Saturdays just got more interesting.
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Flavor Flav of Public Enemy performs during Riot Fest on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Douglass Park in Chicago. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
As you head out the door this weekend, send up a quick thank you to the weather gods for their favor and to event organizers for the variety of options.
On Saturday at the Delaware Art Museum is the second annual Hip-Hop Cultural Summit hosted by allhiphop.com, featuring special guest Flavor Flav. Al Roker is also in Wilmington Friday night to support his new cookbook. The weatherman turned co-cookbook author is a meat eater — and many recipes reflect that — but Vegan Restaurant Week in Philly has something for the plant-based foodies.
South Jersey enjoys a Haunted Weekend in Haddon Township, while across the bridge, there’s a two-day schedule of Haunted Circus events at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. Filipino American History Month is celebrated on Saturday during Taste of the Philippines at Cherry Street Pier. And music lovers can choose two tribute bands, Frankie Beverly and Queen, or two bands known for their genre-bending music, Time for Three and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Delaware | New Jersey | Special Events | Arts & Culture | Outdoors | Kids | Food & Drink | Music
Delaware natives Grouchy Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur created the website allhiphop.com 26 years ago, unknowingly setting them on a path as part of the genre’s zeitgeist. This weekend, they host the second annual summit that includes special guests Flavor Flav and Pam Africa and an exhibit showcasing the work of hip-hop photographer T. Eric Monroe.
Al Roker and his oldest daughter, chef Courtney Roker Laga, collaborated on a new cookbook, “Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion.” Al will be in town to promote and sign it, and afterward, Chef Justin Womack, owner and executive chef at Wilmington’s Oath ‘84, will host a tasting based on recipes in the book.
Haddon Township is celebrating Halloween with a series of events. On Friday, a free Spooky Movie Night screening of “The Addams Family.” On Saturday, the township hosts the Haunted Haddon Market, which offers fire pits, a beer garden, a trick-or-treating event, spooky vendors and more, including a Brews and Boos Pub Crawl with free jitney rides to and from the bars.
It’s spooky circus time as the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts embraces the holiday with three events over two days. First is the Kids Haunted Circus on Friday night, incorporating an “Intro to Circus” workshop. On Saturday, there’s the Family Haunted Circus in the afternoon and the Adults Only Haunted Circus at night, which requires you to leave your inhibitions at the door.
Celebrate the fall season and its wonderful weather (so far) at this neighborhood fall festival, which brings arts and crafts vendors, trick or treating and discounts on food and drink to South Philly. Live music and pumpkin carving are on deck as well.
October is Filipino American History Month, commemorating the month when Filipinos were first documented in the continental United States in 1587. The festival features musicians, dancers, food and a marketplace where you can buy items from Filipino vendors and businesses.
An actress in need of a part encounters a casting director just about to pack it up for the day. Their interaction is the basis of “Venus in Fur” as the power dynamic takes a comedic turn in this play The New York Times called “seriously smart.” (Note, while Bristol Riverside Theatre is undergoing reservations, their productions will be staged at a smaller space half a mile away.)
West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company has been a staple in the community for two decades. Their latest production is the story of what happens when four white teachers decide to put on — what they think is — a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving play at their elementary school. Their challenge is exacerbated by the fact they have no Native American representation or any clue how it should really go.
Artist Mark Rothko achieved great success in his lifetime but after his passing, the value of his paintings grew to multiple millions of dollars. In the Tony-winning play “Red,” set during the creation of Rothko’s Seagram murals, he and his assistant clash as Rothko treads the thin line between art and commerce.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage puts her award-winning pen to good use in her latest play, “Intimate Apparel.” Set in 1905, lingerie seamstress Esther Mills learns about the trials and triumphs of her clients as she longs for a more exciting narrative in her own life.
The annual Day of the Dead celebration happens locally at Penn Museum as part of its CultureFest! series. The event promises music, dance and a marketplace, along with a large ofrenda, or offerings, installation, which references the altars created to honor loved ones who have passed on.
The annual regatta, founded in 1970, has grown to be one of the largest in the world necessitating its expansion to a two-day event. The distance races now encompass high school, college, alumni, masters and adaptive competitions. The best place to watch is the Grandstand on Kelly Drive if you can get there early.
The Philly Art Center hosts two Halloween festivals; one in the city and the other at its South Jersey location. You’ll find make-and-take art stations, baby activity zones and treats at both locations. In Philly, there’s also a parade, with Positive Movement Drumline and partner Eastern State Penitentiary. Costumes are welcomed at both locations, but not mandatory.
Despite its deserved reputation as a carnivore’s delight, Philadelphia has a long history of veganism, with takeout, restaurant and even grocery store offerings. During Vegan Restaurant Week, participating vegan eateries and those with vegan options offer discounts and special menus.
A longtime staple in Asian countries, night markets are quickly becoming a mainstay in the U.S. There have been several throughout the year, but the fall version is heading to South Street. The US Night Market, put together by Odunde CEO Oshunbumi Fernandez-West, includes both kids and dogs costume contests, dance performances by multicultural troupes from around the area, and, of course, food. West says the goal is to bring together people from Philadelphia’s diverse backgrounds.
Performances by Dustin Douglas and The Electric Gentlemen, Drayton Farley and Mikey Junior anchor the Philly Rhythm and Hops Festival. Your ticket includes five hours of unlimited sampling and two 16-ounce pours.
The week-long Philly Music Fest winds up with performances by Cadre Noir, Amos Lee, Queasy, The Tisburys, Emily Drinker and Marshall Allen, among others, at World Cafe Live, Underground Arts, Milkboy and Solar Myth.
The heyday of the big band swing era took a heavy loss in 1944 after the death of Glenn Miller, one of its founding fathers. But the sound and The Glenn Miller Orchestra persevered with various lineups in the decades since and it comes to the Philly burbs tonight.
Frankie Beverly and Maze were staples on the Black touring scene for decades playing sellout audiences without a current recording. But when you craft a cookout staple like “Before I Let Go,” you don’t need one. Beverly passed away earlier this year shortly after a street in his native Germantown was renamed in his honor. The Beverly tribute band We Are One X-Perience endeavors to extend Beverly’s legacy with a tour stop in his hometown.
Two-time Grammy winners “Time for Three” perform with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra to help celebrate its centennial. The trio is known for their contemporary take on classic music, with lengthy energetic jams across genres. At this concert, they’ll be playing Prokofiev, Higdon and Sibelius under the direction of Osmo Vänskä.
“Queen” and its fiery frontman Freddie Mercury made a lot of music, but are best known for three songs: the anthems “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” and their juggernaut, genre-defying classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The tribute band “Almost Queen” is certain to play them all at their Philly tour stop.
After airing the PBS special “Gospel Live!” with Dr. Henry Louis Gates at the helm (an addition to its four-hour gospel documentary) the response was so overwhelming that WHYY decided to create a gospel music competition. Local vocalists, ensembles and choirs responded and the winner will be determined on Saturday at the Keswick Theatre. Niecey Tribbett, Laurin Talese and Byron Cage are among the celebrity judges.
Co-founded by North Philly native Carol Maillard, Sweet Honey in the Rock celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. The a cappella group is known for its musicianship and activism, performing globally (and for presidents, including Barack Obama) and spreading a message of love and liberation with varying lineups over the years. They make their Philly tour stop on Sunday.
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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