Now that 2026 is officially underway, we have plenty of things to do to kick it off right, Philly!

We’re celebrating David Bowie week with events citywide, and Winter in Franklin Square provides a light show and warm drinks for the season’s evenings.

We have live music coming to City Winery with Los Lonely Boys and A Night of Motown, Everything Yes is bringing jazz fusion to Milkboy, Breaking Sound Philly is bringing four emerging artists to The Fire on Girard Avenue, and a grunge and nu-metal party is happening at Underground Arts.

If you prefer your concerts with a side of hockey and charity, Phish Night with the Flyers is celebrating the jam band with a fundraiser for The WaterWheel Foundation.

Author Joyce E. Chaplin is presenting a talk on her book about The Franklin Stove, comedian, writer, and actor LeVar Walker is at Helium Comedy Club, and the Commonwealth Youth Choir is opening auditions.

At the theater this week, Tony Award®-winning musical Suffs opens at the Academy of Music and Inheritors is at the Community College of Philadelphia. 

And our 52 Weeks of Firsts continues at the Mummer’s Museum with a commemoration of The First Folk Parade in 1901.

• • • Things to do this week
    • Things to do this weekend
    • Ongoing things to do

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

David Bowie Week, A Night of Motown, Everything Yes, a talk on the Franklin Stove, Suffs, auditions for the Commonwealth Youth Choir, Breaking Sound Philly, Phish Night with the Flyers, Breaking Sound Philly, Inheritors, Winter in Franklin Square

EXPRESS YOUR LOVE FOR DAVID BOWIE. In 1974, David Bowie came to Philadelphia and recorded the iconic album Young Americans. Ever since, we’ve had a love affair with the man, the artist, the legend. Philly Loves Bowie Week happens through January 10. There are performances, parties, and other events throughout the city for kids, adults, and everyone in between, with the added goal of raising funds for the Cancer Center at CHOP in his memory. Free-$50+. Venues citywide

ENJOY A NIGHT OF LIVE MOTOWN. On January 5 at 7:30pm City Winery welcomes A night of Motown, an authentically costumed and choreographed exhibition that transports audiences back to 1960s Detroit featuring the music of The Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye &  Tammi Terrell, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, and more. $30-$54. 990 Filbert Street

ATTEND A LECTURE ON BEN FRANKLIN’S MOST FAMOUS INVENTION. Join the American Philosophical Society and The Library Company of Philadelphia at Benjamin Franklin Hall January 6 from 6 to 7pm for  The Franklin Stove: An Unintended American Revolution. Author Joyce E. Chaplin presents the fascinating story of how an invention that fits in the fireplace shaped America. Free, RSVP required. 427 Chestnut Street

SEE A MUSICAL ABOUT SUFFRAGETTES.  The acclaimed Tony Award®-winning musical Suffs opens at the Academy of Music January 6 through January 18 with afternoon and evening performances. Remember, behind every powerful woman are more powerful women. $31-$164. 240 S. Broad Street

BRING THAT SPECIAL VOICE FOR AN AUDITION. Auditions for the nationally recognized, all-gender Commonwealth Youth Choir (CYC) open on January 6. Teens aged 6 through 18 are welcome to try out, no experience required! There is tuition to participate if selected, and that includes lessons in music theory and musicianship classes for all singers. Auditions are booked as appointments and are free. Tuition is $1,250-$1,550. 8855 Germantown Avenue

CATCH EMERGING ARTISTS LIVE. Come to The Fire January 7 at 8pm for Breaking Sound Philly, featuring hot new performers Just Shad, SAINT HENDRXX, Madisun Bailey, and Chill Will! 21 and over only. $18-$25. 412 W. Girard Avenue

ENJOY A NIGHT OF JAZZ FUSION. Milkboy hosts jazz fusion band Everything Yes January 7 at 7pm with special guests Philadelphia’s own Atomic Fizz. $25.07. 1100 Chestnut Street

SHARE FLYERS AND LIVE MUSIC FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Phish Night with the Flyers happens at Xfinity Mobile Arena January 8 at 4pm and includes a pregame and postgame concert by Phish tribute band Rift, the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Philadelphia Flyers, a limited-edition Flyers x Phish co-branded t-shirt, plus the satisfaction of knowing  a portion of each ticket sold benefits The WaterWheel Foundation. $83.29 – $129.67. 3601 S. Broad Street

SEE A LANDMARK PLAY ABOUT IDEALISM AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. Philadelphia Artists’ Collective proudly presents its winter 2026 production Inheritors by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Susan Glaspell, open at the Community College of Philadelphia January 8 through January 24 with afternoon and evening performances. $18-$35. 1700 Spring Garden Street, Bonnell Building

SPEND WINTER IN FRANKLIN SQUARE. Not the whole thing, silly. Starting January 8 at 5pm and running Thursday through Sunday until February 28, Winter in Franklin Square kicks off with the Electrical Spectacle Light Show presented by PECO showing every 30 minutes (weather permitting),  Frosty’s Fireside Lodge, seasonal drinks and eats, and more. Pay as you go. 200 N. 6th Street

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY

Los Lonely Boys at City Winery, The First Folk Parade at the Mummer’s Museum

SEE THE LOS LONELY BOYS! On January 10 at 7:30pm, City Winery presents An Acoustic Evening of Song and Stories with Los Lonely Boys. The legendary Texas band blending soul, roots, and rock & roll performs an intimate set that will send you to heaven. $72-$102. 990 Filbert Street

CELEBRATE THE FIRST FOLK PARADE. 52 Weeks of Firsts continues at the Mummer’s Museum January 10 from 10am to 3pm with The First Folk Parade in 1901. Check out the celebratory sculpture and discover how a rowdy neighborhood tradition became the country’s longest-running folk parade. Free. 1100 S. 2nd Street

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1998. Underground Arts welcomes grunge and nu-metal tribute bands to both stages on one night for Grunge-A-Palooza January 10 at 7:30pm. $31.41. 1200 Callowhill Street

SEE A STELLAR STAND UP COMEDIAN LIVE. Comedian, writer, and actor LaVar Walker is coming to Helium Comedy Club January 11 at 7pm. $13-40.99. 2031 Sansom Street

ONGOING EVENTS

Art exhibitions, live shows, outdoor activities, and more things to do, until you can’t anymore.

LEARN NAVY & MARINE CORPS HISTORY. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Homecoming 250, presents To Provide a Naval Armament: U.S. Navy & Marine Corps History, 1775–1958, an exhibit exploring Philadelphia’s place in the birth and evolution of the Navy and the Marine Corps. On view until January 9, 2026; viewing hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10am to 4pm and Wednesday 1 to 7pm. Free. 1300 Locust Street

TAKE THE FAMILY TO SEE A CLASSIC FANTASY STAGE ADAPTATION. Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time comes to Arden Theatre December 3 through January 25 with select morning, afternoon, and evening performances. Remember, “A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points.”$45-$61. 40 N. 2nd Street

CELEBRATE THE SEASON ON THE WATERFRONT. Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest runs through March 1 with ice skating, games, rides, food and drink, The Lodge Bar, and more. Pay as you go. 101 S. Columbus Boulevard

SEE THE EXHIBIT AT THE MÜTTER. Through February 2, 2026, The Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia present Trusted Messengers: Community, Confidence, and COVID-19, a special exhibition that marks five years since the onset of the pandemic and considers how to build trust in public health. Initially developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Museum in Atlanta, the Philadelphia version features materials used in the development of the mRNA vaccine at Penn and spotlights local healthcare workers and organizations. Museum hours are Wednesday through Monday 10am to 5pm. $15-20. 19 S. 22nd Street

EXPLORE A NEW ROUSSEAU EXHIBITION AT THE BARNES. Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets reveals hidden layers in the visionary painter’s work and brings together for the first time the works at The Barnes and the collection from the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris. Open through February 22, 2026, Thursday through Monday, 11am to 5pm. $5-$30. 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

ENJOY WINTER FUN IN DILWORTH PARK. Winter in Dilworth Park returns through March 14 with activities and attractions taking advantage of the cold and cozy season, including The Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink and Cabin, the Wintergarden, and coming soon, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market. Free/pay as you go. 1 S. 15th St (West Side of City Hall)

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