organization’s 25th anniversary. The series opens with two weeks of classic, influential and rarely screened films projected on 35mm, followed by the Philadelphia Film Festival starting Oct. 17.

---

Kids

Make Some Noise: Family Festival

• Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• When: Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• How much: Pay what you wish

A family-friendly museum takeover combines hands-on art projects with a day of bilingual music, maker stations and live performance tied to Hispanic Heritage Month. Young visitors can design and play their own castanets, meet artist Linda Fernandez and create symbolic tiles. An interactive Spanish-English music session led by Caterine Pimiento helps young learners connect the two, before a mariachi performance featuring Esmeralda LaCor.

---

Food & Drink

Dine Latino

• Where: Multiple locations
• When: Sunday, Oct. 4 to Saturday, Oct. 10
• How much: Various prices

The Hispanic Heritage Month iteration of the long-running dining promotion highlights Latino-owned restaurants specializing in Mexican, Caribbean, Central and South American cuisines through a prix-fixe three-course menu and free appetizers and desserts. Participating kitchens include Chef Cristina Martinez’s Casa Mexico in the Italian Market, Mamajuana Cafe in Northern Liberties and Colombian favorite Tierra Colombiana in Hunting Park, along with spots like Puyero, Bar Bombón and Mucho Peru.

---

Sports

Philadelphia Cup Regatta 2026

• Where: Delaware River Waterfront
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• How much: Free for spectators

Sailboats from across the region converge on the Delaware River for a day of close-quarters racing. Fleets range from dinghies like Lasers and Sunfish to larger keelboats, all competing in short-course heats visible from multiple points along the waterfront. Hosted by a trio of historic local sailing clubs, the regatta blends competition with a waterfront gathering culminating in an awards ceremony and post-race reception near the Independence Seaport Museum. Best place to watch: Cherry Street Pier.

---

Music

Logic & G-Eazy: The Endless Summer Tour With Juicy J

• Where: Highmark Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Ave.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m.
• How much: $37.50 and up

Logic and G-Eazy reunite for a co-headlining tour a decade after they first combined forces in 2016. Logic, the Grammy-nominated artist known for albums like “Under Pressure,” “The Incredible True Story” and “Everybody,” ignited a national conversation about mental health with his multi-platinum hit  “1-800-273-8255.” G-Eazy rose from Bay Area mixtape circuits to mainstream success with “These Things Happen” and “When It’s Dark Out,” building a catalog that includes collaborations with artists like Kehlani, Cardi B and Halsey. Juicy J joins them on select dates, including their stop tonight at the Highmark Mann in Philly.

Lady Alma

• Where: The Lawn at uCity Square, 3701 Filbert St.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 5–8 p.m.
• How much: Free

Philly’s house music queen Lady Alma brings her patented brand of joy to University City in a show rescheduled from earlier in the year. Whatever mood you come to her performance with, expect it to be amplified or improved after seeing her live. And if you live and die by the Eagles, Alma hosts watch parties at Two Locals, right up the street from the Lawn, every Eagles game day or night.

The Jonas Brothers: The Burning Up Tour All Over Again

• Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly Wells Fargo Arena), 3601 S. Broad St.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m.
• How much: $65 and up

The Jonas Brothers’ 2026 arena tour brings the trio to Philadelphia as part of a North American run. The brothers from Wyckoff, New Jersey, broke through in the late 2000s through Disney Channel projects like “Camp Rock” and “JONAS.” After going their separate ways in 2013, the brothers reunited in 2019 with the single “Sucker,” marking their first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their most recent release, “Greetings From Your Hometown,” came out in 2025.

First Friday: V. Shayne Frederick – Coltrane 100

• Where: Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 6–9 p.m.
• How much: $35

Philadelphia vocalist and pianist V. Shayne Frederick leads a tribute to John Coltrane on the 100th anniversary of the jazz legend’s birth. Long regarded as one of Philly’s standout jazz interpreters, Frederick will play two sets with his quintet that weaves Coltrane’s influence through reimagined arrangements and improvisation as part of the museum’s First Friday event programming.

Beabadoobee: The Power Lines Tour

• Where: The Liacouris Center, 1776 N. Broad St.
• When: Friday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m.
• How much: $51 and up

Beabadoobee brings her Powerlines Tour to Philly behind “Pylon,” her fourth studio album featuring Hayley Williams, Deftones’ Chino Moreno, Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall (with production from Matty Healy of the 1975 and George Daniel). The British indie artist went from social media to recording music after she was expelled from a fancy British school for “misfit behavior.” Since breaking out in 2017 with the YouTube hit “Coffee,” she’s earned industry accolades from the BBC, a Brit Awards Rising Star and opened for Taylor Swift before now headlining her own tour.

Evil Genius 15th Anniversary Music Fest

• Where: Evil Genius Beer Company, 1727 N. Front St. The fest spans Front Street from Cecil B. Moore to Palmer Street, and Palmer Street from Front Street to Blair Street
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• How much: Free, pay as you go

The all-ages event turns several blocks of Fishtown into a neighborhood music festival with 10 hours of live local and national acts capped by headliner Wheatus, outdoor food and drink from nearby eateries, and a market of roughly fifty local makers. Produced by Evil Genius Beer Company to mark the brewery’s 15th anniversary, the party features two exclusive beer releases — a maple-chili barleywine called Get in My Belly and a birthday cake–conditioned 15-hop IPA called Look at This Photograph.