It’s getting cold out there, Philly, but don’t worry! There are things to do indoors for those who want it cozy and things to do outdoors if you love the crisp fall air.
It’s a big week for our theaters with the openings of Gruesome Playground Injuries, Topdog/Underdog, and THIS MUCH I KNOW.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror brings a live musical performance to the classic horror film just in time for Halloween. Bloomsday hosts Spooky Wines + Spooky Stories for wine and horror lovers, and Adventure Aquarium hosts Boo Bash for adults only. If you want the whole family to celebrate the spooky season, take them to East Passyunk Fall Fest, or have an artsy holiday with Mural Arts Fest in Love Park.
The exhibit Priority Hoarding from the Bearded Ladies Cabaret is open for an immersive experience, and InLiquid’s Odds in the Absurd opening reception is also this week.
The Ravens Society holds its Ravens on the Rooftop party at the Parkway Central Library this week, and inside is another Author Series event.
And if you have barista skills, test them at the Latte Art Throwdown. Or just come and watch!
Happy Halloween, everyone, have fun and be safe!
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
Priority Hoarding from the Bearded Ladies, Latte Art Throwdown, Spooky Wines + Spooky Stories, Odds in the Absurd reception, Free Library Foundation Author Series, Boo Bash at Adventure Aquarium, Ravens on the Rooftop.
TEST YOUR LATTE ART CHOPS IN SKILLED COMBAT! Chestnut Hill’s Char & Stave hosts live beverage competition for baristas who can demonstrate their milk prowess. October 26 from 7 to 10pm, the event includes first and second place cash prizes of $500 and $250 and an afterparty. Competitors can register here, onlookers are welcome for free. Proceeds benefit Food4Farmers. Free to attend, $15 to compete. 8441 Germantown Avenue
CHECK IN AT THE BEARDED LADIES’ HAIRPORT. Priority Hoarding: A Retrospectacle is an immersive exhibition inside a queer transit(ion) center. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 9pm, and Saturday from 11am to 3pm through December 19. $16-35. 444 N. 3rd Street
TRY MIXING GORE AND WINE. Bloomsday hosts Spooky Wines + Spooky Stories, a class co-taught by Chris Liu and Sande Friedman on the weird, creepy, and sanguine history of wine October 27 from 6 to 8pm. The class includes a meal, guided tasting, and a discount at the wine shop. Costumes not required but encouraged. $150. 414 S. 2nd Street
CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF A NEW EXHIBITION. Odds in the Absurd examines the irreverent works by six InLiquid members in connection with the Dada movement and post-Dada surrealism movement. The opening Reception for Odds in the Absurd is October 27 from 6 to 8pm at the Park Towne Place Apartment Homes where the exhibition will be on view until January 26. Free, donations welcome. 2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
ATTEND A FREE LIBRARY AUTHOR SERIES EVENT. On October 27 from 7 to 8pm, the Author Events Series presents Anthony Roth Costanzo | Countertenor, in Conversation with Cherri Gregg. Opera singer Costanzo takes attendees on a journey through his life, his education in art, and the history of his extraordinary voice type. Free. 1901 Vine Street
DRINK AT THE AQUARIUM. Adventure Aquarium hosts Boo Bash October 29 from 5:30 to 9:30pm. Enjoy fall cocktails, sweets, music, and dancing amidst the Fintastic Pumpkin Glow display. Costume encouraged, 21+ only! $45. 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ
PARTY ON THE LIBRARY ROOFTOP. Join The Raven Society October 29 from 6 to 8:30pm on the Parkway Central Library’s rooftop terrace for Ravens on the Rooftop, a spooky evening of light bites, drinks, music, tarot card readings, more. Literary theme costumes encouraged. Raven Society members receive half off admission. $60. 1901 Vine Street
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Mural Arts Fest, Topdog/Underdog, THIS MUCH I KNOW, East Passyunk Fall Fest.
CHOOSE BETWEEN BROKEN BONES OR A BROKEN HEART. Theater Exile kicks off this season with the bizarre comedic love story Gruesome Playground Injuries, open October 29 through November 15 for afternoon and evening performances. 10-45. 1340-48 S. 13th Street
SEE A PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING DRAMA. Opening at Arden Theatre October 29 through December 13 for 2pm and 7pm performances, Topdog/Underdog is a tale of two brothers reckoning with destiny, resentment, and their future. 57-72. 40 N. 2nd Street
SEE THE CLASSIC NOSFERATU LIVE. Curio Theatre Company presents Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror October 29, 30, and 31 at 7pm at Somerton’s Calvary Church Chapel. Enjoy the seminal vampire silent film classic alongside Mason Marlow playing live piano accompaniment from the original score by Hans Erdmann. 15-30. 13500 Philmont Avenue
SEE A UNIQUE PHILLY PREMIERE. InterAct Theatre Company opens 39th Season with Jonathan Spector’s THIS MUCH I KNOW October 30 through November 22 with performances at 2 and 7pm. Three actors play over a dozen different roles in a time-hopping fever dream, including Stalin’s daughter, Russian school girls and the son of an American white supremacist. 20-49. 302 S. Hicks Street
GET SPOOKED IN SOUTH PHILLY. On October 31 from 11am to 4pm, the annual East Passyunk Fall Fest transforms East Passyunk Avenue into a family Halloween block party with over 80 artists and makers, live music, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, dog and costume contests, and seasonal eats and drinks. Free to trick-or-treat; other activations pay as you go. E. Passyunk Avenue between Morris and Dickinson Streets
CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WITH MURAL ARTS. Mural Arts Fest takes over Love Park October 31 from noon to 5pm for an afternoon of art, live performances, crafts, games, and more. Costumes encouraged! Free. 1501 John F Kennedy Boulevard
ONGOING EVENTS
Art exhibitions, live shows, outdoor activities, and more things to do, until you can’t anymore.
CONSIDER HOW MUCH YOUR SOUL IS WORTH. Jen Silverman’s Witch comes to Quintessence Theater for evening and matinee performances through November 1. Everything in little Edmonton village changes when a charming devil comes to town. $30-$65. 7137 Germantown Avenue
GET YOUR BUZZ TOURING PHILLY’S HAUNTED PAST. Now through October 31, book a trip on Spirits of Philadelphia: A BYOB Trolley Tour Through Philly’s Haunted Past. Bring your friends and some drinks for a two-hour ghost hunting experience rooted in Philly’s supernatural history and haunted places. Tours meet at 7pm. $45+. 239 Arch Street
EXPLORE TRUE CRIME IN PHILLY. As it turns out, bad things do happen in Philadelphia. Learn all about it on the Philly True Crime BYOB Trolley Tour, running through October 31, with tours at 6:30 and 8:30pm. Guests are treated to live music and chilling stories of Philadelphia’s sordid history. BYOB, 21+ only. $55. Tours depart from 239 Arch Street
CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN IN CHESTNUT HILL. Chestnut Hill’s annual Halloween on the Hill happens through October 31 as the neighborhood transforms with spooky décor, a tail-wagging pet parade, scarecrow walk, straw maze, ghost tours, and Trick or Treating from 1 to 3pm. Free. Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike
CATCH THE GREAT PUMPKIN! Cityside Pumpkin Patch returns to Liberty Point through November 1 from noon to 10pm Thursday through Sunday and 5 to 10pm Wednesdays. Bring the family to pick out the perfect locally-sourced pumpkin amidst spooky decor, scarecrow archery, carnival games, Halloween treats, and a SMASHING ZONE! $13.90-$22.50. 211 S. Columbus Boulevard
DON’T SETTLE FOR REGULAR OLD MINI GOLF. PLAY SPOOKY MINI GOLF! Franklin Square’s putt-putt course transforms for the season into Spooky Mini Golf through November 1 from 10am to 10pm with strobes, animated props, and fog for variable day time and nighttime levels of spookiness, a month-long costume contest, and The Boo-zy Bar. $12-$15. 200 N. 6th Street
GO TO SCARY JAIL. Philly’s landmark prison transforms annually into “a Halloween festival of epic proportions” complete with Al Capone’s Speakeasy, eerie flashlight hospital tour, and frightening performances. Check out Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, open through November 7. $49-$149. Parking and shuttle: $22 ($30 on site so buy online!) 2027 Fairmount Avenue
SEE THE PLAY THAT GAVE US THE FAMOUS PHRASE. Israel Zangwill’s 1908 play The Melting Pot returns to the Arch Street Meeting House through November 8 for 2pm, 3pm and 7pm performances. The once-famous play follows a young Jewish-Russian immigrant whose new life in America collides with his past. 20-38.75. 320 Arch Street
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN GRASSROOTS ARTISTIC EXPERIMENTATION. Through November 15, Philadelphia’s network of artist-run spaces, DIY venues, and community-based initiatives hosts Collective Futures, a collaboratively organized project bringing together more than 40 independent spaces and organizations across the city through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and public programs citywide. Many events are free; locations citywide
SPEND AN INTIMATE MAGICAL EVENING WITH COCKTAILS. I know, right? The Magicians Table invites the audience into the world of a fictional (and recently deceased) magician for illusions, live music, drinks, and extraordinary theater. Live at the SEI Innovation Studio in the Kimmel Center through November 22 for afternoon and evening performances. You must be 18 years or older to attend. 102-2381. 300 S. Broad 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
COME TO THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLAY STUDIO’S BELOVED EXHIBITION. The Clay Studio celebrates the opening of 20th annual Small Favors, an exhibition of unique art in four-inch cubes, with a reception The exhibit runs through January 3, 2027. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11am to 5:30pm and 11am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Free. 1425 N. American 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
