As we all buzz back into town from our summer adventures, the ninth annual Philadelphia Honey Festival— from September 7 through September 9– makes that return a little sweeter with three days of bee-related activities at three different historic locations in the city. The festival has fun for all ages, with honey sampling, beekeeping demos and talks, music, children’s activities, food and adult beverages, vendors, and more.

“Honey Festival is a Philadelphia tradition that kicks off the fall season in our region. Everyone is back from the shore, and it’s a beautiful time to get outside and celebrate nature,” said Kathy May, beekeeper and member of the festival’s planning committee. “This festival really is the bees’ knees, and we look forward to seeing you!”

The festival kicks off September 7 from 5 to 9 pm at Glen Foerd on the Delaware (Grant Avenue and Milnor Street), with lawn games, vendors, bee demonstrations, honey extractions, and a “bee beard” demonstration with Don Shump of the Philadelphia Bee Company!

Saturday, September 8, features a full day of fun and learning at the Wyck historic home (6026 Germantown Ave.) from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be tours of the historic house, honey extraction, open hive demonstrations, cider pressing, vendors, food trucks, and more. For kids, there will be ongoing educational and fun bee-themed activities from 11 am to 3 pm in the shaded area close to the carriage house. Teens and up who like to game can try out Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer, which runs players through a year of managing a wild bee hive, under the guidance of the game’s designer Matt Shoemaker. And if you missed Don Shump and his bee beard on Friday, he’ll be at Wyck on Saturday, too!

Bartram’s Garden (54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard) wraps up the Honey Festival from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, September 9, with a children’s carnival, including two bee parades throughout the day—don’t worry, you can make your costumes in the kids’ area beforehand! The Free Library will be on site with the Book Bike, kids’ yoga, and stories until 3 pm. At 2:30 pm, kids can delight in “Land On Me,” about a honeybee and the flower who is afraid of her. Game designer Matt Shoemaker will be back, too, so teens and up who missed out on Saturday can play Bee Lives. Visitors of all ages can take in some live 1920s music by the Red Hot Ramblers. And grownups will enjoy a marketplace with beer making demonstrations by Philly Homebrew Outlet. If you get hungry, there will be some Philly-favorite food trucks on site: The Tot Cart, Revolution Taco, Lil’ Pop Shop, and Farm Truck Philly. Bartram’s will also offer free boating on the Schuylkill River from 11 am to 3 pm. And finally, it’s your last chance to see some bee bearding by—you guessed it—Don Shump!

Bartram’s Garden Executive Director Maitreyi Roy sums it up, “Philadelphia Honey Fest is a fun family event, and it also shares the importance of stewarding our natural environment so we can ensure that our native bee population thrives.”  Whether you’re coming to learn or just to have some outdoor weekend fun, it’s also a great way to appreciate the historic sites throughout our city.

Photographs courtesy of Philadelphia Honey Festival.

Gwyneth K. Shaw contributed to this report.