Strolling the Streets: West Walnut Center City District’s street-closure program has opened up nearly eight blocks vehicle-free in Center City Philadelphia each Sunday this month. You can enjoy strolling, bubble artists, live music, and a kid-friendly zone of games and toys. The open-block concept stretches along Walnut Street and Broad Street to 19th Street, and 18th Street, Chestnut to Locust streets. The next street opening will be Sunday, October 25, from 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. https://centercityphila.org/. Photo courtesy of Center City District.
As winter waits patiently for autumn’s sweet surrender, seize the fleeting fall moments and enjoy these low-cost or free entertaining activities.
Lakecia Benjamin
Benjamin Shows Her Saxy Side
Thursday, October 22, 2026. Catch the pure joy of Lakecia Benjamin in concert as she takes her alto sax to a new plateau. Benjamin received three GRAMMY nominations for her 2023 Phoenix album and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album. She was named Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association. Her music has been described as soul-stirring.
Starting at $63 per ticket; 7:30 p.m. EST. Kimmel Center/ Perelman Theater, 300 S. Broad St. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org
Annual Djigui Summit Means Business
Friday, October 23 & Saturday, October 24, 2026. Check out the 3rd Annual Djigui Summit – Champions of Two Worlds. Get your career in high gear at this professional, high-powered working session of African, Diaspora, and North American business leaders. The trade summit positions the African Diaspora at the strategic center of “capital, expertise, cultural intelligence, and market access.” Network and build business relationships. Learn about the growth in the fields of agriculture, food, and renewable energy. One attraction will be a showcase of West African restaurant owners, who were chosen through a tasting-based process. They will be featured in the summit’s “Food & Culinary Industries Spotlight.” The summit is organized by the Malian American Chamber of Commerce.
Two-day ticket: $150 per ticket; 9 a.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, 201 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. Email: Info@djiguicorporation.org, 267-388-0927 or https://djiguicorporation.org/summit/#
Hometown Women Unite in ‘LIBERATION’
Through Sunday, October 25, 2026. Catch the final scheduled performances of the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production LIBERATION. Jump back to the 1970s and experience the lives of a group of Ohio women who meet at a local recreational center; Witness them as they convene and commiserate, with humor and truth, about the state of their lives, as they face the challenges of work, family, marriage, race, professional ambition, and freedom. The promotional material notes: “Before movements had hashtags, before conversations moved online, women gathered in living rooms, community centers, and rec halls to tell the truth about their lives.” The play is by writer-filmmaker Bess Wohl and directed by Taibi Magar. A special lobby display features the local feminist movement in the 70s.
Single tickets start at $32; 6:30 p.m. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad St. Email: boxoffice@philatheatreco.org, 215-985-0428 or https://philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/liberation/
Food Giveaway Set For The Community
Monday, October 26, 2026. Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson has a gift for the community, just in time for World Food Day this month (World Food Day was actually on October 16). His office will be hosting a food distribution event in his home district in South Philadelphia. Johnson is waging a campaign against food insecurity. He is sponsoring legislation to establish city government-funded grocery stores to address the food affordability issue in the wake of higher prices. In Philly, 275,000 residents experience food insecurity, according to a 2024 Feeding America study.
Free, 4 p.m. EST to 6 p.m. EST. DeSilvestro Playground, 1701 S. 17th St. 215-686-3412.
‘We The People’ Looks At Communities & Culture
Through October 26, 2026. Get a candid deep dive into migration, cultural exchange, and identity through the generations and diasporas at the exhibition, We the People. The show candidly covers exactly who has been included in “We the People.” The exhibit zeros in on the melting pot of communities, migrations, and cultural exchanges that made up the tapestry of Philadelphia over the centuries. Organized by Brandywine Workshop and Archives curator, Alicia DeLargem and independent curator Zindzi Harley, the show explores how artists have “documented belonging, displacement, labor, faith, resistance, and identity, while tracing Philadelphia’s evolution through Indigenous presence, migration, diaspora, and cultural exchange.”
It traces 19th-century Black Philadelphia, industrialization and European immigration in the 1800s; the Great Migration era and movement of Black communities northward between 1916 and 1970; African Diaspora connections and cultural exchange; Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin- American arrivals from the mid-20th century onward. See works by a cross-section of creatives like Philadelphia’s Faith Ringgold, Jamaican-born interdisciplinary artist Andrea Chung, Congolese artist Alexandre Mwilambwe Kyungu, and Cuban artist Ibrahim Miranda. The exhibition includes offset lithographs, screen prints, intaglios, woodcuts, digitally carved works, and other print-based media.
Free event, schedule a visit in advance by appointment. Brandywine Workshop and Archives/ Firehouse Gallery, 730 S. Broad St. Email: prints@brandywineworkshop.org, 267-908-2775 or https://brandywineworkshop.org
Get cozy at ‘Philly Flannel Fest.’
It’s All About The Flannel In Germantown
Sunday, October 25, 2026. Hey, if it’s fall, it must be Philly Flannel Fest. The annual fall event attracts more than 1,300 people who enjoy live music, food, fashion, and shopping. Show off your favorite fashionable plaid outfits, gloves, scarves and socks, and go on a mission to add to your winter wardrobe. Vibe to both live and DJ music, as well as performances throughout the event. Relax with seasonal cocktails, cocoa, local wines, and Philly-centric treats. Shop for one-of-a-kind items by local makers. Event creator Robbie Long developed Flannel Fest to showcase local vendors, creatives and small businesses.
Free entry, noon to 5 p.m. The Braid Mill, 441 E. High St. in Germantown. https://phillyflannelfest.com/ or Philly Flannel Fest
Keep up with Jones and Dr. V. on their engaging podcast.
Breast Cancer Survival Focus Podcast
Tuesday, October 27, 2026. She Shines Women’s Conference Founder and Executive Leader Robin Maddox will tell her impassioned story of survival and success in a special Breast Cancer Awareness Month podcast. Check out The Christ-Centered Single Podcast hosted by Coach B. Wright Jones, author and life coach, and multi-media host Dr. V. (Valerie Stancill). The show will focus on faith, awareness, early detection, and inspiring stories that lift the heart. Maddox will share her journey of strength and sisterhood as a breast cancer survivor and community change-maker. Maddox’s annual She Shines Conference will host women of color for a daylong focus on education, community, health, wellness, spirituality, safety, civic engagement, and entrepreneurial business at the New Covenant Church of Philadelphia in Mt. Airy on Saturday, November 7 (www.sheshinescomnference.com).
Free on your podcast of choice; 7 p.m. EST. Available on Podbean, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, PlayerFM, Listen Notes, TuneIn, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, Podchaser, Samsung, Spotify, Amazon Alexa, Audible and YouTube. bwrightjones.com
What Just Happened?: Recent Events Around Town
Mexican folkloric dance group Tonantzin Cultural / Danza Tonantzin performed in the opening of a cultural art exhibit at City Hall. Photo by Tu Huynh, Creative Philadelphia
A City Hall exhibit showcasing 32 Latino artists in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off at a reception on October 9. Philadelphia City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and Creative Philadelphia, the City’s office of arts and culture, hosted the event. The festivities were designed to celebrate “Filadelfia en el Semiquincentenario,” (Semiquincentennial), an art exhibition honoring the Hispanic community’s culture and contributions. Photography Without Borders and Norris Square Neighborhood Project took part in the exhibit, creating works celebrating Philadelphia’s Hispanic creative voices through the themes of cultural heritage and legacy. The exhibit will be on display weekdays from 9 a.m EST to 5 p.m. until Friday, December 4, on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of City Hall. www.creativephl.org
