September 12, 2024
Provided image/En Route Marketing
Fall for the Arts Festival doubles as a celebration of autumn and fine art. It returns Sunday to Chestnut Hill.
The Christmas creep has been around for decades, but don't count out the spooky season slink. Despite Halloween's Oct. 31 date, true crime trolley tours and haunted houses are arriving in September, giving horror fans plenty of ways to celebrate the macabre.
Pop-up bars with a ghoulish bent open their doors this weekend for a limited run, hawking "blood bags" (vodka cranberries) and mummy stromboli. The wider autumn season will also inspire a returning arts festival in Chestnut Hill, and over in Ocean City, pilots will officially say goodbye to summer with some barrel rolls.
Prefer to hit a secret comedy show or wine-forward music festival in a public garden? Get all the details in our weekend guide:
Halloween may be a month and a half away, but it's already here at multiple pop-ups opening in Philadelphia. Bars like Craftsman Row Saloon and Tinsel, which undergo seasonal makeovers for the holidays, are unveiling their creepy new digs on Friday (the 13th). Expect lots of Tim Burton and "Beetlejuice" homages thanks to the horror comedy's new sequel, and creative cocktails like the Morgue-a-rita.
Planes will dip and dive through the South Jersey skies as stunt pilots show off their command of the atmosphere. The Ocean City Air Show functions as an end-of-summer event, led by professional skydivers, parachutists and pilots. Catch the free aerial shows Saturday and Sunday over the beach.
Chestnut Hill will welcome fall to the neighborhood through an arts showcase celebrating pottery, photography, glass blowing and illustration. The Fall for the Arts Festival will stretch along the 8000-8600 blocks of Germantown Avenue on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Artists will demonstrate their craft and compete in a contest, while musicians will play on three stages on the avenue. The Stagecrafters theater will also offer family-friendly entertainment.
Visitors admiring the flowers at Longwood Gardens will soon have a jazzy soundtrack scoring their stroll. The annual Wine & Jazz Festival returns to the Chester County green space Friday and Saturday. Attendees can sample bottles from local vintners while enjoying acts like the High and Mighty Brass Band. Tickets, which range from $44-$97, guarantee concert seating and all-day entrance to the gardens.
Don't Tell Comedy Philadelphia is bringing stand-ups to Rittenhouse Square and Northern Liberties this weekend, but don't bother asking for a street address. The locations of both shows will remain a mystery until Friday and Saturday mornings, when the pop-up group will release the respective venues. (The last one was at Citizen Banks Park.) The lineups will stay under wraps until the comedians take the stage.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas wants Philly to be a video game industry leader — and he's hosting a second PHL Gaming conference Saturday to help build momentum. The event will include panels and showcases from local game developers, where fans can preview their latest work. Localhost, a gaming center at 401 N. Broad St., will host.
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