March 06, 2024
Joseph Gidjunis/City of Philadelphia
The Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Sunday ahead of the March 17 holiday. The route starts at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard at 11 a.m.
Eagles' kelly green has been in heavy rotation this week as the city continues to mourn the retirement of longtime center Jason Kelce. But this weekend will give way to another kind of green when early St. Patrick's Day revelers take to the streets.
Philadelphia's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, contrary to some (fair) assumptions, will not take place on March 17 but this Sunday, March 10. Musicians, step dancers and men in kilts will march across Center City starting at 11 a.m. Also in Center City, the recently opened Green Elephant pop-up bar will be slinging Guinness and Irish potato candy cocktails to anyone who can get in; the bar, like its Valentine's Day- and Christmas-themed predecessors, is walk-in only.
Less Celtic happenings include a CultureFest! at the Penn Museum honoring female artists and women-owned businesses on Saturday.
Also, the Academy Awards return Sunday, and the Philadelphia Film Society is throwing a formal fete to rival the real thing. Start blocking out your calendar.
After a 9 a.m. mass at St. Patrick's Church, marchers will gather at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard for the official parade kickoff. The route will wind east across Center City, culminating at 5th and Market streets. Expect traditional music and dance, including performances from students at the McDade Cara School of Irish Dance in Delco.
The early St. Patrick's Day celebrations continue at Green Elephant, the themed pop-up bar at 1500 Locust St. The space is decorated with totems from Irish mythology like leprechaun hats and a fairy tree, as well as less traditional touches (balloons reading "Let's get lucked up"). Order Guinness-infused snacks off the menu, or a minty coffee cocktail.
In honor of Women's History Month, the Penn Museum will welcome women musicians, dancers and storytellers to its University City campus Saturday. Local author Jo Tiongson-Perez and her co-writer Denise Orosa will read from their children's book of Filipino folklore, while two different troupes will perform Indian dance. Philly percussionist Karen Smith will also lead a drum workshop at 1 p.m. A marketplace featuring ceramicists from the Clay Studio and woman-owned businesses will be open throughout the festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Party like a Hollywood star at the Philadelphia Film Society's swanky Oscars party on Sunday. The annual soiree doubles as a fundraiser for PFS and will be held at the group's Center City theater on Chestnut Street. Guests can walk a red carpet, enjoy comped appetizers and drinks and watch the Academy Awards on a giant screen with surround sound. (Don't forget to catch the special episode of "Abbott Elementary" airing right after the big show.)
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