Plan the perfect weekend with our picks.

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

All Weekend

Mermaids at Adventure Aquarium

November 2—10

1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ

 

Witness a mermaid swimming among the Shark Realm exhibit, and visit with a mermaid on dry-land during daily meet-and-greets. Plus, meet a pirate, do mermaid-themed crafts, and more. Enter our giveaway!!

Fall Festival Weekend at Piazza Pod Park

November 2–3

1069 Germantown Ave.

 

Enjoy music, food, and fall fun all weekend!

Billy Elliot

November 1—16

Narberth Community Theatre, 6376 City Avenue (corner of City Ave. and Lancaster Ave.)

 

Based on the hit film, and featuring a score by the legendary Elton John, Billy Elliot follows the journey of a young boy in a small British mining town who discovers his passion for dance!

You Belong in the Zoo: Member Appreciation Weekend

November 2—3, 10 am—2 pm

3400 W. Girard Ave.

 

Watch special animal feeding and enrichment sessions, and learn about your favorite animals from their keepers.

‘Hamilton’

August 27–November 17

Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St.

 

The Broadway sensation based on our ten dollar founding father is finally coming, so do not throw away your shot! Don’t have tickets? Enter the #HAM4HAM lottery! Still don’t have tickets? We rounded up ways to stay entertained with Hamilton-related activities in Philly until you do!

Candytopia

Now open through January 9

Ninth and Market streets

 

Coming to the new Fashion District, Candytopia brings its wildly popular experiential installation art to Philly this fall. Favorites—like the marshmallow pit filled with over 250,000 foam marshmallows, and the rainbow-filled room with flying unicorn pigs and confetti explosions—will be joined by Philly-specific elements. It’s Instagram heaven, and you even get to eat candy throughout the experience! Tickets are available online, where you can reserve your timeslot. Kids age 3 and under get in free!

Ghost Ship

October 4– November 3; Wednesdays through Sundays from 7–10 pm

Race Street Pier

 

This a 90-foot, three-dimensional, light and water installation on the Delaware River depicts a giant 18th-century ship apparition! The art is dynamic, affected by the weather, so you’ll get a different experience each time! To add to your spooky boat experience, access recorded reflections of local experts and artists speak to the river’s importance to Philadelphia with diverse stories from before colonization to the present day. For the duration of the installation, the creators of Parks on Tap have created the pop-up River Beer Garden at Race Street Pier. featuring Mainstay Independent Brewing Company beers and fall-themed food options; along with a festive outdoor space featuring lighting, comfortable chairs, and hammocks.

Saturday

Arden Bookworms

November 2, 10—10:45 am

Hamilton Family Arts Center, 62 N. Second Street

 

Preschoolers (age 2-4) will read Pass it On, then use theater games, music, and creative movement to bring the story to life. Pre-register online.

Hawthorne’s Great Harvest Cider and Beer Festival

November 2, 11 am—8 pm

738 S. 11th Street

 

This all-day, all-ages free block party takes place on 11th street in front of Hawthornes, from Fitzwater to Catharine. In addition to loads of tasty bites and over 75 ales, lagers, and ciders, the festivities will include a family fun zone, apple-bobbing competition, pie eating contest, live entertainment, DJs, and much more.

READ + MAKE: ‘Little Bear’s Big House’

November 2, 11 am—noon

Center / Architecture + Design, 1218 Arch St.

 

Read Little Bear’s Big House, then children and their guardians will collaborate on a spooky Halloween advent calendar to be used year after year! This workshop is best for kids ages 5-8 with a caregiver. Free, but pre-registration is required.

DESIGN + BUILD: Spooky Starlight

November 2, 1—2:30 pm

Center / Architecture + Design, 1218 Arch St.

 

Discover the lost art of motion lamps and how they come to life with only one incandesent lightbulb. In honor of the spooky season, design and build your own spooky starlight motion lamp to take home. Free, but pre-registration is required.

Día de los Muertos at Rosy’s Taco Bar

November 2, noon

2220 Walnut St.

 

Day of the Dead face painting and temporary tattoos with Fabulous Faces til 2 pm, then from 2—5 pm, Latin Ensemble performance with Magdaliz and Her Latin Ensemble Crisol.

Día de los Muertos Children’s Fair

November 2, 3:30 pm

Southwark School, 1835 S. Ninth St.

 

In the front yard of Southwark School, the fair will offer the broader community the opportunity to learn about Día de los Muertos traditions in a family-centered setting through a series of pop-up artmaking workshops. Then at 5 pm, the processional begins!

Día de los Muertos Celebration at LOVE Park

November 2, 4—6:30 pm

15^th and Arch streets

 

Enjoy an afternoon of cultural performances, crafts, and face-painting in celebration of Day of the Dead. Then at 6:30 pm, stick around for a screening of Coco!

Haunted River Cruise

November 2, 7:30 pm

Meet at 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.

 

This spooky 90-minute “Phantoms of the River” tour is narrated by a pirate telling spooky tales of the “haunted” Delaware River. Tickets available online.

Sunday

Play Without Boundaries at Please Touch Museum

November 3, 9—11 am

4231 Avenue of the Republic

 

Enjoy the museum without the large crowds and the loud noises that may be challenging for children with sensory sensitivities. Plus, therapy dogs, dance therapy, and visits from more helpful organizations. Online registration required.

Family Festival: Family Futures

November 3, 10 am—3 pm

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

 

A day dedicated to exploring how design shapes modern—and future—families. Pay-what-you-wish admission, family tours, art-making, and more. At 11 am and 1 pm, talk about birth, feeding, reproductive justice, family leave, and more with designer Alexis Hope and community midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, and public-health leaders. At noon, parents with babies are invited to a breastfeeding awareness and empowerment gathering.

PECO Free First Sunday Family Day at the Barnes Foundation

November 3, 10 am—5 pm

Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

 

Enjoy a free day of family fun, filled with art-making, performance, and cultural voices.

Art and Storytelling at Woodmere Art Museum

November 3, 11 am—noon

9201 Germantown Ave.

 

Introduce your preschoolers to the enjoyment of art through stories and artmaking. Young visitors and their grown-ups enjoy reading picture books in the galleries, followed by an art project.

Liberty Lands Family Fall Fest

November 3, 11:30 am—2:30 pm

913 N. Third St.

 

This annual event features live entertainment, interactive demonstrations from local organizations, a costume parade, food and drink for purchase, and more.

Sundays on Stage: Traditions of Chinese Acrobatics

November 3, 2 pm

Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St.

 

In this free, mesmerizing one-woman show, Li Liu performs hand balancing, plate spinning, artistic cycling, ribbon dancing, diabolo, and juggling.

PAFA Family Art Academy

November 3, 2—4 pm

PAFA, 118-128 N. Broad St.

 

Create gorgeous waterways and seascapes using a marbling process to blend water and ink into images that are vibrant and colorful. Free admission.

Cake Workshop: Mommy and Me Autumn Tree

November 3, 2—3:30 pm

Ella Vanilla, 7922 Germantown Ave.

 

Decorate a fun cake with cake artist and owner of Ella Vanilla, Noelle DeSantis. Kids ages 5 to 8 and their parent will decorate one 6-inch vanilla cake with vanilla icing in a fun fall theme. Purchase class by emailing Info@EllaVanilla.com or calling (215) 909-9392.

 

 

Photograph courtesy of Adventure Aquarium.