Special Events in Philadelphia
Every Season Offers Something for Everyone
JANUARY
New Year's Day Mummer Parade
Each year, the city and its people are transformed to reflect a famous tradition – the Mummers. More than 15,000 people take to the streets of Philadelphia dressed in colorful costumes, ready to strut their stuff. A great way to celebrate the New Year.
Philadelphia International Auto Show
Make a pit stop at one of the world’s largest international auto shows, held from February 3rd to the 11th at the Philadelphia Convention Center. One ticket gives you access to 700 of the hottest rides in the world.
FEBRUARY
African-American History Month
Learn about the African-Americans who have changed the world through a host of events taking place throughout the city.
Chinese New Year
Take a walk through Chinatown to celebrate the New Year all over again and admire the beauty of the Lantern Festival.
Philadelphia Flower Show
Visit a place where the grass is greener and the flowers are always in perfect bloom. The Philadelphia Flower Show welcomes spring with luscious plants, majestic trees and beautiful flowers adorning the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Take a stroll through the gardens and admire the beauty of nature.
South Street Mardi Gras for Fat Tuesday
South Street, Philadelphia's hip strip, is where Mardi Gras is celebrated on Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information
Tattoo Artists Convention
Seminars by some of the nation's most gifted tattoo artists unfold along with live performances by Dead Meat, Full Blown Cherry and more. Call (800) 541-8239 for more information.
MARCH
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Celebrate the Irish at the country’s third-largest parade, with more than 100 floats and 10,000 marchers.
Manayunk in Bloom
Spring brings Manayunk in Bloom, an annual event with fun at Pretzel Park, at Cotton and Cresson streets for the annual Easter Egg Scramble. Merchants stock up with Easter finery and accessories. Call (215) 482-9565 for more information.
The Book and the Cook Festival
Cooks share their books and recipes at different restaurants and at the convention center during KitchenAid’s The Book and the Cook Festival. Call (215) 545-4543 for more information.
The Red Ball
National Constitution Center is the scene for an evening of gourmet dining and dancing at The Red Ball, supporting operations of the one-of-a-kind Red Cross House, providing short-term shelter for families and individuals displaced by disasters. Call (215) 299-5491 for more information.
APRIL
Major League Baseball
Nothing signals advent of spring more than Baseball with a capital B, tightly meshed into American culture with historic firsts, icon performances, record-setting events, and traditions from hot dogs slathered in mustard to unexpected curveballs, and seventh-inning stretches. Catch “Phillies Phever” at Citizen’s Bank Park in South Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show
Showcased are furniture and accessories by more than 250 juried artisans, a Design Smart Seminar Series, Art of the Home devoted to residential architecture, artisan building services and green smart products, plus hands-on craft demonstrations. Call (215) 832-0060 for more information.
Champions on Ice
During the first week in April, check out the First Union Center in Philadelphia which hosts the annual exhibition of the U.S. Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Union. Call (215) 336-3600 for more information.
MAY
Broad Street Run
The venerable Broad Street Run’s 10-mile course starts at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue, ending in the Philadelphia Naval Business Center. (Not for Runners Only Health & Fitness Expo is at the Cruise Terminal, Pier 1, near the finish line.) Call (215) 235-7481 for more information.
Annual Canal Day
Attracting crowds along Main Street, this long-standing neighborhood event celebrates the 1823 opening of the Schuylkill Navigation System, part of the Manayunk Canal. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information
Dad Vail Regatta
The second week of May brings crew teams from schools across the U.S. to compete on the Schuylkill River in the nation’s largest collegiate regatta. Call (215) 886-1123 or (215) 483-2909 for more information.
Jam on the River
Enjoy music on the banks of the Delaware River on Memorial Day weekend at this annual event in Philadelphia. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
The chic Rittenhouse area celebrates spring with music, dance, outdoor and indoor sales and displays by area retailers, gallery exhibits, and more on Walnut Street from Broad to 19th, and within Rittenhouse Square. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
JUNE
First Union U.S. Pro Cycling Championship
The First Union men’s pro cycling championship is the nation’s longest running, richest single-day race on the Pro Cycling Tour. The Amateur Wall Climb has cyclists pedaling up the Manayunk Wall, a stretch of road at a 45-degree angle. The race starts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Call (215) 482-9565 for more information.
Manayunk Arts Festival
As the largest outdoor arts and crafts show in the Delaware Valley, the juried Manayunk Arts Festival features more than 250 artists from across the nation while attracting a quarter million spectators. Call (215) 482-9565 for more information.
Zhang San Feng Festival
At East Stroudsburg University the first weekend in June, the Zhang San Feng Festival & Dao of Health Expo features interactive workshops by day and evening parties with free wine, snacks and entertainment. Call(973) 670-6582 for more information
JULY
WAWA 'Welcome America"
You’re invited to a week-long 4th-of-July party where there is something for everyone! Swing to the music of some of the best bands, or help us celebrate the 4th of July and march in the parade!
Dragon Boat Races
Benefitting the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the International Dragon Boat Races feature eight lanes of action with up to 100 teams. Call (610) 642-2333 for more information.
AUGUST
Eagles Football Opener
Named the Eagles to symbolize the New Deal’s National Recovery Act, Philadelphia’s team first played the Chicago Bears in a 3-3 tie. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information
SEPTEMBER
National Football League
If it’s fall and you’re ready for some football, count on the National Football League to deliver non-stop grid action, leading to playoffs, and the incomparable Super Bowl. The NFL has come a long way since its 1920 founding in Canton, Ohio at Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile dealership. NFL action was first televised in 1939 when NBC broadcast within New York City. The NFL’s Longest Day was on Christmas, 1971, in a playoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, and Miami’s 17-0 Perfect Season unfolded the following year. But that’s history, and prospects for new milestones start in September.
Museum of Art Rodin Garden Party
Early in September, Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art gather for the Rodin Garden Party at the Rodin Museum, with opportunity to win prizes in a raffle that funds museum initiatives. Call (215) 235-7469 for more information.
Puerto Rican Week Festival Parade
Running since 1964, Philadelphia's annual Puerto Rican Week Festival (Festival Puertorriqueño Fildelfia) includes Puerto Rican Day (the last Sunday of September), a grand parade (Desfile Puertorriqueño) and the Miss Puerto Rico-Philadelphia pageant. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
Philadelphia Fringe Festival
Each September, the Philadelphia Fringe takes over with an extended festival of new art attracting thousands of onlookers to admire works of more than 1,300 artists in theater, dance, performance art, music, poetry, puppetry and visual arts. Call (215) 413-9006 for more information.
Annual Sippin’ by the River
Sippin’ By The River at Penn’s Landing, hosted by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, serves samples from more than a dozen vineyards and some two dozen breweries, along with tutored tastings. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
OCTOBER
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League’s rough and tumble world packs a motherlode of milestones, from 1917’s NHL opener, to when Maurice Richard was first to score 50 goals in one season in 1944-45, to when Clint Benedict was the first goalie to put on a mask after a shot knocked him unconscious, to when Manon Rheaume made headlines in 1992 as the first woman playing in one of the four major sports leagues, goaltending for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the St. Louis Blues. From October on, it’s non-stop action in the world of hat tricks -- three goals in a game by a player -- and sudden death overtime.
Columbus Day Parade
Philadelphia celebrates Columbus Day with a parade on the second Sunday in October along Broad Street. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
Philly Neighborhood Food Week
In mid October, over 30 neighborhood restaurants, located in Manayunk, Northern Liberties, East Passyunk, Penn's Landing and Chestnut Hill, showcase their creations with 3 and 4 course meals offered at special prices. Call (610) 624-4596 for more information about this delicious Philadelphia event.
Manayunk Annual Antiques & Collectibles Festival
The festival showcases goods of more than 250 professional dealers from across the nation. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
Bridesmaid's Ball
Going strong for more than a dozen years and benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Bridesmaid's Ball at the Diamond Club at Citizen Bank Park celebrates ghosts of nuptials past, with all the fun of a wedding sans the hassles.
NOVEMBER
National Basketball Association
Toronto, Canada was the site of the National Basketball League's first game on Nov. 1, 1946, with the Huskies hosting the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens. Thirteen original rules were drafted by Dr. James Naismith, creator of basketball. Pro basketball suffered in popularity in the early 1950's, but one rule change -- that of the 24-second clock -- transformed the sport from a dull, stalling game to an exciting, offensive showcase. Icons along the way, from Bob Cousy and Wilt Chamberlain to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, have immortalized what's now the National Basketball Association's game, creating long-standing rivalries from coast to coast.
College Basketball
First devised by James Naismith in 1891, with the first recorded collegiate game in 1893, legions testify there’s no sound so soothing as a basketball whooshing through the net after a flick of the wrist. NCAA basketball brings grass roots hoop dreams to an entirely new level each fall, building toward March Madness, the NCAA Division Basketball Championships. Rider Broncos, Villanova Wildcats, Drexel Dragons, Pennsylvania Quakers, Princeton Tigers, Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors, St. Joseph's Hawks, Swarthmore Garnet, Temple Owls Rider Broncos -
Philadelphia Marathon
The annual Philadelphia Marathon starts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Call (215) 685-0054 for more information.
Thanksgiving Day Parade
Dating to 1920 as the nation's first Thanksgiving Day parade, Philadelphia’s spectacle now lasts three hours and features more than a dozen marching bands, floats, a youth choir and more. Santa shows up at the end, launching the Philadelphia Holiday Festival. Call (215) 965-7676 or (800) 537-7676 for more information.
DECEMBER
HOLIDAY LIGHT SHOW
Celebrate the magic of Christmas with an enchanting tale featuring dancing water fountains, organ music and lights. Presented at Macy’s Grand Court, children of all ages can gather around and watch the beauty of the light show in wonder.
12TH NIGHT CELEBRATION DINNER
Sing, dance and be merry at this colonial-style celebration. Let yourself be entertained by the spoofs and joviality of the tavern keeper and his band of eccentrics.
Matzo Ball
From a humble start in a Boston bar, Matzo Ball bashes in more than a dozen cities including San Francisco and Washington D.C. have arrived at the Philadelphia Glam as a holiday party for Jewish singles on the night before Christmas. Call (267) 671-0840 for more information
New Year's Eve Fireworks on the Delaware
Welcome the New Year with a bang. Watch the sky light up at the largest New Year’s Eve fireworks show in the country.