‘Arts on Center Stage’ at City Hall’s Dilworth Park offers free performances this summer on Thursdays until August 27. The series will feature live ballet, opera, jazz, orchestral music and more. For details: Arts on Center Stage. Photo courtesy of the Center City District.
Check this out: A recent British study found that arts and cultural activities can improve your health and well-being. Yes, it even noted that cultural enrichment slows aging. It found that folks who attended museums, concerts, movies, plays, and other cultural activities at least once every few months were physiologically younger than those who did not by about 3 years. So, hop to it. Let’s get cultural! As a public service, here are some (low-cost or absolutely free) entertaining ways to get younger.
The LEGO Batman Movie: Great Summer Fun
Thursday, August 6, 2026. There are few dynamic duos better than Batman and Legos. Head out for a good time along the Schuylkill River for a screening of The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) featuring an all-star voice-over cast including Mariah Carey, Rosario Dawson, and Billy Dee Williams. Character Bruce Wayne (Batman) dukes it out with evil-doers in Gotham City, while somehow he winds up in a surprise situation in which he adopts a teenage orphan who dreams of becoming his sidekick. Bring your lawn chair or blanket, secure your spot, watch the sunset, and enjoy free snacks before the movie.
Free, no reservation needed. 8:15 p.m. EST. Weather-permitting. The venue will be accessible by walking, rolling, taking public transit, or driving in your Bat mobile. Grays Ferry Crescent Esplanade near the trail entrance, Wharton Street and Schuylkill Avenue. Email: info@schuylkillbanks.org, 215-309-5523 or https://www.schuylkillbanks.org/events/movie nights
Justin Hicks performs at the Barnes’ ‘First Friday! at the Barnes’ as part of the BlackStar Film Festival.
Catch A Concert & Art
Friday, August 7, 2026. Chill out at the First Friday at the Barnes with Justin Hicks in concert. The program will be presented in partnership with BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration showcasing local and international films from the African diaspora. As part of a monthly series, this performance will feature artist-composer-vocalist Justin Hicks, who has worked with Abigail DeVille, Kaneza Schaal, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Cauleen Smith. Enjoy a night of live music, art, cocktails, and light fare at this movie mixer. Vibe to DJ lil’dave on the museum’s West Terrace all evening. Check out two Barnes’ current exhibits: Just Us and Freedom Dreams in the Roberts Gallery before and after the performance. Freedom Dreams, on display until August 9, looks at 250 years of Black American culture, archives, and cultural memory through film, video, and installations. It features works by Arthur Jafa, David Hartt, Garrett Bradley, Ja’Tovia Gary, and Tourmaline. Just Us is on view through August 24 and examines restorative justice, community power, and hope. Highlights the works of artists at State Correctional Institution Phoenix and justice-impacted young adults from Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Rec Crew.
Admission is free but pre-register; a donation is encouraged. 6 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 215-278-7000 or https://www.barnesfoundation.org/whats-on/first-friday-august-2026
‘African Culture Fest’ Comes To The Zoo
Saturday, August 8, 2026. The Philadelphia Zoo has more than 1,900 rare and endangered animals. But the zoo is more than animals; it offers an entertaining schedule of programming. Now America’s first zoo is teaming up with another history-making organization, Odunde365, for the African Culture Fest, celebrating African culture and dance. Organizers of the annual Odunde Festival, the largest African-American street festival, will feature performances, educational classes, fun activities, and book giveaways by The West Philly Reading Captains.
Event entry is included with the purchase of general-admission zoo tickets or a membership. $32 per event ticket (Discounts for current and veteran military & teachers; free for kids under 2); 11 a.m. EST to 3 p.m. EST. Philadelphia Zoo, 34th Street & Girard Avenue. 215-243-1100 or https://www.philadelphiazoo.org/events/african-culture-fest/
Author, Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar.
Talk Examines Stories Shaping Our View Of History
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Award-winning historian-author Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar will chronicle the story of the courageous Ona Judge, George Washington’s personal cook and indentured servant, who was determined to be free. Judge dodged an ambitious manhunt to claim her freedom. Moderated by Jeannine A. Cook, owner of Harriet’s Bookshop, celebrate the power of storytelling through the introduction of Voices of History, an initiative preserving accounts of Black Pennsylvanians over the generations at PA Humanities for Everybody Has a Story: In Conversation with Erica Armstrong Dunbar. After the talk, take part in a Q&A and book signing. Copies of Dr. Dunbar’s book, Never Caught, along with a children’s adaptation, Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge, will be available to buy.
The program is free but pre-register; 7 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m. EST.) Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 419 South 6th St. 215-925-0616 or https://voicesofphiladelphia.funraise.org
Book Club Meet To Go Deep Into Puerto Rican Politics
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Check out Summer Book Club exploring the book, P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance by Vanessa Díaz and Petra R. Rivera-Rideau. Participate in this upcoming book club for an in-depth discussion of P FKN R, virtually or in-person. Whether you are a big Bad Bunny fan or just interested in learning more about recent Puerto Rican history and politics, this book club may appeal to you. Global superstar Bad Bunny and his countrymen in Puerto Rico have experienced a life of blackouts, hurricanes, political corruption and oppression. These devastating events have exposed the ongoing impact of colonialism in the struggling nation. The event’s promotional material notes: “Offering a portrait of the past and future of Puerto Rican resistance through one of its loudest and proudest voices, P FKN R draws on interviews with musicians, politicians, and journalists, as well as ethnographic research to set Bad Bunny and Puerto Rican resistance in a historical, political, and cultural context.”
Free admission but pre-register; 6 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. The book will be available to buy. Taller Puertorriqueño, 600 N. 5th St. Email: info@tallerpr.org or 215-729-8225 or https://www.shoptallerpr.org
A re-enactor carries a flag during a parade on Germantown Avenue in Historic Germantown. Photo courtesy of historicgermantownpa.org.
Don’t Pass On OnePass In Historic Germantown
Through Saturday, August 29, 2026. Try out the Historic Germantown OnePass to get some great discounts on admission to nine historic and cultural sites in one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods. The pass includes one-time entry on Fridays and Saturdays to participating attractions, including Cliveden, The Colored Girls Museum, Concord School House, Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, Germantown Historic Society, Johnson House Historic Site, Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery, Stenton and Wyck.
Adults: $43 per ticket; youth (6-13)& seniors: $28; free for kids 5 and under. Hours vary, check the institutions’ https://historicgermantownpa.org/ or https://www.simpletix.com/e/historic-germantown-onepass-274821#host
Go For The Fabulous Finds At Uhuru Flea Market
Saturday, August 15, 2026. A walk in the park is always fun at West Philly’s One Africa! One nation! Uhuru Flea Market. Browse through all-natural skin and hair-care products, authentic African clothes & jewelry, and vinyl records from up to 100 vendors. Avid readers will enjoy the Uhuru Health Festival and Uhuru Book Fair.
Free admission; 9 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Clark Park, 43rd Street, and Chester Ave. Email: uhuruFleaMarkets@gmail.com, 267-875-3532, or OneAfricaMarketPhilly.org
It’s Taco Time
Saturday, August 15 & Sunday, August 16, 2026. Philadelphia’s 9th annual Taco Festival will feature a huge outdoor concert stage and a rooftop lounge with views of the nearby sports stadiums. Enjoy a weekend of margaritas, carnival games, mechanical bull riding, Djs, live bands on various stages, including authentic Mariachi music, a sports-watch party, and a kids’ fun zone with face painting, bounce houses, and balloon twisters. Compete in a taco-eating contest and feast on more than 130 styles of tacos.
$16.98 per ticket; Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. (includes free drink). Stateside Live!, Sports Complex area, 1100 Pattison Ave. www.tacofestival.com or https://allevents.in/philadelphia/philadelphia-taco-festival
What Just Happened? Recent Events Around Town
LaToya Stroman, Founder of Girl Talk Global, and 11 participants in the ‘2026 London Study Abroad Program.’
Philadelphia Girls Go Up Up and Away
A group of 11 young Philadelphia women jetted off to London as part of Girl Talk Global‘s “Up Up and Away” Study Abroad Program last Saturday.
The participants will get a chance to experience firsthand the land of fish and chips, Big Ben, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the British Museum. For some of the women, the adventure was the first time on an airplane and traveling to another country. Founded by LaToya Stroman, Girl Talk Global helps young women expand their horizons to build self-esteem and leadership skills.
