Things to do / Travel Guide
Throughout eastern Pennsylvania, cultural and ethnic holidays are commemorated, and heroes of U.S. history are honored in colorful displays and festivals. Philadelphia is famous as a city of festivals.
January
New Year's Day on Market Street, Philadelphia is the place to see the Mummer's Parade, the oldest parade in the U.S. and winner of many awards. This is a very colorful event with amazing floats and costumes. If you wish to celebrate the Chinese New Year with dragon parades and firecrackers, visit Chinatown, when the celebrating starts on the first full moon in January and lasts for 15 days.
February
The Philadelphia International Auto Show is held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for one week in early February. It is a truly international show, displaying concept, classic, luxury, and exotic vehicles. Bentley, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Aston-Martin, and Rolls-Royce join the top American car models.
March
The Philadelphia Flower Show is held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for one week in early March and is the oldest flower show in the U.S. Entry costs about $20 per person.
The first St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in Philadelphia in 1771, which makes it the second-oldest such parade in the U.S. after New York City's. This celebration of the Irish heritage and culture, with its bands, floats, flags, and music, is one of the grandest parades in a city that loves parades.
April
The Dad Vail Regatta, held in Philadelphia during the second week of May every year, is the largest collegiate regatta in the United States. Hundreds of colleges and thousands of student athletes descend on the city to compete and watch this rowing competition on the Schuylkill River.
Another annual display of athletic prowess is the Penn Relays, one of the world's oldest, largest, and best amateur track and field carnivals, held at the University of Pennsylvania at the end of April.
May and June
The Jambalaya Jam is a three-day celebration in May of Creole and Cajun food and New Orleans-style jazz held at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Orchestra's summer season opens in June, with world-famous visiting artists, such as cellist Yo Yo Ma, appearing at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The orchestra also gives free concerts around the city during the summer.
The Manayunk Arts Festival, the largest outdoor arts and crafts show in the Delaware Valley, draws huge crowds to Main Street, Philadelphia.
July
Fourth of July in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the nation, is the biggest birthday bash in the U.S., a 10-day party that includes spectacular fireworks, an illuminated boat parade, outdoor concerts, and many special events throughout the city.
The Poconos Blues Festival, rated by critics as one of the top five festivals in the country, takes place for three days in July at the Big Boulder Ski Area near Lake Harmony and Blakeslee in the Pocono Mountains. In an acoustically-perfect, natural amphitheater situated 2,000 feet above sea level you can enjoy the very best in blues, rhythm and blues, southern soul, and Sacred Steel gospel music.
August
Bethlehem Musikfest, Bethlehem - What started as a grassroots music festival in 1984 has grown into a 10-day musical spectacular that attracts more than 1 million people each late July/early August. The festival showcases nearly every musical style imaginable, from KC & the Sunshine Band to David Cassidy, and from Sister Sledge to Carrie Underwood. Shows take place on 13 indoor and outdoor stages, many of them free to attend.
September
In Kennett Square, known as the “Mushroom Capital of the World,” the annual Mushroom Festival has been held for more than 20 years. There are more mushrooms grown in this southern section of Chester County than anywhere else in the U.S., and over 100,000 visitors join each year to enjoy this two-day culinary event.
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe is a 16-day festival of performing arts, which has been taking place for the past 10 years in Philadelphia, beginning on Labor Day weekend. This cutting-edge event presents a wide spectrum of artistic expression, including avant-garde dance, ballet, cabaret, clowning, experimental theater, performance art, street theater, visual art installations, and much more.
October
The Manyunk Annual Antique and Collectibles Festival is a gathering of around 250 dealers from across the U.S., offering antiques and collectibles and covering all genres. This event takes place in Philadelphia in late October.
November and December
Don't miss the annual Thanksgiving Parade in Philadelphia; it's the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1920. It features 13 marching bands, floats, balloons, a 1,000-member youth choir, a tap dance troupe, and many popular cartoon characters.
Starting with the Thanksgiving Parade and ending with the Mummer's Parade on New Year's Day, Philadelphia's Center City Holiday Festival offers concerts, festivals, and seasonal events all month long, which makes this time of year especially entertaining in the city.
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