August 16, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Try 85 different tacos at the Philadelphia Taco Festival at Xfinity Live! this Saturday and Sunday.
If that giant mural on the Art Museum steps didn't convince you to see "Blue Beetle" this weekend, consider these worthy alternative plans.
South Philly will host a taco festival (at Xfinity Live!) and a ridiculously large bounce house (at the Navy Yard) over multiple days, while Manayunk rolls out the paw-friendly red carpet for its Dog Day of Summer event on Saturday. Stop by the Academy of Music for some Disney-inspired musical magic, or visit nearby Oak for the kind of macabre magic Jack Skellington would enjoy. And if you still need more to do, follow Media on its path to (hopeful) victory in the Little League World Series on ESPN.
Sample al pastor and carnitas from 25 local vendors at the Philadelphia Taco Festival this Saturday and Sunday. On both days, the fest will welcome crowds with not just food but margarita bars, piñata smashing and lucha libre wrestling. The party starts at Xfinity Live! at 2 p.m.
Manayunk's Dog Day of Summer promises an afternoon of treats and feats of agility. On Saturday, pups can test their skills at an agility course featuring cones and hurdles or splash around in the pool at City of Paws Pet Care, which will also host a portrait pop-up. Bark Social will have "yappy hour" specials and an adoption event, where visitors can meet new four-legged friends. Expect plenty of treats along Main Street.
For some people, Halloween is a year-long state of mind — and those people will feel right at home at the Oddities & Curiosities Expo. On Saturday, head to Oaks to shop a large collection of taxidermy, antiques, preserved specimens, original art and all kinds of horror-inspired items. There will also be a circus-gone-wrong sideshow and full-mount rabbit taxidermy class for additional fees.
Scar, Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa have returned to Philly after eight years away. "The Lion King" is now playing at the Academy of Music through Sunday, Sept. 10, with tickets starting at $29. The musical first debuted in New York in 1997 and is now the third longest-running Broadway show in history. It's best known for its distinctive makeup and costuming, as well as its lifelike animal puppets — including a 13-foot-long elephant and 18-foot-tall giraffes.
There's bounce houses, and then there's the 16,000-square-foot inflatable from Big Bounce America. Standing 31 feet tall, this towering, springy structure arrives in Philadelphia on Friday for a weeks-long stint at the Navy Yard. Aside from bouncing, the house promises giant slides, ball pits, basketball hoops and climbing towers inside. A Ninja Warrior-inspired obstacle course and a space-themed "wonderland" will be stationed alongside the main attraction.
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