FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column, week of May 5, 2025.
“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.”
—American poet Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
May has been called the month of promise and the sweet beginnings of summer. For some, this gateway to summer could not come soon enough. To help celebrate the dawning of May, here are a few entertaining ideas focusing on art, song, crafts, wine, and mental wellness. And don’t forget: When event-going, consider taking precautions, especially when among groups and while indoors, with the risk of COVID-19 variants and other still-existing infectious health concerns.
Singer Somi Kakoma
Somi’s Songs Dig Into Her Roots
Friday, May 9, 2025. Vocalist-composer-actor Somi Kakoma’s songs have been described as both serious and seductive. She pulls her jazz tones and “compassionate social consciousness” from deep down into her roots as the daughter of immigrant parents from Uganda and Rwanda. Known in the jazz world as ‘Somi’, her 2021 Grammy® nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album made her the first African woman nominated in any of the Grammy® jazz categories. Somi’s evocative style has quickly filled up her trophy case: She is a recipient of the 2023 Doris Duke Artist Award, two NAACP Image Awards for Best Vocal Jazz Album, the inaugural Jazz Music Award for Best Vocal Performance, and the United States Artist Award. Somi made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding in 2023. Individual tickets: $35 to $69, 7:30 p.m. EST. Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts/ Perelman Theater, 300 S. Broad St. 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org/
At center: Rosa Leff, “Paper cut of 4613 Newhall Street.” On the right: Second-floor City Hall display case, Photo courtesy of Creative Philadelphia.
The Colored Girls Museum Is A Perfect 10
Through Saturday, May 10, 2025. Spend part of a day at Life Doesn’t Frighten Me…Anymore, an exhibition of eight showcases celebrating The Colored Girls Museum at City Hall. With its themes of empowerment and perseverance, the exhibit marks the 10th anniversary of the memoir museum, which is dedicated to chronicling the stories and experiences of “ordinary Colored Girls” and women of the African Diaspora. It’s a composite and curation of artifacts from the Germantown museum’s past exhibits including the works of more than 20 artists like Lorrie Payne, Barbara Bullock, and Rosa Leff. The show is presented through Creative Philadelphia’s Art in City Hall program, which curates public art exhibitions inside City Hall. The title is inspired by a 1993 Maya Angelou poem, “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.” Free, 10 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST. Philadelphia City Hall/ First Floor, Broad Street and John F. Kennedy Blvd. 215-686-8446 or thecoloredgirlsmuseum.com or .creativephl.org
Saturday and Sunday, May 10 & 11, 2025.
Shop until your heart’s content at the Spring Art Star Craft Bazaar Mother’s Day Weekend. And to make sure, get a free tote, which is distributed at 11 a.m. EST and 3 p.m. EST. Enjoy the wares of more than 80 indoor curated craft vendors from around the region, food, and an outdoor beer garden overlooking the Delaware River waterfront. The show will feature an array of handmade goods, jewelry, pottery, housewares, clothing, accessories, art, prints, stained glass, stationary, bath and body products, dolls, art, and woodworking. Relax in the outdoor seating areas. Pets on a leash are welcome. Free to enter, cash bar. 11 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Cherry Street Pier No. 9, 121 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd. 215-923-0818 or artstarcraftbazaar.com or cherrystretpier.com
From Vine To Wine
Monday, May 12, 2025. Sip some of the best South African wines at Meet the Makers: South African Wine Class hosted by winemakers Natasha Williams, of Lelie Van Saron, and Trizanne Barnard, of Trizanne Signature Wine. Learn about Williams’ entrepreneurial journey into winemaking leading to her role as head winemaker at Bosman Family Vineyards. She later started her label featuring Chardonnay and Syrah blends. Cleanse the palette with Bernard’s brand of white wines highlighting South Africa’s cool climate areas and focusing on Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blends. She started with vintages in Australia, France, and Portugal before returning to South Africa to work at Anwilka. Snacks will be served. Bottles will be available for sale. $75 per ticket; 6:30 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. Tria Café Wash West, 1137 Spruce St. https://eventvesta.com or https://www.eventbrite.com
Photo courtesy of https://healthymindsphilly.org/mental-health-awareness-month-988/.
A Mental Checkup & Check-in
Thursday, May 8, 2025. National Mental Health Awareness Month promoting wellness and healing is observed in May. In Philadelphia, more than 1 in 6 has been diagnosed with mental conditions, according to the Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation, a nonprofit provider of mental- health services. And the need for support is growing. The 988 National Crisis Helpline was established in 2022 as a dedicated 24-hour confidential support phone and text resource staffed with a local caring professional counselor. If you’re the adult sibling, family member, or relationship partner of an adult with mental/behavioral/substance challenges, check out a virtual support group meeting. The ZOOM session will be facilitated by a licensed clinical therapist. Free, 6 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. Email: tecinfo@mhphope.org, 267-507-3874 or Register Here
Images Left to Right: Dollie Michelle, “Black Girls Deserve to Live,” collage from ArtWell community quilt; Amy Gurney, “Joy,” from Inliquid Art & Design community quilt; Rickie Sanders, “Pieced Together,” PCW member collage.
Photo courtesy of Creative Philadelphia.
Connecting Communities Through Collage
Friday, May 9, 2025. Celebrate World Collage Day by going to the opening reception of Creative Philadelphia’s Art In City Hall exhibition, Voices of Diversity: Connecting Through Collage. The exhibit runs through Friday, July 11, and is organized by Philadelphia CollageWorks, an artist collective dedicated to collage-making as a way to build communities. The show will feature the works of 16 CollageWorks members and various projects by 400 diverse participants from community organizations in Philadelphia. World Collage Day officially will be observed on May 10th inspiring artists and communities to connect worldwide. This year, Philadelphia CollageWorks will partner with InLiquid and Collage Philadelphia to host collage workshops and kid-friendly art activities. Free; artist reception: 5 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST; exhibit: 10 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST weekdays. Philadelphia City Hall/ northeast corner, 5th Floor hallway, Broad St. and John F. Kennedy Blvd. 215-686-8446 or creativephl.org
Pop Up Garden in Manayunk. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Gardens Pop Up In Manayunk & South Street
Escape into a lush urban oasis of plants and flowers, games, tacos, empanadas, and other foods, and frozen beverages called the Manayunk Mule and the Gritty Margarita at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s spring Pop Up Gardens in Manayunk and on South Street. Immerse yourself in the horticultural crafts workshops covering garden embroidery, and pressed and moss-terrarium making. Enjoy the calm of community gardens filled with upcycled plants and greenery that were displayed in exhibits at the Philadelphia Flower Show last year. Take part in free monthly Plant Swap events. At the plant swaps, visitors to the South Street Garden can get free new plants courtesy of Solo Real Estate, of Center City Philadelphia. Entry and most activities are free. The Pop Up Garden at Manayunk, 106 Jamestown Ave. (near Main Street) & The Pop Up Garden at South Street, 1438 South St.,both are Mondays to Wednesdays: 5 p.m. EST to 10 p.m. EST; Thursdays: 5 p.m. EST to 11 p.m. EST; Fridays & Saturdays, noon to midnight, and Sundays, noon to 9 p.m. EST. 215-988-8800 or https://phsonline.org/popup
