Hispanic Heritage Month, which started in September and runs through October 15, celebrates Philly’s diverse Latino community with festivals, author readings, and food events, which can be found on VisitPhilly.com
FunTimes Magazine: ‘Culture & Entertainment’ column, week of October 6, 2025
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
― French novelist Albert Camus
They say that no snowflake is ever alike. But how do you know when they melt so fast. At least leaves stick around, hugging the ground long enough to kick around into a pile. We believe that actually no leaf is alike. Plus, they’re more colorful. Let’s drink some apple cider and cheer on the underrated leaf, the “flower” of fall. Speaking of cheering, from events to becoming a Philly “Phambassador” to venturing out to the best trails to walk, run and bike, check out how you can fall in love with the season of leaves by enjoying these (mostly) free festivities.
Nate Smith
Keeping A Different Beat
Saturday, October 11, 2025. Internet phenom and drummer Nate Smith will work his energy-infused musical spell of jazz, R&B, hip-hop, pop and soul on audiences. His thoughtfully innovative style in all of the rage, and has helped nabbed him three GRAMMY® nominations and opportunities to gig with Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Brittany Howard, Van Hunt, The Fearless Flyers, Norah Jones, and Somi. Individual tickets: $53 $94.64; 7:30 p.m. EST. The Kimmel Center / Perelman Theater, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999 or https://my.ensembleartsphilly.org/syos/performance/58544
Find some cool finds at Clark Park
A Flea Marketer’s Delight At Clark Park
Saturday, October 11, 2025. Where else can you get a gem like Marvin Gaye’s 1971 What’s Going On all-time classic album buried under a pile of costume jewelry? We have just the place: Get your comfy shoes on for a day in the park at the One Africa! One Nation Uhuru Flea Market. And shop for a fine cause: Support African-owned businesses. Bargain hunters can select from a wide array of great goods including bikes, art, crafts, jewelry, clothing, books, records and collectibles. The market is organized by One Africa! One Nation! and an economic development project of the African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF). Free entry; 9 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST, Clark Park 43rd Street & Chester Avenue. 267-875-FLEA (3532) or https://oneafricamarketphilly.org/vendors/ or info@oneafricamarketphilly.org
Katherine Cooper
Coating The Community With Kindness
Saturday, October 11, 2205. Local businesswoman Katherine Cooper will host a Coat & Food Drive with a goal of distributing more than 200 free coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and meals in Philadelphia’s Kensington area. She is partnering with Walmart Boothwyn and Dline Security for the campaign. The 33-year-old Cooper, incarcerated as a teen, changed her life through entrepreneurship, and is now committed to assisting families in the community. Get free meals and enjoy DJ music, a photo booth and family activities. To donate a new coat or nonperishable food item, drop them off Mondays through Fridays, from 10 a.m. EST to 3 p.m. EST at 2212 N. Front St. Cooper is the founder of MBP Enterprise LLC and Fast Lane Logistics LLC,. “All it takes is one coat, one meal, or one encouraging word to change a child’s outlook,” Cooper said. No registration required for the event. Free, 2 p.m. EST to 6 p.m. EST. 2212 N. Front St. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DO4GyCLkTk2
Everyone Gets A Piece Of The Pie
Sunday, October 12, 2025. The idea is not so pie in the sky. More like pie on the table. Take a bite out of the Philadelphia Pie Picnic at FDR Park Boathouse in South Philadelphia to kick off fall. Bring a pie, homemade or store-bought, to share with your neighbors in one of the newly renovated parks and an emerging jewel in the city’s parks system. Your pie, whether it’s your granny’s family recipe or made from the Internet, will be added to a “community table” to choose from a variety of treats. You can take home these slices of sweet goodness. It’s sort of like breaking bread with new friends, but with pie crumbs. Organizers say food is a great path to kindness and community-building. The first 50 of you to attend, gets a free Pie Picnic tote bag. Free but register; noon to 2 p.m. EST. Boathouse at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, Broad Street. and Pattison Avenue. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philadelphia-pie-picnic-tickets-1695876565459
Check out the bronze sculpture by Walker Hancock along The Schuylkill River Trail near Cherry Street. Photo by Aly Kerrigan courtesy of schuylkillbanks.org
Take A Hike: Urban Adventures
Philadelphia offers more than 150 miles of open-space pathways, hiking trails and walking/ bike routes for the casual or serious adventurer. By foot or on wheels, there’s an array of ways to explore Philly’s neighborhoods and priceless skyline views. Here are a few sights as recommended by Visit Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia region’s tourism marketing arm.
FDR Park and The Navy Yard Loop: The paved loop in FDR Park is ideal for jogging or biking. In the shadow of the sports complex, at the corner of South Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, take the loop around the tennis courts, ball fields, and lakes. Visit the South Philly Meadow trails, the site of an old golf course-turned walkable meadow. It’s accessible from the park entrance at 20th Street and Pattison Avenue. The nearby Navy Yard, once the home of the U.S.’s oldest government shipbuilding facility, is just southward on Broad Street; it offers almost six miles of a city within a city that is even unknown to the most fervent Philadelphians.
Grays Ferry Crescent: At the east side of the Schuylkill River, from Wharton Street to 34th Street, check out this paved trail, the Christian to Crescent Trail Connector. It links the southern end of the Schuylkill River Trail at Christian Street to the Grays Ferry Crescent segment at 34th Street. The connector extends Schuylkill Banks by 2,812 feet with a 650-foot cable-stay bridge.
Schuylkill River Trail: Schuylkill Banks and Boardwalk: The Schuylkill Banks is a multi-purpose city treasure for walking, jogging, cycling, picnics and dog-walking. Start on the South Street Bridge and take the ramp to the paved Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk. This extends the trail out over the river; proceed along the path to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a healthy 1.6-mile jog or ride. Explore the Azalea Garden or take in marvelous views of iconic Boathouse Row from near the Fairmount Water Works. To make your journey more enjoyable, the Schuylkill River Trail is filled with public art like Walker Hancock’s Air Sculpture installed at that location n 2015.
Sections of the Delaware River Trail: Be surprised by The Port Richmond Trail, a neat two-mile L-shaped route that is adjacent to Delaware and Allegheny avenues along the Delaware River in lower Northeast Philadelphia. At Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard on the trial, move through the Washington Avenue Pier green space that ends at the Walmart at Pier 70. Another stretch contains a curb-protected two-bike lane and adjacent sidewalk; it begins at Spring Garden Street and snakes along Delaware Avenue and Penn Street leading to the a trail along the waterfront behind Rivers Casino.
The Pennypack Trail: Pennypack Park in Northeast Philly stretches more than 1,600 acres of woodlands, meadows, wetlands and fields. Bikers and runners can check out the vast paved and unpaved trails including the beautiful Pennypack Trail, which runs 9.5 miles along Pennypack Creek, from the Philadelphia-Montgomery County border to the Delaware River.
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Visitor Center’s Phambassadors Program.
We Are Phamily!
The ultimate cheerleading role in Philadelphia these days is not the Eagles Cheerleaders or even the Phillie Phanatic, or Gritty. It’s you. Or it could be you. Volunteer for the Phambassadors program. Be an advocate, storyteller, and champion singing the praises of Philadelphia to promote America250, America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Phambassadors will help shape how the world sees and remembers the nation’s birthplace. Share your pride and passion, as well as your favorite local spots, helping visitors to feel at home. Launched in April by the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, Phambassadors is a true community celebration. The goal is to recruit more than 10,000 people over two years to tell Philadelphia’s story to the world. It’s like being a town crier in the colonial days, except without the horse. Phambassadors pledge to show up and cheer up for Philadelphia by connecting others to the Philly experience. How it works is that you share your Philly pride loud and proud by attending events and connecting with other enthusiastic Phambassadors. You can start by registering for “Pham Camp,” become a digital ambassador, and recruit others to become Phambassadors. This will give you access to exclusive events citywide. You can volunteer at city pop-up Visitor Centers to help showcase the city. Anyone who is passionate about Philadelphia is invited to “join the Pham.” After signing the “Phambassadors pledge, attend a Pham Camp — a fun experience to officially train as a Philly Phambassador. From there, Phambassadors are encouraged to volunteer at events leading up and during the big 2026 semiquincentennial year. To become a Phambassador, visit www.phambassador.com or https://phambassador.com/about-phambassadors/
