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🌱 Billy Penn’s guide to spring
🎤 Philly Record Store Guide
🛍️ Thrifty in Philly guide
📚 Book lovers’ guide to Philly
⚽ Billy Penn’s FIFA World Cup Guide
🍹 Non-alcoholic Philly
🏃🏽 Philly Runners Guide
Note: this list will be updated throughout the week.
Monday, April 20
2nd Annual Vegan Mac&Cheese Bake-Off – (4:20 to 8:20 p.m.)
Eating and voting begins at 5:30 p.m., with winners in categories of traditional, innovative and dessert announced at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds go to Food Not Bombs chapters in Philadelphia. At the Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street.
One Art Annual 420 – (4:20 to 10 p.m.)
Music, farm to table food, a vendor village, painting and crafts, sunset yoga in the garden, and general good energy, plus live reggae performances. $23.18 tickets.
Budget 201: Advocacy with Transit Forward Philadelphia – (5:30 to 7 p.m.)
Join the People’s Budget Office at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Transit Forward Philly offices for a day of action training where we’ll equip you with the skills needed to become a more effective advocate for public transit.
Earth Day Activity & Movie Night – (5:30 to 9 p.m.)
An Earth Day planting activity led by the Land Health Institute at the new Community Garden at Keystone and Longshore in Tacony + A screening of The Lorax! Movie begins shortly after 7 p.m. Pizza provided. BYO chair or blanket.
Tuesday, April 21
WHYY’s ‘We the People’: Revolutions for Everyone – (5:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
In celebration of America’s 250th, WHYY and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies invite you to a conversation at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts on the unique and overlapping themes of the American Revolution, French Revolution and Haitian Revolution. Set against a new exhibition on the Haitian and French Revolutions, this program brings historians and community members together to examine how these transformative movements reshaped notions of freedom, citizenship, and belonging 250 years ago—and continue to resonate today. Also features: a live Haitian musical performance and guided tours of rare artifacts. Free to register.
Workshop: Dance like a Fancy Brigade – (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
Come together in a group dance in the style of a Mummer Fancy Brigade performance, and get a taste for what it takes to put on a show like they do at the Convention Center on New Year’s Day. At the Mummers Museum. Free registration.
Wednesday, April 22
The Librarians Film Screening – (5:30 to 8:30 p.m.)
Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, this documentary explores the broader implications for education and public life. At Parkway Central Library. Hosted by WHYY’s Bridging Blocks & The Free Library. Free registration.
Heathers – A Live Reading – (7 to 9 p.m.)
Theatre Contra is taking this cult-classic script of teen angst, croquet, and casual homicide and performing it live. Get ready for a night of savage one-liners, color-coded tyranny, and a love story so toxic it should come with a hazmat warning. At the Trestle Inn in Callowhill. Pay-what-you-want tickets.
Thursday, April 23
Dining Out For Life
Dine out at a participating location and a percentage of your bill will be donated to a local HIV service organization. Here in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, proceeds go directly towards Action Wellness and help fund life-sustaining programs. See the full list of restaurants here.
Justice 101: Prison Gerrymandering – (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
Join Eastern State Penitentiary for a conversation on prison gerrymandering, a practice that distorts our democratic process and dilutes the political power of communities across the nation. In this discussion, examine how the current method of counting incarcerated people for representational purposes, often in rural, non-resident districts, allows for the manipulation of political power. Free registration in-person, via Zoom and via YouTube.
Friday, April 24
Tattooed Mom 29th anniversary Themed Art Show – (5 p.m. to 2 a.m.)
A one-night-only party and open call art show featuring TMoms-inspired works! 21+ w/ valid ID only, however artists of all ages are encouraged to submit. Free.
Black Box Presents: Art in Action with Asian Americans United – (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.)
A screening of video works exploring community organizing, migration histories, and the ongoing impacts of U.S. imperialism across Asian American communities in Philadelphia and beyond. Feat. the “Wrecking Ball” music video produced by the Save Chinatown Coalition; “Episode 4: Taking Root on Washington Ave” from a community-produced documentary series amplifying the stories of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugee communities in Philadelphia following the U.S. wars in Southeast Asia; and “Flora After” by Brandon Aquino Straus, which examines how traces of U.S. colonial rule in the Philippines persist within Philadelphia’s institutional archives. + A panel discussion with Lan Dinh, Debbie Wei, and Sonia Mak. Free at Vox Populi.
Saturday, April 25
Liberty Lands Playground Opening – (1 to 3 p.m.)
Enjoy the official opening of a new green space in Northern Liberties.
Sunday, April 26
Flavors on the Avenue – (12 to 5 p.m.)
Back for its 16th year on East Passyunk Avenue, this event transforms five blocks — from Broad Street to Dickinson Street — into the ultimate foodie street festival. See the map here.
Through April
Through Thursday, April 23: Philadelphia Film Society’s annual SpringFest
SpringFest returns with double the screens for an even bigger and vibrant seven days of storytelling from a dynamic slate of new voices and bold stories featuring global to local Philadelphia filmmakers, queer stories and more. A mix of first taste, film premieres, filmmaker conversations, and community-focused events. At the Film Society East. Various times and ticket prices.
Confluence Film Festival – (5:30 to 8 p.m.)
A month-long environmental film series held each April in celebration of Earth Month, with screenings every Thursday evening. This year’s theme is “Seeding the Future.” $10 tickets.
Through June 9
Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Talking, Launch Celebration – (2 to 5 p.m.)
The exhibition features 19 public art poems by Germantown community members about healing from the impacts of gun violence. Celebrate these poets with remarks, food, poetry activations, guided tours, and community. At the Friends Free Library (5418 Germantown Ave) and Ubuntu Fine Art (5423 Germantown Ave), directly across the street from each other. Art includes a collage poster series, video installations, augmented reality constellations, interactive floral offerings, a stained glass panel installation on a SEPTA bus shelter, a wrapped SEPTA bus, and more.
Occasional Saturdays through July 11
El Mercado Cultural at Cherry Street Pier – (11 a.m. to 5 p.m)
A series of spring and summer markets presented in collaboration with Fleisher Art Memorial. Shop from vendors, savor tasty bites, and enjoy the rotating entertainment. April 18, May 30 and July 11.
