Whether you prefer to spend your leisure time listening to Charlie Parker albums or rollerblading in a circle, Philly has the weekend event for you.
On Saturday, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival returns to West Philadelphia for another year, and across the river in Franklintown, the Barnes Foundation is mounting its sixth annual block party. Restaurants and institutions all over the city have Bastille Day menus and festivities planned for Friday, while the roller rink at Dilworth Park is open all weekend long before its hangs up the skates for another season.
Groove to some sax at the Lancaster Avenue Jazz Fest
Saunders Park Greene will host seven hours of live jazz this Saturday, starting at noon. Expect several food vendors and tons of music from local musicians like Spontaneous Creativity with Duane Eubanks, the Brent White Ensemble and MJS Trio at the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, an annual showcase of Philadelphia talent presented by the nonprofit HopePHL.
Eat cake (or escargot) at a Bastille Day party
Francophiles, rise up: This Friday marks the 234th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, a pivotal moment in the French Revolution. Restaurants around Philly are toasting the occasion with special menus featuring French specialities like macarons, crêpes, escargot and flowing Champagne. The Rodin Museum will also host a themed party and French art showcase in its garden bar from 4-8:30 p.m.
Check out free art demos at Barnes on the Block
The Barnes Foundation will throw its sixth annual block party on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. outside the museum on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Sample snacks from a fleet of food trucks and ales from the pop-up beer garden, or watch one of the many free art demos from ceramicists, poets and printmakers. The museum, like the block party, is free to attend that day.
Take a final spin around the Rothman roller rink
To paraphrase Donna Summer, this Sunday is your last dance, last chance to skate. Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink is open for its final weekend of the season, each day starting at 11 a.m. and closing at 10 p.m. (minus Sunday, when it shuts down at 8:45 p.m.). Book an hour-long session online or buy your ticket in person at Dilworth Park.
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