July 31, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Summer on the Steps, a bar pop-up at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is back for its second weekend Saturday and Sunday.
August has (almost) arrived, and it's bringing with it outdoor bar pop-ups, Formula 1 racing, free school supplies and a film festival known as "Black Sundance."
The BlackStar Film Festival is showing movies from Black, brown and indigenous directors all weekend in Center City. Just a few blocks away, the F1 Arcade is hosting a watch party for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The school district's back-to-school bus also stops at the Fashion District, but if you want a change of scenery, head to Fairmount for a pop-up beer garden on the Rocky steps. Here's how to do it all:
Philly's hottest new bar is the pop-up on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (No, literally, it's outside; bring sunscreen.) Visitors can order beers and cocktails from 2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the top of the Rocky steps, which will also host lawn games and food trucks. The museum is nudging folks to check out its "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" and "Brand X: Innovation in Screenprinting" exhibits while they're there.
Have hard opinions on "Drive to Survive?" Then head over to F1 Arcade to hash them out with other fans — and catch the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Center City bar, dedicated to the world of Formula 1 racing, is hosting a watch party Sunday. Owing to pesky European time differences, however, you'll have to get up early. The festivities start at 8 a.m.
Nearly 100 features and shorts are being screened Thursday through Sunday along Broad Street. Highlights from the BlackStar Film Festival include "Love, Brooklyn," a drama starring André Holland ("Moonlight") and Nicole Beharie ("The Morning Show"), plus documentaries on Gaza, funk music, Black debutantes and the writer-activist Toni Cade Bambara. Director Charles Burnett will attend a 4K restoration screening of his landmark '70s film "Killer of Sheep," and "Black Panther" actress Letitia Wright will be at the showing of her directorial debut "Highway to the Moon." Movie buffs can attend the annual showcase of Black, brown and indigenous filmmakers virtually or in person at the Kimmel Center, Suzanne Roberts Theatre and Wilma Theater. Single tickets range from $7.50 to $18, or $30-$80 for a bundle of five.
The Fashion District is transforming into a one-stop shop for school supplies and enrollment information Friday. The School District of Philadelphia's annual back-to-school bus tour stops by the mall Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parents can claim backpacks and other supplies for free, plus the vaccines and physical exams required for school attendance at a low cost. (Pre-registration for immunizations is recommended.) Kids, meanwhile, can play games and snack on frozen treats.
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