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FunTimes Magazine · 2026 Edition
The Black 2026 Philadelphia Guide
“The world is coming. We were already here.”
A field guide to Black-owned, diaspora-rooted, and Black-historic Philadelphia, built for the year FIFA, America 250, MLB All-Star, BlackStar, the Roots Picnic, and the 51st Odunde all converge.
The Once-In-A-Generation Year
Six anchor moments. One city.
2026 is a marking year. The marquee dates intersect on a city that is 44% Black with a diaspora presence that now reaches 42% of the population. For Black Philadelphians, this is not a moment of waiting to be included. It is a moment of being the story.
See the full calendar →
Block By Block
Six neighborhood walking guides
Pick a neighborhood, walk it slowly. Each one carries a piece of the city Black Philadelphia built and is still building.
Old City / Historic District
Where the republic was founded, and where its founding contradictions remain most visible.
Walk this neighborhood → South Philadelphia
The Odunde corridor along South Street, where the June 14 convergence reshapes the year.
Walk this neighborhood → West Philadelphia
The intellectual and commercial spine of Black Philadelphia, anchored by the 52nd Street corridor.
Walk this neighborhood → North Philadelphia
The soundtrack neighborhood, home to New Freedom Theatre, Down North Pizza, and the blocks Will Smith grew up on.
Walk this neighborhood → Germantown
Eight miles of layered Black history along Germantown Avenue, from Chestnut Hill to North Philly.
Walk this neighborhood → Olney
Philadelphia's Haitian community, building quietly and seriously for decades.
Walk this neighborhood →
Featured 2026
Editor's picks
Six entries from the guide we keep coming back to. Restaurants, institutions, makers: Philadelphia at full cultural expression.
Featured 2026
Featured 2026
Featured 2026
Featured 2026
Featured 2026
Featured 2026
National Marian Anderson Museum & Historical Society
The childhood home of the singer who became the first Black artist to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Preserved exactly where her story began.
Read more → Akwaaba Philadelphia
Six-suite B&B in an 1880s Victorian manor in University City. Travel + Leisure '100 Best New Hotels in the World' (2024). 'Akwaaba' means 'welcome' in Twi.
Read more → African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP)
The first museum built by a major American city specifically to preserve and interpret the African American experience. 2026 feature: 'Borrowed Time'.
Read more → Amsale Café
Philadelphia's finest Ethiopian restaurant. 28 seats, BYOB, deeply serious. Signature: Kitfo.
Read more → Babe
Tedd Hall opened this women's boutique on 52nd Street in 1972. He was 33. He's 87 now and still shows up. Deconstructed Croatian pieces, handmade leather trenches from Hungary.
Read more → Yowie Hotel and Boutique
Travel + Leisure 100 Best New Hotels (2024). The rare boutique hotel that is also a café, a retail shop, and a design statement, all on legendary South Street.
Read more →
The convergence
A 2026 you won't see again
FIFA World Cup
6 matches at the Linc
America 250
The nation's semiquincentennial
Odunde
51 years on South Street
MLB All-Star
The Midsummer Classic returns
Free PDF Guide
Get the full 2026 Philadelphia Guide
Curated entries, six neighborhood walking guides, the 2026 events calendar. Free instant download.
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