December 01, 2025
Philadelphia leans hard into the holidays this week, with parades, performances and neighborhood traditions happening all over the region.
Open Streets events pop up throughout the week, with East Passyunk on Thursday, Old City on Saturday and Rittenhouse Square on Sunday. Thursday also brings the lighting of the Philly Holiday Tree at City Hall, one of the season’s big highlights.
Friday kicks off a busy stretch of performances. Meek Mill headlines Xfinity Mobile Arena, The Franklin Institute brings back Science After Hours: Celestial Sips, and "The Nutcracker" opens at the Academy of Music. The Walnut Street Theatre follows with "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday.
The weekend is packed with family-friendly outings and local favorites. Saturday features the Chestnut Hill Holiday Parade, the Santa Stroll on East Market and the first day of Fishtown Freeze & Shopping Spree, which continues into Sunday. Also on Sunday, the Philadelphia Art Museum hosts its Family Festival: Sweet Dreams, and the Philly Cookie Festival fills Bok with holiday treats.
Running all week, "Hadestown" brings its Tony-winning story to the Forrest Theatre from Tuesday through Sunday.
Here's more of the best things to do in Philadelphia this week, courtesy of Visit Philadelphia.
When: December 1 - January 1, 2026
Where: American Heritage Credit Union, 2185 Bridge Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: December 4-14 (select dates)
Where: Pennsbury Manor, Peddler's Village, and Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA
When: December 4-20 (Thursday through Saturdays)
Where: Main Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: December 5 - January 2026
Where: Rittenhouse Square Park, 1800 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: December 5 - January 1, 2026
Where: Boathouse Row, 1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA
When: December 5 - Januar 2, 2026 (Fridays)
Where: Magic Gardens Museum, 1020 South Street, Philadelphia, PA
When: Saturday, December 6 | Noon - 7 p.m.
Where: Brookline Boulevard, Havertown, PA
