June 22, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Chinese Lantern Festival returned to Franklin Square this week. A dragon from the 2016 fest is pictured above.
This weekend in Philadelphia promises a perfect lineup for fans of the arts and outdoors.
Handmade lanterns and art from just about every medium will be on display in the open air at the Chinese Lantern Festival at Franklin Square and the Manayunk Arts Festival along Main Street, respectively. The rose garden at Morris Arboretum will reopen with a new pop-up floral display as the Phillies welcome LGBTQ fans to Pride Night at Citizens Bank Park. Block parties at Brauhaus Schmitz and the Bok Building cap off the weekend on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the annual Chinese Lantern Festival opened for another season at Franklin Square. Through Sunday, Aug. 13, dozens of handmade lanterns will be on display each evening, alongside a 100-foot-long dragon tunnel and interactive fortune-telling wall. Ticket holders can enter the park from 6 to 11 p.m., and enjoy discounts at select Chinatown businesses when they show their receipts.
Morris Arboretum's historic rose garden reopens to the public Friday, after having temporarily closed for repairs. The space now has upgraded bluestone walkways and mobility scooters to improve accessibility for all visitors, and is marking the occasion with a new pop-up floral display featuring thousands of colorful plants climbing up to 8 feet in height. Entrance to the "Exuberant Blooms" pop-up garden, which runs through Oct. 1, is free with admission to the arboretum.
The Manayunk Arts Festival will take over Main Street for two days this weekend, featuring hundreds of artists across fiber, ceramics, photography, glass, jewelry, wood and sculpture, mixed media and painting and drawing categories. The long-running event is the largest outdoor, juried art festival in the tri-state area. Check out the displays, or buy some pieces, Saturday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. or Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Two Philly institutions are hosting block parties this Sunday afternoon. The Bok Building will start on the earlier side, hosting food vendors, live musicians and interactive booths from some of its own tenants along Mifflin Street from noon 'til 4 p.m. Across town, Brauhaus Schmitz will mark 14 years in business with more than 30 types of German beer and circus performers on the street from 2 to 7 p.m. The party will be held along the 700 block of South Street.
Pride Month continues with a specially-themed Phillies game against the Mets on Friday at 7:05 p.m. This celebration of the city's LGBTQ community includes a bucket hat giveaway, which has unfortunately already closed, but you can still attend the game. Other Pride programming for the weekend includes a lip sync battle at Hard Rock Cafe Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Friday and an interfaith Pride service at Arch Street Presbyterian at 3 p.m. Sunday.
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