This week we have the best things to do in Philly, figuratively and literally. Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly Party is this week, and it is not to be missed.
It’s also Queen Village Restaurant Week, so eat up to store energy for all the festivals in town: BlackStar Film Festival, the Academy of Natural Sciences Bug Fest, African Culture Fest at the Zoo, and Port Richmond Pierogi Fest.
Star|Bolt hosts a Monday Night Art Market, the PHS Pop Up in Manayunk hosts a plant swap, and Fishtown Forks holds its annual Block Party.
The one and only Riki Rachtman is at City Winery, and the legendary Margaret Cho is at Helium Comedy Club.
Experience an exciting reimagining of sound and space with This Silent Music, and be there for the dedication of the latest Afromation Avenue street art installation in Kensington.
And the Danny Rumph Classic brings you exciting basketball action for a good cause.
Is that not enough? Thinking of things to do further ahead? Check out our year-round calendar about how to be a good citizen.
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK IN PHILLY
Queen Village Restaurant Week, Monday Night Art Market, PHS Plant Swap, Danny Rumph Classic, Parks on Tap, Margaret Cho, Best of Philly Party, BlackStar Film Festival
STUFF YOUR FACE IN QUEEN VILLAGE. Now through August 9 (excluding Saturdays) the third annual Queen Village Restaurant Week offers prix fixe-style menus from your favorite local eateries with Lunch at $25 or less and dinner from $40-$60. $25-$60. Various locations
SHOP ART IN A HIP BAR. Fishtown restaurant, bar, and events venue Star|Bolt hosts a Monday Night Art Market August 3 from 6 to 10pm. Pay as you go. 1936 N. Front Street
MEET NEW FRIENDS; SWAP PLANTS. Come to the Manayunk Pop Up Garden August 3 at 6pm for the August Plant Swap, featuring plant experts and plant society guests with demonstration specimens. Come for the plants; stay for the snacks and drinks. Under 21 guests require a parent or legal guardian. Free. 106 Jamestown Avenue
CELEBRATE WITH THE CITY’S BEST. Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly Party is happening August 4 at 6:30pm (5:30 for VIPs) at the National Constitution Center, featuring the city’s top restaurants, music, dancing, sampling, and general revelry (but no debauchery). 21 and over only. $118.87-$195.74. 525 Arch Street
DRINK BEER IN POINT BREEZE. Parks on Tap comes to Wharton Square Park August 5 through August 9 from 4 to 10pm (noon to 10pm Saturday and Sunday). The roving beer (and cocktail and food) garden provides a great excuse to bring your friends and your kids to happy hour in a natural green space. A portion of all proceeds benefits each park. Free admission. 2300 Wharton Street
ATTEND THE MOST ANTICIPATED FILM FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR. The BlackStar Film Festival returns for its 15th year August 6 through August 9 with dozens of films from all genres showing at The Wilma Theater, the Kimmel Center, and the Suzanne Roberts Theater, plus additional venues for parties and special events. Tickets are available in bundles, whole-event passes, and for virtual screenings. $30-$350. Various theaters
WATCH SOME AMAZING BASKETBALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. The Danny Rumph Classic Basketball Tournament returns for the 21st Year August 6 through 10 at Drexel University’s Daskalaki Athletic Center. The Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation raises awareness and provides screenings, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and CPR/AED training to communities across Pennsylvania in the fight against Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) for today’s youth. Games are held afternoons and evenings, see the full schedule here. Admission is by donation at the door. 3301 Market Street
LAUGH WITH A LEGENDARY COMEDIAN. Award-winning comic, actor, musician, and entrepreneur Margaret Cho comes to the Helium Comedy Club August 7 at 7pm for her new show, Choligarchy. Couples packages also available! $38.99-$194.99. 2031 Sansom Street
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY
This Silent Music, Riki Rachtman, Block Party at Fishtown Forks, Port Richmond Pierogi Fest, Afromation Avenue street art installation, African Culture Fest at the Zoo, Bug Fest
SCREAM INTO THE VOID. Created specifically for Philadelphia’s James Turrell Skyspace, This Silent Music is an interdisciplinary performance that reimagines silence, light, and sound as the language of listening. Its world premiere on August 8 at 6:30pm includes a pre-concert talk with the composers and collaborators. $25-$100. 20 E. Mermaid Lane
HAVE A HEADBANGERS BALL WITH AN ICON. City Winery welcomes Riki Rachtman for an evening of no-filter stories on the chaos of rock n’ roll culture August 8 at 6pm. $42-$36. 90 Filbert Street
PARTY AT THE FISHTOWN FORKS. The 3rd Annual Block Party at Fishtown Forks happens August 8 from noon to 7pm featuring great food, live music, local vendors, face painting, games, and yes, flash tattoos. Pay as you go. Intersection of Cedar Street, E. Norris Street and Susquehanna Avenue
POUND PIEROGI IN PORT RICHMOND. Campbell Square is again hosting the annual Port Richmond Pierogi Fest on August 8 from noon to 5pm. There will be live music, family activities, food trucks, and a variety of pierogi flavors to satisfy the most discriminating of Polish cuisine connoisseurs. Pay as you go. 2535 E. Allegheny Avenue
DEDICATE A NEW MURAL. Mural Arts Philadelphia joins Councilmember Quetcy Lozada’s Office and Impact Services Heart of Kensington Creates (HOKC) to dedicate the newest Afromation Avenue street art installation in Kensington on August 8 from 11:30am to 1:30pm at McPherson Square Library. Free. 601 E. Indiana Ave
CELEBRATE ODUNDE AT THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO. On August 8 from 11am to 3pm, the Philadelphia Zoo partners with Odunde365 for African Culture Fest 2026. Visitors are treated to a live DJ, West Philly Reading Captains giving away themed books, African Bracelet and Mask Making, Henna, music and dance performances, classes, and more. $25.50-$30.50. 3400 W. Girard Avenue
DON’T BE BUGGED OUT. ATTEND BUG FEST. On August 8 and 9 from 10am to 5pm The Academy of Natural Sciences celebrates Bug Fest, a weekend of scientist-guided Bug Walks on the Parkway, Roach Races, and all-ages scientist meet-and-greets. $21-$25. 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
ONGOING EVENTS
Art exhibitions, live shows, outdoor activities, and more things to do, until you can’t anymore.
EXPLORE BLACK AMERICAN HISTORY AND IDENTITY. The Barnes Foundation presents Freedom Dreams, a multimedia exhibition by Black artists that deconstructs race, gender, and class in American history. On view through August 9. Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday, 11am to 5pm. $5-$30. 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
DON’T MISS THE 200-FOOT LONG DRAGON. You’d think that’s impossible, but you will if you don’t hit the 2026 Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square, open through August 16 from 6 to 11pm nightly. In addition to the spectacular light displays, there’s food, fountain shows, and live performances. $16-$29. 200 N. 6th Street
SIP IN CENTER CITY. Philly’s “favorite happy hour’ Center City SIPS begins June 3 and continues every Wednesday through August 26. Dozens of bars and restaurants are offering exclusive discounts weekly from 5 to 7pm: $8 cocktails, $7 wine, $6 beer, and appetizers under $10. Select locations will offer 15 percent off dinner after 7pm. Pay as you go.
VIEW YOUR VISIONS OF LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Printmaking by the People: Posters for a Reimagined Declaration of Independence is an exhibition of hundreds of posters created by Philadelphians sharing their visions of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This special exhibition at the Parkway Central Library is part of Printmaking by the People, Philadelphia’s largest 2026 public art and community engagement project inspired by the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. The exhibit is open through August 2026. Free. 1901 Vine Street
KICK OFF SUMMER ON THE WATERFRONT. Spruce Street Harbor Park and Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest are open for the season. Enjoy roller skating, outdoor boardwalk games and rides, mini-golf, and great food and drinks seven days a week through September 1 (and later for Spruce Street Harbor Park). Pay as you go. 101 and 301 S. Columbus Boulevard
SEE 1,000 WORKS OF ICONIC AMERICAN ART. Whispered about among art aficionados for years, the Middleton family’s (yes, those Middletons, who own the Phillies) massive, dating-back-150-years collection makes it public debut at two venues, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA is open Thursdays through Sundays only). A Nation of Artists is on view through September 5. $10-$30. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 128 N. Broad Street
SIT DOWN FOR SOME STORYTELLING. Historic Philadelphia proudly celebrates the 20th anniversary of Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches. Professionally trained, costumed interpreters deliver 3- to 5-minute stories filled with historical insights and facts from eight (mostly) outdoor benches all summer until September 7. Free. Various locations in Old City
SEE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A UNIQUE EXHIBIT. The Franklin Institute’s new Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition explores theme parks through the lens of Universal’s greatest attractions like Jaws, NINTENDO WORLD, Jurassic World, and more. Open through September 7, museum hours are 9:30am to 5pm daily with added evenings Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 8pm. $23-$65. 222 N. 20th Street
NEED AN ALTERNATIVE TO SIPS? Fishtown TAPS takes place every Tuesday from 5 to 7pm through September 29, offering a select list of $5 beers, $6 wines, and $7 cocktails, along with appetizer specials to neighborhood favorites across Fishtown. Pay as you go. Various locations throughout Fishtown
SEE A MOVIE IN THE PARK. More than 20 Philly parks will host Park Friends Movie Nights this summer and fall through October 16. Bring a blanket, snacks, and arrive before dusk. Check with your local Park Friends Group for updates and schedule changes. Free. Various locations
VIEW SELECTIONS OF JESSIE KRIMES’S WORK. Mural Arts Philadelphia and The Fabric Workshop and Museum present Jesse Krimes: Elegy Quilts, on view through November 1. Museum hours are noon to 6pm Wednesday through Friday and noon to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Free, donations suggested. 1214 Arch Street
FIND MAGIC IN OLD CITY. The Great Philadelphia Comedy Magic Walking Tour returns for the 2026 season through the fall tours at 1pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Attendees are treated to fun, mind-bending magic relevant to the historic and off-beat Old City locations on the tour. Philly Magic tours also partners with local charities on passes and group outings for fundraisers and free tours for deserving school classes. $32.40. Tours meet behind the Bourse near 4th and Ranstead streets
EXPLORE THE FIRST 50 YEARS OF OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. The American Philosophical Society’s These Truths: The Declarations of Independence tells the story of America’s founding through early Declaration printings and treasured artifacts. Open through January 3, 2027. Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday 10am to 5pm. Free, donations welcome. 104 S. 5th Street
LEARN TAI CHI. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7:30 to 8:30am, Franklin Square Tai Chi Group meets next to the fountain (or in the Pavilion on chilly or wet days) for the ancient practice during Tai Chi in the Square. Free. 200 N. 6th Street
TAKE A FOOD JOURNEY THROUGH SOUTHWEST PHILLY. Stuff your face with Jamaican, West African, and Southern African American cuisines while walking it off on Woodland Avenue during your Africatown Food Tour, scheduled Wednesdays through Saturdays starting at 10:30am and 1:30pm. $56. 5741 Woodland Avenue
MORE GOOD THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY
Best of Philly Party