Plan the perfect weekend with our picks.

Click here for ongoing events that run through the weekend, like all the museum exhibits.

All Weekend

‘CATS’

June 18—30

Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St.

 

One of the longest running Broadway musicals of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s spectacle CATS comes to Philly in its North American tour. Tickets available online, including weekend matinees.

All-American Cookout at Dilworth Park

June 19—23

1 S. 15^th St.

 

Summertime favorites will be served hot off the grill, while the Dilworth Park Café offers a variety of classic bites. Plus live music and DJ tracks, a pop-up beer garden, carnival games, contests and other activities are planned during this 5-day backyard bash.

Cirque du Soleil: Crystal

June 20–23

Wells  Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St.

 

The very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil, this show features world-class ice skaters and acrobats challenging the laws of gravity! Tickets available online.

Yokai Family Weekend at Shofuso

June 22—23

Shofuso, Horticultural and Lansdowne drives

 

Learn all about yokai in this all-ages weekend event at Shofuso! Families can participate in a scavenger hunt and collect trading cards of household objects come to life. Listen to tales of ogres, water imps, and goblins, craft a yokai to take home, and watch a movie.  All activities are free after regular admission.

Totally Turtles Weekend

June 22—23

Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

 

Celebrate all things turtle, tortoise, and terrapin with turtle races, crafts, Ninja Turtle face painting, and more!

Dino Days at Camden Children’s Garden

June 22—23, 1—4 pm

3 Riverside Drive, Camden NJ

 

Dig up fossils and do dinosaur crafts. Plus, kids who come dressed as a dinosaur will receive one dollar off of admission.

Parks on Tap: Campbell Square

June 19–23

2535 E. Allegheny Ave.

 

Our favorite family-friendly beer garden hits Port Richmond!

Delaware River Waterfront

The Blue Cross RiverRink, Spruce Street Harbor Park, and Cherry Street Pier open full-time for the summer this weekend with skating, rides, food, and lots more family fun.

Legally Blonde: The Musical

May 14–July 14

Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.

 

“Omigod, you guys!” This Broadway musical based on the movie is way too much fun! Follow Elle Woods from the sorority house to the courthouse with lots of upbeat music along the way.

Chinese Lantern Festival

May 1 — July 14

Franklin Square, 200 N. Sixth St.

 

The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival brings 2,000 individual works of art consisting of giant sculptures wrapped in colorful silk and filled with thousands of LED lights to Franklin Square. In addition to the lantern displays, there will also be cultural performances, from acrobatics to the art of face-changing. The Chinese Lantern Festival requires tickets during its nighttime display, but access to Franklin Square and the lanterns is free during the day. Check out our preview of the festival here!

Saturday

Drop-In Baby and Toddler Bubbles

June 22, 8—9 am

Fitness Alive, 1425 Arch St.,

 

Start your weekend off in the pool with this drop-in hour-long class for ages 5 months to 3 years (with a caregiver) that teaches little ones how to feel comfortable and move their bodies in the water, helping them build confidence while exploring new surroundings in a safe, fun and supervised setting. $25 (cash) drop-in.

Freedom Day at Please Touch Museum

June 22, 9 am—5 pm
4231 Avenue of the Republic

 

Join special storytimes to learn more about the end of slavery in the U.S. and this important day in history, create works of art, join a cooking demo, enjoy musical performances, and more! A kid-friendly reading of the Emancipation of Proclamation will take place at 1:30 pm with stories and songs as well.

CultureFEST: Summer Solstice Saturday

June 22, 10 am—5 pm

Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

 

Summer Solstice Saturday celebrates long summer days and hot summer nights with family-friendly activities such as outdoor yoga and drum circles. Make flower crowns and learn about the significance of the solstice across cultures.

Family Pride Day at the Franklin Institute

June 22, 10 am–3 pm

222 N. 20th St.

 

Throughout the day, beneath the rainbow lighting of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, experience live demonstrations related to visibility and the color spectrum. Plus, local artist Lauren Cat West and Franklin Institute science interpreter Paul Taylor collaborate to create a dynamic art installation that shows the rainbow of colors within the spectrum.

Caribbean Day at Reading Terminal Market

June 22, 10 am—2 pm

51 N. 12th St.

 

Celebrate Caribbean culture with music, dance, food demos, and face painting.

Kids@Play: Goat Day

June 22, 10 am—noon

Gold Star Park, 625 Wharton St.

 

The Philly Goat Project is visiting South Philly. Pet a goat, take a selfie with a goat, and join a goat parade around the neighborhood!

Schuylkill Saturday: Nature Exploration for Families

June 22, 10:30—11:30 am

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road

 

Gather in the Visitor Center before hitting the trails for a guided exploration. Each week explores a different theme. All ages welcome. No registration required.

Sculpture Zoo in Logan Circle

June 22, 11 am—2 pm

Swann Memorial Fountain, Logan Circle, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 19th Street

 

Swann Fountain comes to life with live animals, sculpture-making workshops and demonstrations, and free ice cream!

Theatre Exile presents ‘Whisper’s Gone’ by MJ Kaufman

June 22, 11 am and 5 pm

Hawthorne Park, 1200 Catherine St.

 

Bring a blanket, picnic, and loved one to attend a “Whisper’s Gone” performance at a neighborhood park near you. The family-friendly show is 55-minutes long and free to attend. This comedic and heartwarming story of a 9-year-old girl touches on family dynamics, divorce, growing up transgender, sibling loyalty, and, of course, time-travel! Look for this play to hit more parks next week!

Philly Family Pride Picnic and Arts Festival

June 22, 11 am—5 pm (Rain Date: June 23)
Lovett Library Park, 6945 Germantown Ave.

 

This event celebrates LGBTQ families and artists, and will have family-specific entertainment, fine art and handcraft, music, food, and resource tables from a variety of organizations and nonprofits that provide services and support to LGBTQ parents and youth. Admission is free and open to all ages, families, and community members.

Saturday Free Boating

June 22, 11 am—3 pm

Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd.

 

Kayak or rowboat on this quiet stretch of the Schuylkill River. No registration or boating experience necessary! Kayak excursions limited to 30 minutes, rowboat excursions limited to 45 minutes. All ages are welcome, minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Musicfest

June 22, noon–7 pm

Parade begins at 52nd and Jefferson streets; ends at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine streets) for the festival

 

The parade runs from noon-3 pm and will start at 52nd and Jefferson streets, to Malcolm X Park, where there will be a music festival. Performances start at 4 pm. If you can’t make it down to West Philly on June 22, tune into 6 ABC on Sunday, June 23 at 1 pm for the telecast!

Roxborough Roots Celebration

June 22, noon–6 pm

Roxborough Pocket Park, 6170 Ridge Ave.

 

Join the Philadelphia Folksong Society for an afternoon celebrating our musical roots with free live music, children’s music classes, and fun outdoor activities for the whole family.

Molestice

June 22, noon—8 pm

Mole Street, 100 N. Mole Street

 

Kick off summer with a free annual block party and music festival to celebrate the summer solstice including a mix of local music, tasty craft beers, Philadelphia’s favorite food trucks, and all-ages activities.

Teen Self-Care Saturday: Pride Edition

June 22, noon—2 pm

Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St.

 

Teens (ages 12-18) will explore topics including coping with coming out, finding local LGBTQIA resources, sharing tools and techniques that will help participants thrive when dealing with daily microaggressions and macroaggressions, and the emotional labor of supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ friends, partners, and peers.

Book Reading and Signing of “Being Edie is Hard Today” with Illustrator Elizabeth Bergeland

June 22, noon

Little Moon + Arrow, 729 S. Fourth St.

 

Local illustrator Elizabeth Bergeland will share her warm and tender story, and sign books after. Little Moon + Arrow will also be offering 20% off storewide during the event.

Midsommarfest at ASHM

June 22, 4—7 pm

American Swedish Historical Museum

 

Celebrate the arrival of summer and the 40th anniversary of the museum’s annual Midsommarfest with food, drinks, homemade Swedish pastries, music and maypole dancing, as well as free crafts and games for the kids.

Summer Solstice Celebration

June 22, 5—10 pm

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd.

 

Bring a lawn chair, grab some food, and enjoy food, live music, guided hikes, yoga, crafts, a movie, and more.

Movies in the Park: Inside Out

June 22, dusk

Columbus Square Park, 1200 Wharton St.

 

Thanks to grants from Fairmount Park Conservancy, neighborhood parks around the city will be transformed into outdoor movie theaters on summer nights. Movies are BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket) and begin at dusk. In case of rain, movies will be rescheduled by one week.

Sunday

Sundays with PopUp Play

June 23

11:30 am—12:30 pm at Spruce Street Harbor Park, 301 S. Columbus Blvd.

3–4 pm at Piazza Pod Park, 1069 Germantown Ave.

 

Each week, enjoy a variety of free, themed, kid-friendly activities the whole family will love. From building catapults and forts to special sea creatures, this interactive program celebrates the magic of play through art, music, and science.

Sensory-Friendly Sunday at National Constitution Center

June 23, noon—5 pm

525 Arch St.

 

Sensory-Friendly Sundays provide visitors with sensory processing challenges the opportunity to experience the museum in a secure and comfortable environment by providing emotionally safe spaces for families, modified programming for diverse sensory needs, and specialized staff training. Tickets available online.

PAFA Family Arts Academy

June 23, 2—4 pm

118-128 N. Broad St.

 

Make a portrait expressing your unique personality, beliefs and family traditions that will fit together into a giant puzzle celebrating all the shapes that families take in Philadelphia. Free, no registration required.

Tweens Only Emoji Cake Workshop

June 23, 2—3:30 pm

Ella Vanilla, 7922 Germantown Ave.

 

Noelle DeSantis, cake artist and owner of Ella Vanilla, will guide tweens (ages 9-13) in creating their own 4-inch vanilla cakes fully decorated with fondant, icing, and more. Purchase class by email at Info@EllaVanilla.com or by phone at (215) 909-9392.

SOSNA Summer Concert Series

June 23, 5—7 pm

Triangles at Grays Ferry, 2235 South St.

 

Enjoy live music, soft serve, and food trucks. This month, it’s jazz night!

 

 

Photograph by Laura Swartz.