Cherashore Playground 8th St. & Olney Ave. is a hotspot this time of year for the younger crowd. A neighborhood pool party is scheduled during the Wawa Welcome America festival at 4 p.m. EST, Monday, June 30th with free food, book giveaways, arts and crafts, and a chance to beat the heat on a cool water slide.
Photo Courtesy of Wawa Welcome America.
FunTimes Magazine: ‘Culture & Entertainment’ column, week of June 23, 2025.
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
— South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, (1931-2021)
Hot enough for you out there? It’s so humid, that people walked inside. Ok, enough with the weather jokes. Seriously, don’t let the June heat get the best of you. Pace yourself. There are places, people, and events to see. Waiting in the wings are Black Music Month recognizing our musical legacy, Wawa Welcome America patriotically celebrating America’s birthday, and just too many cool concerts to count on your perspiring hands. From hoagies to history tours, get ready to dive into the cool end of the entertainment pool.
Meet me at Wawa Hoagie Day…
Thursday, June 26, 2025. How much meat can you stuff into a Kaiser roll? Find out at the annual Wawa Hoagie Day, one of the most coveted events in the ongoing 16-day Wawa Welcome America festival. It’s time to go and grab at least one of those tasty treats. Beforehand, the first 10, 000 hoagies will be distributed to Philabundance to help stamp out hunger in the Philadelphia region, the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia for youth programs, and the Veterans Multi-Service Center. The remaining 15,000 hoagies, plus beverages to wash the sandwich down, will be served to you, the deserving public. Bring a bib! While munching away, check out a “Hoagies for Heroes” competition between Philadelphia’s police and fire departments to benefit charities of their choice, a check presentation to the USO, and a performance by Six-String Soldiers. Free, noon. Between 5th & 6th streets on Arch Street in front of the National Constitution Center, Independence Mall. july4thphilly.com
Caribbean Film Night Explores Haiti
Thursday, June 26, 2025. Immerse yourself in an evening of Caribbean art, activism, culture, and storytelling through film and conversation at CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia’s Caribbean Film Night With YCPN!. Enjoy Haitian films by Lunise Cerin and Etant Dupain. Check out Victorine directed by Cerin, a short film chronicling the spiritual journey of a Haitian-American dancer. Enjoy Dupain’s film, The Fight for Haiti, which is a documentary capturing the Petro Caribe movement and young activists fighting for Haiti’s future. In 2005, Venezuela’s former president Hugo Chávez set up the development fund, Petro Caribe, allowing Haiti to borrow fuel from Venezuela. But the project was corrupt. Grab some small bites and popcorn. Relax and celebrate the stories of the culture, people, and the islands. After the screening, stay for a conversation with the movie-makers. Hosted by the Young Caribbean Professional Network (YCPN). Individual tickets: $10; 6 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. CultureWorks Philadelphia, (Suite 300), 1315 Walnut St. https://www.eventbrite.com
Reggie Mobley
Mobley Soothes The Soul
Thursday, June 26, 2025. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will present the soulfully sweet voice of international countertenor and Grammy-nominated Reggie Mobley in a “Summer Serenade” concert at Orchestra in the Garden. Mobley will perform inspirational songs, arias, and spirituals with a voice once described as “a downy comfort blanket” that embraces the audience. Concert highlights will include Dowland’s Flow My Tears, Deep River, and Handel’s Cara Sposa. Individual tickets: $22 (Limited $2 tickets are available on a first-come basis to Southwest Philadelphia neighbors and all ACCESS cardholders). 7 p.m. EST. Bartrams Garden, 5400 Lindberg Blvd. Email: nhaynes@chamberorchestra.org, 215-545-5451 or https://chamberorchestra.org/summer-serenade-with-reggie-mobley/
It’s Gospel
Friday, June 27, 2025. One of the most in-demand events during Wawa Welcome America’s annual summer festival is Gospel on Independence. Stir your soul with inspirational expressions of emotion in the historical setting of Independence Hall. Free your mind of the world’s troubles with multi-platinum selling and GRAMMY-nominated headliner, Marvin Sapp.
Sapp’s resume shines with excellence: He has grabbed 13 Grammy nominations, 24 Stellar Awards, 2 Soul Train Music Awards, 2 BET Awards, 4 Dove Awards, 8 BMI songwriter’s awards for sales, and the Black Music Honors Gospel Music Icon Award. Sapp, an ordained bishop, is the Co-Founder of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Michigan and the Senior Pastor of The Chosen Vessel Cathedral in Texas. Free, no tickets needed; 7 p.m. EST. Limited seating available; first-come basis. Bring a chair or blanket. Independence National Historic Park / Independence Concert Series Stage presented by VISIT PHILADELPHIA®, 6th and Market streets. https://july4thphilly.com/event/gospel-on-independence/
Sax Star Steven B
He Knows His Way Around The Horn
Saturday, June 28, 2025. Steven B.’s music case is filled to the brim with his many instruments. Versed on the soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, he is a brass man for all seasons. Check out the City Winery Philadelphia presents Steven B in concert. His saxophone backed by his tenor vocals tells the story about Philadelphia’s Steven Bundick who first laid his curious eyes on a clarinet at age 5. His obsessive thirst for music grew, and the rest is history. His musical arsenal includes all of the saxophones, a Yamaha WX-11 windsynth controller, and a velvety voice. His resume is stacked, too. The veteran sax star has shared the stage with recording artists Jean Carne, Shirley Jones, Tom Browne, Jeffrey Osborne, Regina Belle, Melba Moore, Vickie Winans, George Duke, Shirley Horn, Kenny Lattimore, Heatwave, Yolanda Adams, Phyllis Hyman, Jennifer Holiday, and the SOS Band. Individual tickets: $30 to $40; 7:30 p.m. EST (doors open: 6 p.m. EST). City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St. 215-479-7373 or https://citywinery.com
Through June 29, 2025
FunTimes’ Black Music Month Contest For Creatives
Creatives: This is for you. FunTimes Magazine invites you to collaborate with us on our upcoming “REMIX THE CULTURE Contest,” part of our June initiative celebrating Black Music Month. Win up to $200 in prizes for your stellar talents. The contest is designed to spotlight creativity, cultural expression, and the powerful legacy of Black music through art, music, video, and storytelling. As part of the outreach to encourage participation, we have developed an engaging social-media campaign. Free to enter. Respond by the end of June 29th. Find out more. Check it out: funtimesmagazine.com, or find us on Facebook: FunTimes Magazine, Instagram: funtimesmagazine.
Photo courtesy of Wawa Welcome America
Get Fired Up For Black Music Month
Sunday, June 29, 2025. Check out the Wawa Welcome America’ festival’s Celebration of Black Music Month and Fireworks in recognition of Black Music Month, a national observation founded in Philadelphia. Enjoy an action-packed festival of fun with performances by Philadelphia Freeway, Kindred the Family Soul, and DJ Aktive. The event will spotlight music pioneered by Black musicians. Indulge in food, shopping, roller skating, yoga with Karen Taylor Bass, performances by Great on Skates, line-dance lessons by Kenny “Kenny J” Johnson, and a Double Dutch activation by Philly Girls Jump with professional instructors and giveaways. The event will be curated by Philadelphia radio-TV music personality and commentator Dyana Williams, and co-hosted by radio personality and podcaster Laiya St. Clair, The evening will end with a dazzling fireworks show. Free; 4 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. Get tickets in advance at The Dell Music Center Box Office. Limited tickets on event day; first-come basis. The Dell Music Center, 2400 Strawberry Mansion Dr. E-mail: DellMusicCentr@phila.gov, https://july4thphilly.com/event/celebration-of-Black-music-month-and-fireworks/
Photo by Gregory Wright of Wright Eye Visuals. Photo courtesy of WOMEN’S WAY
Photo Exhibit Eyes Gender Justice
Through Monday, June 30, 2025. Add to your calendar the photo exhibit, Today We Are Possible. The show explores gender and wealth first-hand through the lens of six Philadelphia women (Ivy, Faith, Ingrid, Tracey, Tamara, and Taina) exhibited in intimate breathtaking portraits by Gregory Wright II. Wright, a Philly-based visual artist, explores the decades-long tradition of Black feminist thought. The exhibit includes the words of Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. The show’s promo material sums it up: ‘Today We Are Possible’ equips us to contend with multiple structures of power, and orient us to a gender justice that works in tandem with racial justice, disability justice, economic justice…” The effort is part of a series of free arts programs in libraries, presented by the Philadelphia Folklore Project, Women’s WAY, The Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Mayor’s Office of Engagement for Women. Free. Mondays & Tuesdays: 11 a.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST; Wednesdays to Saturdays: 11 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library, 68 West Chelten Ave. (Greene St. & Chelten Ave.) Email: info@womensway.org, 215-985-3322, or https://womensway.org/exhibit/
‘Philly Pop-ups’ Goes Deep On ‘Father of Underground Railroad’
Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Learn all about the “Father of the Underground Railroad,” William Still (1821-1902), on the Philly History Pop Ups tour. The tour zeroes in on lesser-known stories at familiar historical places. Gather insight on Still’s character and how the Black leader and writer emerged “on the front door of freedom” assisting up to 800 enslaved people. Veteran tour guru Cara Schneider-Bongiorno takes you well beyond the standard touristy information to dig deeper into little-known nuances about this heralded figure in history. Free, Pre-register; tickets not required; 6 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. Corinthian Garden, 2050 Brown St. (Brown St. & Corinthian Ave in Fairmount, near the Eastern State Penitentiary.) Email: PhillyHistoryPopUps@gmail.com. RSVP HERE or https://www.phillyhistorypopups.com/
