Philly’s Holiday Events
Week of December 5, 2022 FunTimesFun Events Education & Entertainment!
The holidays are here. Ready or not! Shine a light on your holidays with these fun, festive (mostly free or low-cost) things to do and places to go. But before venturing out to any of these in-person activities, please respect the ongoing pandemic safety protocols, and check individual event-attending instructions with the organizers. As a general rule: If you feel unwell, please do not attend in person.
Lavonne lights it up with songs of the season!
December 10, 2022. Few places in Philadelphia scream holiday fun like bustling LOVE Park. Christmas Village in Philadelphia in LOVE Park, Philly’s open authentic German Christmas market, returns for 2022 with more than 110 quaint European wooden huts (open through December 24, 2022). Strudel, anyone? But — hold on — there is one special new treat this year. And that’s our own FunTimes team member, Lavonne Nichols, who just happens to be an accomplished songstress. Lavonne will light up LOVE Park with a riveting soulful concert performance that will get you into the holiday spirit by the time you can say: Fa-la-la-la-lah! Lavonne Nichols at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia is not to be missed. 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free, LOVE Park, 1500 Arch St., saysometinggoodllc.com
Toy time, and you can help!
Through January 2, 2023. The Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Philadelphia Orchestra are teaming with Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc., 2600 N. 5th St. in Philadelphia, (Taller) for Taller’s Three King’s Day Toy Drive this holiday season. The campaign benefits kids ages from infant to 18. Taller is a non-profit community cultural organization for youth. Ideal toy suggestions are: science games, sensory-specific games, sports items, art materials, educational and fun baby toys, musical toys, gift cards (including Apple Music, Target, Game Stop), headsets and ear buds (no toy guns or balls). The collection will support Taller’s annual Three Kings Day Celebration. The Feast of the Three Kings, also known as the Epiphany, takes place every year January 6. The celebration commemorates that day when the Three Kings from the Orient followed the star leading them to the newly born Christ Child in Bethlehem, and bearing him gifts. In Puerto Rican tradition, on the eve of the Epiphany, children collect hay straw or grass and place it in containers under their beds. At Taller, children get candies, sweets and donated toys from the hands of three community members dressed as the Three Kings. Toy-donation boxes are at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, Miller Theater and the Academy of Music. South Broad Street, South Avenue of the Arts. 215-893-1999, kimmelculturalcampus.org.
A soulful holiday treat
December 13, 2022. Want to get high on the holidays? The 9th annual A Soulful Christmas returns this winter with an inspiring and uplifting union of regional choristers, performing holiday spirituals and gospel favorites. The program closes with a dazzling evening “Finale of Lights!” The lineup is spectacular: Creator and Director, Dr. J. Donald Dumpson; hosts Patty Jackson, WDAS 105.3 FM, Fred Blain, Gospel Highway Eleven Online, and gospel singer-producer songwriter Kurt Carr, a two-time Grammy Award nominee and member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The concert includes nine local churches and choirs; Citywide Praise Dancers and Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble Tickets start at $35. Events start at 7:30 p.m., Kimmel Center, Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, kimmelculturalcampus.org.
Rock ‘round the holiday clock!
December 9, 2022. Check out a rockin’ Kick Off to the Holidays celebration with toe-tapping music, fabulous festive food and a community benefit drive. Live music begins at 6:30 with a performance by the School of Rock Philadelphia’s Adult band. At 7:30, the SOR Philly House Band will perform holiday gems. Enjoy Triple Bottom Brewing’s delicious craft drinks and The Lucky Well’s rib-sticking BBQ-style fare. Win Win Coffee, Philadelphia’s first Black female coffee roaster and distributor, will be satisfying your coffee cravings. Take part in the open-mic event open to all performers who sign up in advance (7:30 p.m.): register here. Free, event starts at 6 p.m. Bring donations of nonperishable food or toiletries to benefit Philadelphia nonprofit Bebashi –Transition to Hope, which serves Black and Brown residents through health and social services. Franklin’s Workshop (the former Voltage Lounge), 421 N. 7th St., 267-639-4007, schoolofrock.com.
Unique and antique!
December 10, 2022. If it’s vintage, it’s here. Antiques, home décor, furniture, vintage clothing, and authentic artisan goods. Check off the items on your holiday list at Liberty Flea. Shop for your winter wardrobe with vintage clothing vendors. Discover new and unusual home décor and look for local one of-a-kind artisan finds. And, to boot, the antiques are as vintage as the old high school vocational technical building itself, a well-preserved art deco masterpiece built in 1936. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5 admission, Bok Building, 1901 S. 9th St., in South Philadelphia, 215-419-5121, libertyflea.com.
Sisterly Love Collective Holiday Market is here
December 10, 17, 22 & 26, 2022. Peruse the South Street Headhouse District and Sisterly Love Collective for a fun festival — Holidays on South Street. See Santa’s better half, Mrs. Clause. Enjoy the great products from small businesses, local vendors and crafts creators. Indulge with food, drinks and good old holiday cheer. Check out December 26th — a celebration of Kwanzaa all day long. Headhouse Plaza, Second and South Sts., southstreet.com or allevents.in or sisterlylovephilly.com.
Deck the walls with lights!
Through January 1, 2023. The Comcast Holiday Spectacular — The Comcast Center’s annual high-res LED holiday show — will illuminate the lobby of Philadelphia’s second-tallest building, which contains one of the “world’s largest LED continuous video walls.” For the holidays, check out the performances from the Philadelphia Ballet and classic holiday songs, like “Jingle Bell Rock,” in a 15-minute show featuring a magical sleigh ride over the city. So far, 2 million folks have seen it since its inception in 2008. Shows run daily every hour, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free. Comcast Center Lobby, 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd., comcastcentercampus.com.
