With nine big festivals and parades on tap this week in the city, Philadelphia police have started to issue related road closures and traffic detours.
Night Market at Italian Market kicks off the festivities on Thursday night.
Other major happenings are the Armory Oktoberfest at 23rd Street Armory (Friday through Sunday), ongoing DesignPhiladelphia events, the Midtown Village Fall Festival, the Asian Americans United Mid Autum Festival and Parade, and Dragon Boat Festival, both Saturday, plus Outfest, the Old City Fest, the annual Columbus Day parade and a Kidney Walk on Sunday.
THURSDAY
NIGHT MARKET – ITALIAN MARKET
On Thursday, Night Market Philadelphia will move to the Italian Market in South Philadelphia from 6 to 10 p.m. Set-up will begin at 3 p.m.
The following roads will be closed for the duration of the event:
- 800 to 1000 blocks of Washington Avenue
- 1000 and 1100 blocks of 9th Street, between Ellsworth & Carpenter
A police detail will be assigned to the event, but traffic in the area could be heavy at times.
SATURDAY
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
Kelly Drive will be closed from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday – from Strawberry Mansion Bridge to Fountain Green Drive – for the annual event on the Schuylkill River.
Southbound Kelly Drive traffic will be detoured up the Strawberry Mansion ramp to Fountain Green Drive, via Reservoir Drive.
Northbound Kelly Drive traffic will be detoured up Fountain Green Drive, along the same route.
Sufficient detour signs will be posted along the detour routes, and delays are expected to be minimal.
ASIAN AMERICANS UNITED MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL/PARADE
Southbound 10th Street will be closed at Race Street from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
At 6 p.m. the parade is scheduled to begin at 10th and Arch streets in Chinatown, and proceed west on Arch to 11th, north on 11th to Race, east on Race to 9th, north on 9th to Winter, west on Winter to 10th and south on 10th to Cherry Street.
Police officers will be assigned to the area, but motorists should expect delays.
MID-TOWN VILLAGE FALL FESTIVAL
The Mid-Town Village Merchants Association's annual Fall Festival will run from noon to 8 p.m. Set-up will begin at 6 a.m. Due to the number of participants involved, these streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to midnight:
- Chestnut Street, between 12th and 13th streets
- Sansom Street, between 12th and 13th streets
- 100 block of 13th Street
- 1300 block of Drury Street
- 1300 block of Chancellor Street
SUNDAY
KIDNEY WALK
On Sunday, the National Kidney Foundation’s “Kidney Walk” be held in the Art Museum/Boathouse Row area of the city. The event will form on the Art Museum steps at 8:30 a.m., with walkers heading to Martin Luther King (M.L.K.) Drive, then north on M.L.K. Drive to just north of the Sweet Briar cut-off, where they will turn around and proceed back to the front of the Art Museum.
Due to the number of participants involved, these streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to about 11 a.m.:
- Eakins Oval: westbound to Spring Garden Street Bridge and into the city from southbound Kelly Drive
- Southbound lane of Kelly Drive, from Fairmount Avenue to Eakins Oval
COLUMBUS DAY PARADE
On Sunday, the Columbus Day Parade will march along South Broad Street. The following street closures will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
- Broad Street, from Washington Avenue to Bigler Street
- 1400 block of Bigler Street
- Washington Avenue, from 13th to 17th streets
- Oregon Avenue, from 13th to 15th streets
OLD CITY FESTIVAL
The Old City Festival will take place on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The following streets will be closed from 2 a.m. to 9 p.m.:
- Arch Street, between 2nd and 4th streets
- 3rd Street, from Market to Race streets
- Cherry Street, between 3rd and 4th streets
A detail assigned will be assigned to this event, but traffic in the area could be heavy at times, police said.