Powerful in Pink: African dancers will shine at the ACANA Festival Series on the Delaware River Waterfront on August 4th. Photo by Matt Stanley courtesy of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp.
FunTimes Magazine: ‘Culture & Entertainment’ column, week of July 28, 2025
“Let July be the month where you find the courage to turn what was once a whisper of a dream into a glorious reality.”
— Unknown Author
July’s slipping away like beach sand into the ocean. So, hurry; let’s seize the summer. From art to fun street festivals, catch the summer wave with these cool activities. ‘Summer’ on…
BlackStar Sheds Light On Diversity
Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, August 3, 2025. Philly’s 13th annual BlackStar Film Festival will highlight some of the world’s most creative Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices in filmmaking and visual arts. With the theme “Cinema For Liberation,” the internationally-acclaimed festival will feature over 90 indie film screenings from 35 nations, live and virtual programming, artist panels, director talks, concerts, and must-attend parties. Enjoy 20 world premieres. BlackStar is a great storytelling showcase for filmmakers from underrepresented communities and helps with their travel costs and screening fees. The festival will take place online and in-person at various Philadelphia venues including the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Center City. Inquire about pricing including “Bundles:” In-person ($80) and online ($30); noon to 10 p.m. EST. Blackstarfest.org or https://www.Blackstarfest.org/festival/org
You Don’t Have To Be A Prose…
Through Friday, August 1, 2025. If you dabble in iambic pentameter, this may be of interest: Submit an audio recording of your finest poetry, up to 90 seconds in length, by week’s end, and it may be selected for the initiative, Healing Verse Germantown Poetry Line. Yes, just phone it in and, if picked, get $100. The catch is that you have to live in the Germantown area. Poetry fans can call the 24-hour hotline (1-855-763-6792) to get their fix of prose with new poems weekly. They can also access gun violence prevention and mental health resources. The Healing Verse Poetry Line is part of Healing Verse Germantown: The Streets Are Talking, an arts-based initiative tackling the impact of mental health from gun violence in Germantown. Free; deadline for submissions: August 1. Email: healingversepoetryline@gmail.com, 1-855-763-6792 or https://healingversegermantown.com/
The Beat is In The Street
Saturday, August 2, 2025. Enjoy music, kids’ activities, a petting zoo, line dancing, spoken-word performances, grocery giveaways, and free health screenings & resources at the Allegheny Avenue Arts Festival. The annual summer street fair will feature artists of all ages from youth-based ministries in Nicetown, Tioga, and other nearby communities. The event will be co-hosted by the Georgia E. Gregory Interdenominational School of Music, a nonprofit that provides education in music and the performing arts to kids and adults in North Philadelphia. More than 30 of the school’s students will perform. Free admission, 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. 1600 block of Allegheny St. 215-430-0435 or gegisom@aol.com
Photo courtesy of the 2ndStFestival.org
Northern Liberties Goes Street…
Sunday, August 3, 2025. The first Sunday in August in Philly brings us many community treasures. One gem is the 2nd St Festival in Northern Liberties. The neighborhood fair is 17 years old and continues to flourish as one of the city’s largest annual street festivals. For food, fun, craft shopping, and live music, check it out. Free entry, noon to 10 p.m. EST, 2nd Street, from Girard Avenue to Spring Garden Street. Email: info@2ndstfestival.org, https://www.2ndstfestival.org/ or https://globalphiladelphia.org/events/2nd-st-festival-northern-liberties
Image courtesy of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp.
Taste The African Culture & Cuisine
Sunday, August 3, 2025. The 16th Annual ACANA African Festival at the Cherry Street Pier on the Delaware River waterfront will be a joyous journey into African culture. One of the largest African festivals on the East Coast will celebrate the African diaspora in grand style; it will showcase African music, including West African drumming, globally-inspired cuisine, and crafts from African vendors. Enjoy performances from Awilo Longomba, a Congolese star, and JZyNO, a rising Afrobeat artist known for his dynamic rhythms. The festival will highlight Tunde Success, a Nigerian master of the talking drum; Wazumbians, a vibrant Ghanaian music group; the South African beats of Sharon Katz and The Peace Train, and the Camden, N.J.-based Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble. Sway to the music as you indulge in African, Jamaican, soul food, vegan/vegetarian, Mexican, and tropical beverages. The event will be part of the ongoing PECO Multicultural Series. Free admission, 2 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. Cherry Street Pier, 121 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd. https://www.cherrystreetpier.com/event/2024/06/acana-festival-part-of-the-peco-… or
https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/what-to-do/acana-festival-part-of-the-peco-multicultural-series-2025
Photo courtesy of The Welcoming Center, welcomingcenter.org
Training To Bolster Immigrants’ Skills
Wednesday, August 20 to Saturday, December 13, 2025. Immigrants and refugees can learn new skills and how to access important resources about communicating with the government, navigating social settings, English-language and digital skills, fundraising tools to support community projects, and wellness. The sessions are part of the Immigrant Leadership Institute program hosted by The Welcoming Center, which promotes economic growth through immigrant integration. They will take place in two stages over four months. Free but pre-register and take part in required informational sessions in advance, either August 6 or August 13, from 6 p.m. EST to 7:30 p.m. EST. The Welcoming Center/ 4th Floor, 211 N. 13th St. Email: alaa@welcomingcenter.org, 267-366-2107. Register here or welcomingcenter.org
Royal hat with chameleons, Yoruba artist, Nigeria, cotton, glass beads, & fiber, c. 1920.
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Wearable Art
Through Monday, January 19, 2026. Check out Head to Toe: African and Asian Wearables from the Ira and Myrna Brind Collection, an exhibit of original jewelry, headdresses, textiles, and all things wearable from both Africa and Asia. According to the promotional material: “The exhibit will explore how status are encoded within artistic media…how trade and other forms of exchange have influenced the meaning of specific materials for the cultures and regions…” $30 (adults 19+ includes access to all museum exhibits); free for kids 12 and older; pay what you wish on the first Sundays monthly. 10 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays; 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. EST Fridays; closed Tuesdays. Philadelphia Museum of Art Main Building (Penny and Bob Fox Hall), 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. 215-763-8100 or https://philamuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/brind-african-asian-wearables
