This Tuesday, November 5, Philadelphia has a giant thing to do: Vote.
But also, we are definitely due for a break from the 2024 election, right? The Citizen’s got you on both counts. Definitely check us out for all your last-minute voting info, including guides to PA candidates in English and in Spanish, directions to your polling place, even free events you can take part in and free stuff you can get on Election Day.
But also, there are plenty of arts and culture, Philly’s big Veterans Parade and Festival, the Rocky Run, a Peoplehood Parade, concerts, park clean-ups and tons more to get you out of the house and away from the politics.
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
Um … Election Day. And so many events and free things to do around it, plus arts, a Pulitzer Prize winner’s new play, and an AAPI film festival are things to do this week. Also VOTING.
EXPERIENCE A PARTICIPATORY OPERA. FringeArts presents the ritual opera We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together, a theatrical conversation inspired by artists, community music traditions and collective composers. Shows run through November 9 at 7:30pm. $15-$25. 140 N. Columbus Boulevard
GIVE YOUR INPUT ON SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND RELOCATIONS. The average school building in the School District of Philadelphia is 73 years old. SDP requires your input on school closings, construction, and relocation. November 4 through November 23, the District holds meetings both in-person and virtually to get the public’s input. Registration is encouraged, but not required. Locations are listed on the registration form and include both morning and evening meetings. Free. Locations city-wide
SEE A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT’S LATEST WORK. The Arden Theater presents Intimate Apparel, based on the life of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s great-grandmother, an African American seamstress at the turn of the 20th century on the Lower East Side. Now through December 8 with evening and afternoon performances. $38-$68. 40 N. 2nd Street
VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON IT. Because it does. November 5 is Election Day. Polls open from 7am to 8pm. Here is everything you need to know about voting today.
HELP FEED DEMOCRACY! The Pizza to the Polls truck travels around Philadelphia on November 5 to deliver more than 1,500 slices of FREE pizza throughout the day. Partnering with Committee of Seventy, the truck is scheduled to hit up the following locations to celebrate voters and foster civic pride: Bright Hope Baptist at 1601 N. 12th Street from 10:30am to noon, West Philly High School at 4901 Chestnut Street from noon to 2pm, and South Philadelphia High School at 2101 S. Broad Street from 2:30 to 4:30pm. Free. Additional stops may be added
ENGAGE IN PING PONG DIPLOMACY. On November 5 from 4 to 11pm, SPIN Philly is offering free ping pong to anyone who votes. Bring your “I Voted” sticker, a photo, or any other voting confirmation to enjoy a free hour of ping pong. Then stay for the drinks and eats. Free, pay-as-you-go for food and drink. 211 S.15th Street
Want more free and discounted things to do on Election Day? (Like free Indego bike rentals?) Check this out.
CATCH UNIQUE FILMS FROM OUR ASIAN COMMUNITY. November 7 through 17, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival exhibits and celebrates the works of AANHPI (Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) storytellers. Dozens of movies, documentaries and shorts will be screened at five venues across Philly. Individual tickets and all-access passes are available. $17-$175. Various location
GET COVERED IN BLOOD AND GORE, SCUM DOG! On November 8 at 8pm, GWAR is live at Franklin Music Hall with special guests Cancer Bats and Squid Pisser. If you haven’t seen GWAR live, it is an experience. Don’t wear anything you don’t want stained. $30. 421 N. 7th Street
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY
Clean up parks. Honor veterans. Run like Rocky.
LOVE YOUR PARKS. Love Your Park Fall Weekend happens November 8 through 10 all day long at more than 100 Philadelphia parks. Volunteers are needed to collect leaves for compost, plant trees and flower bulbs, and clean up after a busy summer season. Free. Parks across the city
BE WILLING TO TAKE THE HIT. Thousands of runners from around the world descend on Philly for the Rocky Run November 9. Starting at 7am, courses include a 5K and a 10-mile — runners who achieve both earning “Italian Stallion” status. The races begin and end at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you can cheer them on along the route. Registrations to run are sold out (unless you volunteer at packet pickup!). Free. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
THE BRITISH HAVE COME. Every year, Old City’s Museum of the American Revolution pretends it’s 1777 all over again, the year the British occupied Philadelphia. The result: Lots going on outside the museum, including tours and a historical encampment outside Carpenters’ Hall, November 9 and 10 from 10am to 5pm. Free to $33. 101 S. 3rd Street
CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF A NEW OUTDOOR COMMUNITY SPACE. On November 9 from 11am to 2pm, Strawberry Mansion hosts a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Yard on John Coltrane Street. Enjoy live music, food, and all-ages activities at a new outdoor community space. Free. 1517 N. 33rd Street
TAKE PART IN A WEST PHILLY TRADITION. November 9 from 1 to 4pm marks the 24th great Spiral Q parades their giant puppets through the streets of West Philly, from the John Coltrane House to Clark Park. Every year, more kids and artists and bands seem to join in the Peoplehood Parade and Pageant. It’s a spectacle not to be missed, and ends with a fun festival. Free. 4951 Walnut Street to 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue
STUFF YOUR FACE WITH STREET FOOD. Xfinity Live! hosts the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Street Food Fest On November 9 from 2 to 8pm. More than 30 vendors are offering all foods at $5 or less, plus live music, breakdancing, a stein-holding competition, axe throwing, a giant cheese dry bar (!) and much more for all ages. $16.99-$69.99. 1100 Pattison Avenue
ATTEND THE CHILLEST EDM SHOW YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO. Union Transfer welcomes the Tycho Infinite Health Tour with special guest Brijean live on November 10 at 8pm. Don’t sleep on this concert. $45-$48. 1026 Spring Garden Street
HONOR VETERANS AT A PARADE AND FESTIVAL. On November 10, from noon to 4pm, Philadelphia’s Veterans Parade and Festival follows a new route — the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Look for motorcycles, marching bands, military regalia and lots of flags. Following the parade, a festival celebrates military pride with all-ages fun. Free. From 21st Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
DON’T JUST TOUCH GRASS, PLANT TREES! From November 11 through 17, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) hosts tree plantings throughout the Philadelphia Region. Volunteers can sign up to help PHS plant over 1200 trees at dozens of locations. Free. Various locations
ONGOING EVENTS
Art exhibitions, live shows, outdoor activities, and more things to do, until you can’t anymore.
DO YOGA IN THE PARK. Sunday mornings through November 10, bring a mat to the yard at Lemon Hill Mansion in East Fairmount Park for one-hour, all-level yoga classes with Tula Yoga from 10 to 11am. $10. Lemon Hill Drive
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
FIND MAGIC IN OLD CITY. Join Robert Malissa’s Old City Magic Show and Walking Tour every weekend through November 17 (with a few surprise pop-up bonus days!). The tour celebrates The Month of Magic with alley seances and a 200-year-old clairvoyant. For the last two weeks of October, tour-goers with the best costumes win prizes. $32.40. 4th and Ranstead streets
EXPERIENCE LEGOS LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE. Extended through November 17, the world’s largest display of LEGO art is on display at the Franklin Institute. The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of artworks made exclusively in plastic bricks that snap together, including original pieces and re-imagined versions of famous masterpieces, a multimedia exhibition of LEGO-infused photography by Dean Wes, and a 9,000-square-foot brick play space. Museum hours are 9:30am to 5pm daily, with evening hours to 8pm Thursday through Saturday. $20-$43. 222 N. 20th Street
EXPERIENCE WHAT EVERYONE NOT LIKE YOU EXPERIENCES. Through November 23, Hook&Loop, an artist collective led by disabled, sick, neurodivergent, and MAD Philadelphians, run the residency Undue Burden, a digital and printed community archive celebrating and documenting the experiences of people with disabilities. Suggested donation $15. 5212 Market Street
DON’T MISS HAMILTON! The Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical Hamilton runs until November 23. Evening and afternoon performances are available. $29-$259. 240 S. Broad Street
VIEW A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION ON THE IMPACT OF MASS INCARCERATION. Wherever There is Light features photography by four formerly incarcerated artists sharing their experiences in the U.S. penal system. The exhibition runs through December 21. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6pm. Free. 1400 N. American Street, Suite #103
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK INTO THE ADRIENNE THEATER. You must purchase tickets to see SideQuest Theater’s Fellowship! The Musical, a comedic musical parody of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings adaptation. Recommended for those 13 and older, the show runs from to December 22, with performances Fridays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. $40. 2030 Sansom Street
EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF CLAY. The Clay Studio’s yearlong, 50th-anniversary celebration concludes with the opening of The Future of Clay, an exhibition of multiple artists showcasing the future of ceramics art, running through December 31. The gallery is open Monday through Friday 11am to 5:30pm and until 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Free. 1425 N. American Street
EXPERIENCE SOUL SHOTS PORTRAIT PROJECT. The fourth edition of this amazing original art exhibition that memorializes victims of gun violence in Philadelphia opens at Widener Hall at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill through December 2024 (open Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday 10am to noon). Read more about the project here. Free. 8855 Germantown Avenue
CELEBRATE FREE SPEECH. This month the National Liberty Museum kicks off a yearlong initiative, The Year of Free Speech, with the first of three exhibitions exploring freedom of speech as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of our society. Free Speech: Our Right, Our Responsibility is open now. Museum hours are Thursday through Monday 10am to 5pm. $6-$12. 321 Chestnut Street
CATCH MICKALENE THOMAS ON INTERNATIONAL TOUR. The iconic creator of large-scale tableaux of Black women in glamorous repose shows more than 50 of her stunning works at the Barnes. Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is the artist’s first international tour, a show New York wishes it had, through January 12, 2025. 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
THINK ABOUT FAMILY IN A NEW WAY AT A NEW ART EXHIBITION. The Museum for Art in Wood hosts Mark Sfirri: La Famiglia through February 26, 2025. This new solo exhibition of new and never-before-seen work by the artist and woodturner “presents a way of thinking about the definition of family and its meanings through different lenses.” Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5pm. Free. 141 N. 3rd Street
MORE GOOD THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY
Love Your Parks photo by Albert Yee