We’re in a brand new season, Philly, and that means we have a lot of things to do to celebrate.
You know it’s spring when both the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Phillies return to our fair city. Don’t miss either!
Also capitalizing on the weather are the PHS Pop up gardens on South Street and in Manayunk.
PhillyGRIT continues its run this week, and Al-Bustan’s first film The Travels of Ibn Jubayr is screening at the Lightbox Film Center.
New exhibitions opening this week include Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary artist Brandon Aquino Straus‘s Flora After and Botany of Nations at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Eastern State Penitentiary invites you to spend Spring Break with them for a week of immersive programming.
Open Wardrobe is opening its doors for women (that’s all women) in need of threads, and the fifth annual Sister Sunday is celebrating women-owned businesses.
If you want a good laugh, legendary comedian Mike Birbiglia is live at Helium. If it’s something weirder you’re looking for, the World Oddities Expo returns to the PA Convention Center this week.
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
PhillyGRIT, PHS Pop up gardens, Open Wardrobe, Flora After, The Travels of Ibn Jubayr, Phillies home opener
EXPERIENCE TRUE GRIT PHILLY STYLE. From March 18 through March 29, Theater Exile presents the return of PhillyGRIT with three Philadelphia-based artists sharing provocative, unfiltered stories of resilience, humor and humanity. $25-$35. 1340 S. 13th Street
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN FILIPINO STORIES. Flora After, a new exhibition by Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary artist Brandon Aquino Straus, opens at Temple Contemporary from March 25 through March 28. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 6pm. The work explores how traces of U.S. colonial rule in the Philippines remain embedded within Philadelphia’s institutional archives. An opening reception will take place Friday, March 27 from 5 to 8pm. Free. 2001 N. 13th Street
CALLING ALL WOMEN IN NEED OF THREADS! The Wardrobe is offering free attire for work and life for women at its next Open Wardrobe event March 25 from 11am to 5pm. Participants will also receive a free bra fitting and a bra from event sponsor Smart & Sexy®, plus additional community resources at five locations in Exton, Kennett Square, Norristown, Philly and Upper Darby. Registration is required. Free. Various locations
WATCH AL-BUSTAN’S FIRST FILM PRODUCTION. On March 25 at 7pm, Al-Bustan hosts a screening of The Travels of Ibn Jubayr with a special performance by Maurice Louca at the Lightbox Film Center. This original short film reimagines the journey of the 12th-century Muslim explorer from medieval Spain who may have written history’s first “travel blog.” Additional screenings take place through March 31 at various locations. Pay what you wish on a sliding scale at the door or online. 1901 S. 9th Street
COME TO THE EARLIEST OPENING DAY IN MLB HISTORY. The Phillies face off against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park March 26 at 4:15pm. If you would rather watch from the couch, you can catch the game on NBC10, NBC Sports Philadelphia, or streaming on Peacock. $160-$200. 1 Citizens Bank Way
’TIS THE SEASON TO START GARDENING! The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Spring Pop Up Gardens in Manayunk and South Street are opening March 27 at noon (weather permitting) with food, drink, and celebration with fellow green thumbs. Pay as you go. 106 Jamestown Avenue and 1438 South Street
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY
Cherry Blossom Festival, Sister Sunday, The Great Escape at Eastern State, Botany of Nations, World Oddities Expo, Mike Birbiglia live
SPEND SPRING BREAK AT PRISON. Spring Break: The Great Escape: Stories of Resistance and Creativity is a week of immersive history and storytelling at Eastern State Penitentiary March 27 through April 5 from 10am to 5pm daily. Featuring interactive tours, pop-up talks, music, poetry, and hands-on activities demonstrating how the incarcerated expressed themselves within the system. $17-$21. 2027 Fairmount Avenue
CATCH A NEW EXHIBIT ON HISTORICAL SCIENCE. Opening March 28 at 10am, The Academy of Natural Sciences’ Botany of Nations provides a new perspective on the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. There will be a reception from 6 to 9pm, registration is separate from museum entry. 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. $16-$25.
CELEBRATE CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND JAPANESE CULTURE — EARLIER THIS YEAR. West Fairmount Park’s 2026 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia marks the Sakura Centennial March 28 and 29 from 10am to 5pm. Two days of Japanese culture includes workshops, performances, a vendor fair and delicious eats. $20. 100 N. Horticultural Drive.
SUPPORT WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES. The Logan Hotel hosts the fifth annual Sister Sunday March 29 from 11am to 2pm with over 45 local vendors offering food, drinks, clothing, jewelry and more. Urban Farmer will be on hand with beer, wine, and signature cocktails. Free. One Logan Square
GET YOUR FREAK ON. At the 2026 World Oddities Expo happening March 28 and 29 from 11am to 7pm at the PA Convention Center. This traveling, all-inclusive artisan and small business fueled mega-convention features macabre and magical artists, vendors, performers, educators, and guest speakers covering everything weird, from taxidermy and insect-theme jewelry and decor, to tattoos, burlesque and live painting. $25-$35+. 1101 Arch Street
BRING YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S BOYFRIEND TO SEE SOME STAND-UP. Comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia is at the Helium Club for three shows March 30, 31, and April 1 at 7:30pm. $66.91-$78.26. 2031 Sansom Street
ONGOING EVENTS
Art exhibitions, live shows, outdoor activities, and more things to do, until you can’t anymore.
Company’s 2026 production of ROMEO AND JULIET. Photo by Ashley Smith, Wide Eyed
Studios
SEE A BOLD REIMAGINING OF SHAKESPEARE’S STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. Arden Theatre presents Romeo and Juliet, open through April 5 for afternoon and evening performances. This new adaptation is directed by Barrymore Award winner Amina Robinson and draws on the traditions of early oral storytelling and old-school theater magic. $37-$70. 40 N. 2nd Street
SEE A SPICY SATIRE PLAY ABOUT OUR LEGACY OF SLAVERY. The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames opens at The Wilma Theater March 17 to April 5 with performances at 2 and 7pm. $20-$89. 265 S Broad Street
ATTEND A NEW EXHIBIT ABOUT INDEPENDENCE. Changing Faces of Independence: Pennsylvania in the 1800s is on view at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania through April 24. Free. 1300 Locust Street
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
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