Cherry blossom at Awbury Aboretum,16 scenic acres northwest of Washington Lane in Philadelphia. awbury.org
“Let April’s light guide you toward a season of hope and fulfillment.”
– Poet-Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
Writer and abolitionist Ralph Waldo Emerson championed the goodness of people and nature. His words have endured — even his inspirational prose about the months of the year like April, “the season of hope and fulfillment.” So, his advice to seek the outdoors for comfort and renewal more than a century later, may be a great place to start to cure our annual spring fever. From local homegrown jazz to Latin movies on the Delaware River Waterfront, spring into spring.
Photo courtesy of ensembleartsphilly.org
PHILADANCO! Soars
Friday, April 25, 2025 to Sunday, April 27, 2025. For an entertaining spring outing, check out PHILADANCO! Relentless Resident Visions, Spring Residency. The company seemed to invent the words fast and energetic. Enjoy new and classic works from innovative choreographers, Christopher Huggins, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Ray Mercer, and Milton Myers. PHILADANCO!’s trademark artistry comes to life one mesmerizing move at a time. Single tickets: $29 to $49. Four performances over 3 days: Times vary. Kimmel Center /Perelman Theater, 300 S, Broad St. 215-893-1999 or http://www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
Get jazzed Up In Germantown
Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27, 2025. Be-bop to the beat during April’s Jazz Appreciation Month at the Germantown Jazz Festival — a weekend filled with music, art, culture, a vendors’ market, and kids activities. The festival kicks into tune on Friday with Opening Night Concert featuring Alfie Pollitt Trio, Jim Holton Trio, The Mike Boone Group, Robert Landham Quartet and the Germantown Jazz Youth Ensemble. Individual tickets: $25 and $50; 5 p.m. EST to 10 p.m. EST, the Germantown Friends Meeting House, 47 W. Coulter St. On Saturday, vibe to the beats of festival headliner Bobby Watson, the acclaimed saxophonist-composer and educator, at the Main Concert. Single tickets: $50 in advance; $55 at the door; 8 p.m. EST to 10 p.m. EST, First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, 35 W. Chelten Ave. Catch the finale, the Closing Concert featuring the Cookers all-star ensemble of trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, pianist George Cables, Azar Lawrence, bassist Cecil McBee, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, and drummer Billy Hart; Sunday at The Nile Café, 6008 Germantown Ave. Individual tickets: $40 in advance, $45 at the door; from 4 p.m. EST to 6 p.m. EST. 267-603-4498 or germantownjazzfestival.com.
Get in Tune With ‘Twilight Tunes’
Saturday, April 26, 2025. Chill out at Twilight Tunes, a smooth-jazz series at Roxborough Pocket Park. Enjoy live music, local beer, s’mores, and family-friendly activities in a cozy environment. Take in the series debut with The Afro Jazz Quartet featuring bassist Bert Harris with Philly Gumbo. They bring the heat with the finest New Orleans funk, blues, and reggae dance music. The veteran jazzer Harris has a world of experience, and it shows with every lick; he performs with the Melange Jazz Collective, Timi Tanzania and the Dubway Reggae Band, and ska-jazz band Rock$teady. Free, 5 p.m. EST to 8 pm. EST. Roxborough Pocket Park, 6170 Ridge Ave. https://roxboroughpa.com/contact-us.
Jonathan Scale Fourchestra
Music For All Tastes
Saturday, April 26, 2025. If you enjoy jazz, classical, rock, Latin and funk music, then the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is for you. Check out the dynamic fusion of melodic sounds by E-Lon JD on electric bass, drummer Maison Guidry, and Jonathan Scales on steel pans. The group, which actually is a trio, has toured globally and earned an NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring a cameo appearance by Béla Fleck. The prolific innovative group comes armed with its eighth studio album. Enjoy a variety of drafts and expertly-crafted signature cocktails. The concert, which celebrates national Jazz Appreciation Month in April, is presented by J. Michael Harrison, host of WRTI’s The Bridge. Two shows, individual tickets: $20; 7:30 p.m. EST (doors open at 6:30 p.m. EST). Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah St. in Fishtown. http://paintedbride.org or https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/paintedbrideartcenter/the-painted-bride-presents-a-night-of-jazz-with-jonathan-scales-fourchestra.
Go To Clark On A Lark
Saturday April 26, 2025. Spend your Saturday in the park. The One Africa! One Nation! Uhuru Flea Market kicks off for the spring season, bringing its stellar selection of authentic crafts, jewelry, vintage clothing and housewares to one of Philadelphia most active parks. And it will hit a milestone, turning 21 this year. The market fosters connections, commerce and community celebrating the food and culture of the African community. Free admission, 9 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Clark Park, 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. Email: uhurufleamarkets@gmail.com, https://allevents.in/philadelphia/uhuru-flea-market-april/200027925545340.
Compost-A-Palooza Won’t Waste Your Time
Sunday, April 27, 2025. Get down and dirty at the Compost-A-Palooza. Spend part of the day touring the Bennett Compost facility. Check out the live worms and tour the composting facility; learn about sustainability and the composting process. Enjoy kids’ activities and a live performance by Ants on a Log, a Philly-based duo of music therapists performing educational and interactive children’s songs. To date in 2025, Bennett, which collects members’ compost weekly, has composted more than 1,087,000 pounds of food waste that would have gone to landfills producing methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas, or burned in incinerators, causing air pollution. Free, pre-registration recommended; 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST. Bennett Compost Headquarters, 650 Rising Sun Ave. Email: info@bennettcompost.com, 215-520-2406 or tickettailor.com.
The Latin Experience On The Silver Screen
Friday, April 25, 2025 to Sunday, April 27, 2025. The 13th Annual Philadelphia Latino Art and Film Festival showcases the rich talent of local and international Latine/x/a/o creatives and filmmakers. Check out about 10 movie screenings like Somos el Barrio, Street Photographer, and El Huatrila on a nonstop schedule all weekend. Free, show times vary. Cherry Street Pier No. 9, 121 N. Columbus Blvd., 215-923-0818 or cherrystreetpier.com.
Music & Movies On The Menu
Sunday, May 4, 2025. Music and movies are an unbeatable combination. Philly on the Rise Presents Music and Movies: A Vibrant Afternoon of Live Music and Short Films will prove that. Enjoy short film screenings written and directed by Michael and Mikaela Pleasant, and live performances featuring Aaron “Gobbana” and Lavonne Nichols, an author, singer and multimedia host. Individual tickets: $15, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Minuteman Press Studio M., 932 E. Hunting Park Ave. https://www.eventbrite.com.
A season of people and plants. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Connect With Nature
Now is a great time to get out and see the beauty of Philadelphia in full bloom. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is hosting 20 green spaces of landscapes and gardens, both permanent and pop-ups. Explore, enjoy and even take a selfie. Check out the serenity of the gardens along the Delaware River Waterfront including the Cherry Street Pier’s tropical gardens. Or chill out on benches at LOVE Park in a sea of spring perennials and other inspiring plants; or pose for a cool photo in front of the LOVE sculpture, with a colorful botanical backdrop. From Logan Square on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Navy Yard in South Philly, get energized by the fresh breeze of spring. The annual project is part of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s mission to connect people with nature by creating healthier living spaces through greening and “grassroots” engagement in more than 250 neighborhoods. Free. For a list of top public gardens and landscapes: 215-988-1631 or PHSOnline.org.
Doing The Side Hustle
Friday, May 16, 2025. You may be familiar with the rigors of the 9 to 5 grind. But what about the 5 to 9 side hustle? We mean those of you who burn the midnight oil, moonlighting in extra jobs? Take a pause in your busy schedule and spend lunch with FunTimes. Check out our upcoming enlightening virtual event “5 to 9: Why We Do The Side Hustle.” Take a deep dive into what drives us to lead a life and career of multiple jobs? Is it for profit, for passion? Local expert side hustlers Tiffany Spraggins, Theresa Spencer and event host Lavonne Nichols will weigh in with their hard-earned expertise and experience about the side-hustle playbook. Panelists Spraggins is the Director of Power Up Your Business Program at Community College of Philadelphia; Spencer is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and host Nichols is a certified life coach, a multi-media professional, singer, author, and founder of Say Something Good LLC, which supports women’s healing journeys. So, if you’re gigging it, we’re digging it. Free, noon to 1 p.m. EST. Join FunTimes on Instagram Live. Email: info@funtimesmagazine.com, funtimesmagazine.com.
