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Fun Things to Do in Philly this Week and Weekend

This week in Philly we have Northern Liberties Restaurant Week, a new Black history exhibit, the award-winning musical Come From Away, a documentary screening at The Weitzman, Author Series events at the Free Library and more

Fun Things to Do in Philly this Week and Weekend

This week in Philly we have Northern Liberties Restaurant Week, a new Black history exhibit, the award-winning musical Come From Away, a documentary screening at The Weitzman, Author Series events at the Free Library and more

It’s a big week for Philadelphia, but the Super Bowl isn’t the only thing to do. We have the award-winning musical Come From Away, Northern Liberties Restaurant Week, and a documentary film debut at The Weitzman.

If hitting the streets for food and film isn’t for you, Carpenters’ Hall is kicking off Tuesday Tea with Dolly Madison* herself (sort of). There are two big Author Series events at the Free Library, and two new exhibits opening this week at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the National Liberty Museum.

If hitting the streets is for you but you’re tired from a long work week and want to be in bed before midnight, Day Shift Philly offers a club experience for the older, more responsible crowd who still want to party. You can also hit up 48 Record Bar for their Galentine’s Day afternoon vinyl market.

And finally, make sure you are stocked up on chips, wings, dips, pizza, drinks, and places for your friends and family to sit for Super Bowl LIX. GO BIRDS!

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

Another neighborhood restaurant week, tea with Dolly Madison, an award-winning musical, the Author Series at the Free Library, a new Black history exhibit, a documentary screening at The Weitzman.

 

STUFF YOUR FACE IN NOLIBS. Northern Liberties Restaurant Week is happening through February 8. Enjoy $25, $35, and $45 prix fixe dinner menus from the neighborhood’s best restaurants. See locations here.

 

Photo courtesy Carpenters’ Hall

PARTY AT CARPENTERS’ HALL. The home of the First Continental Congress in 1774, in partnership with Historic Philadelphia Inc., offers a series of afternoon tea parties every Tuesday this month from 3:30 to 5pm starting February 4, and continuing February 11, 18 and 25. Your host, Dolley Todd Madison, serves Tuesday Tea with … assorted teas, sweets and savory treats by The Hart of Catering. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available. $85. 320 Chestnut Street

 

The 2023 touring cast and band of Come From Away. Photo by Matthew Murphy

WATCH AN AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL. February 4 through 9 at the Academy of Music, Come From Away tells of 7,000 airplane passengers stranded on 9/11 and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Shows at 7:30pm. $70-$120. 240 S. Broad Street

 

HEAR ANTHONY JACK DISCUSS COLLEGES AND INEQUALITY. The Free Library Foundation’s Author Series presents Anthony Jack | Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price on February 5 from 7 to 8pm at Parkway Central Library. Penn’s Desmond Upton Patton and Jack discuss the challenges of undergraduate life for disadvantaged students, even in elite schools that invest millions to diversify their student body. The Philadelphia Citizen is a proud media sponsor of the Free Library Foundation. $5. 1901 Vine Street

 

By ajay_sureshHistorical Society of Pennsylvania, Link

ATTEND THE OPENING OF AN IMPORTANT BLACK HISTORY EXHIBIT. Free, As One: Black Worldmaking in the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers highlights Black self-determination and leadership from the 1770s onward in the abolition movement of the Mid-Atlantic region. On view February 6 through May 23, with an opening reception February 6 from 6pm to 8pm. Library and exhibit hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm and Wednesday from 1 to 7pm. Free. 1300 Locust Street

 

July 4 1960 protest outside Glen Echo Park, photo courtesy Amy Bookbinder

CATCH THE SCREENING OF A LOCAL FILMMAKER’S NEWEST DOC. Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round screens at The Weitzman on February 6, starting with a cash bar at 6:30pm and followed by a Q&A with Emmy Award-winning director Ilana Trachtman. The documentary covers the story of the first organized interracial civil rights protest which took place at Glen Echo Park outside Washington, D.C. $15-$20. 101 S. Independence Mall East

 

SIT IN ON CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SLAVERY AND FAMILY. The Free Library Foundation’s Author Series hosts Judy Giesberg & Lee Hawkins | Last Seen: The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families AND I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free on February 6 from 7 to 8pm at the Parkway Central Library, in conversation with WHYY’s Cherri Gregg. The Philadelphia Citizen is a proud media sponsor of the Free Library Foundation.  $5. 1901 Vine Street

 

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN PHILLY

A new free speech exhibit, Chestnut Hill shopping, Galentine’s vinyl pop-up market, Ben Franklin “Bengo,” Super Bowl Sunday

CONTINUE THE YEAR OF FREE SPEECH WITH A NEW EXHIBIT. On display at the National Liberty Museum from February 7 to September 8, Word Powered: Exploring Free Speech Through Art is a juried exhibition of sculptures, paintings, video installations and more exploring censorship, freedom of expression and diverse perspectives. February 8, from 10am to 5pm there’s a community open house commemorating the opening with pay-what-you-wish admission and hands-on activities for all ages. Museum hours are Wednesday through Monday 10am to 5pm. $0-$12. 321 Chestnut Street

 

Chestnut Hill Photo by Stephanie Ramones, Contigo Photography

GET LOVE FROM CHESTNUT HILL. Love, Chestnut Hill on February 8 is an opportunity to for the small business community to show its affection with special deals and a raffle guests can enter every time they spend $25 or more at participating businesses with a chance to win one of three prize baskets. Pay as you go. Germantown Avenue from Chestnut Hill Avenue to Mermaid Lane

 

DayShift Philly

GO CLUBBIN’ IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. Day Shift Philly – 30+ Daytime Party, the party where those of us who don’t want to be up past midnight but still want to go out dancing, happens at NOTO February 8 from 4 to 9pm. $20. 1209 Vine Street

 

48 Record Bar’s To Err is Human (Credit: Gab Bonghi)

CELEBRATE GALENTINE’S DAY WITH VINYL. 48 Record Bar hosts its annual 48RB Vinyl Market: Valentine’s + Galentine’s Edition on February 8 from noon to 4:30pm, a pop-up vinyl market featuring crates of curated LPs. Shop while you sip! Pay as you go. 48 S. 2nd Street

 

PARTY WITH BEN FRANKLIN FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Boozy Ben’s Bengo happens inside Franklin Square’s “Ben On the Rocks” heated tent February 7, 14 and 21 from 5 to 7pm. Proceeds from “Bengo” benefit the management and operation of Franklin Square. $5 per card. 200 N. 6th Street

 

On November 3, 2024, Eagles' running back Saquon Barkley leaps over Jacksonville Jaguar Jarrian Jones.
On November 3, 2024, Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley leaps over Jacksonville Jaguar Jarrian Jones. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles.

CHEER FOR THE EAGLES ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! Kickoff for Super Bowl LIX where the Philadelphia Eagles tackle the Kansas City Chiefs (again) is at 6:30pm on February 9. For the halftime show, we have the great Kendrick Lamar. The game is at the Superdome in New Orleans, but you can watch it live at home on Fox or stream it on the NFL App, Hulu, and Tubi.

ONGOING EVENTS

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

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

Ants on a log practicing their juggling

DO IMPROV. JUST DO IT. Kid-centric Philly band Ants on a Log gives musical improv classes for adults Mondays at 6pm, through February 10 at The Arts League in West Philly. Through improv exercises and games, learn to create songs and scenes on the fly, common song structures, and the art of spontaneity within a supportive community. No previous training in improv or music is required, ages 18+ only. $300 registration. 4226 Spruce Street

Photo by Jeff Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

SEE THE WINTER SPECTACLE IN FRANKLIN SQUARE. Winter in Franklin Square runs nightly from 5 to 9pm through February 23. Hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights and dancing fountains choreographed to holiday tunes strike up every 30 minutes throughout the evening while you ride the carousel, play mini golf, or warm up with some hot cocoa and/or adult beverages at  Ben On the Rocks. Oh and this year, they’ve added street curling. Pay as you go. 200 N. 6th Street

PLAY MINI GOLF WITH LOVE. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and Franklin Square is transforming its iconic course into Philly Mini Golf with Love through February 23. Play the Rocky Steps, Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin Bridge with special decor and music to match the season. $12-$15. 200 N. 6th Street

Works by Mark Sfirri from his La Famiglia exhibition

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.” Free. 141 N. 3rd Street

 

Matteo Scammell (Newton “Newt” Stover III) and Kishia Nixon (Gigi Robins)in Arden Theatre Company’s 2025 production of Holy Grail of Memphis . Photo by Ashley Smith, Wide Eyed Studios

SEE THE PREMIERE OF A PHILADELPHIA PLAYWRIGHT’S NEW STAGE COMEDY. The Arden Theatre Company presents Holy Grail of Memphis, a new comedy by Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger now open through March 2 with shows at 7pm. $32-$52. 40 N. 2nd Street

 

Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

CELEBRATE WINTER AT PENN’S LANDING.  Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest opens at Penn’s Landing runs through March 2. Enjoy ice skating, cabin, lounge, and fire pit rentals, and festive food and drink now until practically spring break. Hours vary. Pay as you go. 101 S. Columbus Boulevard

CELEBRATE THE WINTER AT DILWORTH PARK. It’s that time of year already! The ice skating rink, Wintergarden and the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market open for the season at Dilworth Park. Holiday shopping is Friday and Saturday from noon to 9pm and Sundays through Thursdays from noon to 8pm. The rink is open 7 days a week with special events scheduled throughout the season. Advanced tickets are recommended! Free-$19. 1 S. 15th Street

 

A variety of visual artworks in a pleasing collage, including elegantly and traditionally dressed women with hairdressing gathered in front of an orange wall, a simple wooden bed against a wall of colorful trinkets, hairpieces, ribbons, hats, and other ephemera; a chart labeled "The Blackest things I can think of;" an aged 18th-century looking woodcut print frame through which you can see a blue ocean shore with two ringed feminine hands in the foreground, and a collage of photos portraying Black women
A sample of artworks in the Black History Month Showcase, including artists Shawn Theodore, Emilio Maldonaldo, Shakira Hunt, and Yannick Lowery

SEE THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH SHOWCASE. Hyatt Centric Center City Philadelphia launches its second annual Black History Month Showcase through mid-March, featuring a mix of artwork by local Black artists. Free. 1620 Chancellor Street

 

A sample of works by Josephine Mette Larson, Liisa Nelson, and Jinsik Yoo.

SEE NEW EXHIBITS AT THE CLAY STUDIO. Through March 30, The Clay Studio premieres three new exhibitions highlighting the work of its Resident Artists, hosting Doesn’t It Feel Warmer Just Knowing the Sun Will Be Out by Danish-American ceramicist Josephine Mette Larson, Dreams by ceramic artist Liisa Nelson, and Palimpsest by South Korean ceramic sculptor Jinsik Yoo. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 11am to 5:30pm and 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Second Thursday hours of each month are 5 to 8pm. Free. 1425 N. American Street

 

Image by Laurie Carrozzino for Longwood Gardens

VISIT LONGWOOD GARDENS. Through March 23, Longwood Gardens presents its Winter Wonder exhibit, showcasing the beauty of its new West Conservatory with lush, colorful gardens and soothing water effects. Timed admission tickets are required starting at 10am, evening times vary. $2-$25. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square

 

MORE GOOD THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY

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