Anyone who tells you that summer isn't the best season of the year is either misguided or lying. The heat can be unbearable, sure—now more than ever—but in no other season is there so much to do. Every day or night can be filled with a unique experience, and the seven listed here can only be done in Philly.
Spruce Street Harbor Park
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If you live anywhere close to the Delaware River, chances are you’ve already heard of the summer-long, multifaceted outdoor experience that is the Spruce Street Harbor Park at Penn’s Landing. It combines some of Philly’s best street food, outdoor beer (the best way to enjoy beer), hammocks, a water garden and even an urban beach. Sure, it gets crowded—it’s not much of a secret any more—but it’s open from 11am to 1am, so there’s plenty of time to do everything there.
The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
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The large concert venue smack dab in Fairmount Park plays host to some of the biggest names to come through Philly each year. Paul Simon and Bob Dylan will be performing this summer, as well as a series of film screenings set to live orchestra—most notably, two of the greatest film scores of all time in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Back to the Future. Either get close under the pavilion or enjoy on the lawn under the stars; it’ll be picturesque either way.
Summerfest at Xfinity Live!
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Xfinity Live! hosts a beer fest for every season, but its summer offering is the cream of the crop for a host of reasons, not least of which is that it’s outside the venue. It’s one of the most reasonably priced craft beer festivals around, and with summer seasonal ales promising to be on tap, it promises to quench your thirst at the peak of the season, enough to excuse having an exclamation point in its name.
14 Movements: A Symphony In Color And Words
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Right now, there’s a massive art installation stretching 14 blocks on South Broad Street, from City Hall to Washington Avenue. All along that wide median are splashes of color from artist Mat Tomezsko, interspersed with poetry from Philadelphia’s poet laureate, Yolanda Wisher. It won’t be around forever, so take an hour out of your afternoon to meander down Philly’s most famous street like you’ve never seen it before. (Please watch for traffic as well.)
Made In America Festival
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Couldn’t afford the plane ticket to Coachella in April? No worries; Philadelphia’s largest music festival is back this year, once again on Labor Day weekend. Headlined by Rihanna, the two-day fest promises to be possibly the biggest party in the city this summer that has nothing to do with the Democratic National Convention.
Schuylkill Banks Movie Series
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Few things are as closely associated with a relaxing summer evening as an outdoor movie picnic, and Philly’s own version is back every Thursday, all summer long, just under the Walnut Street bridge in University City or at the Grays Ferry Crescent. The movie starts at dusk, but for the one on July 14 you might want to get there early—it’s not every day you get to watch This Is Spinal Tap on a big screen.
Center City Sips
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Until Sept. 28, bars and restaurants all over Center City amp up their happy hour specials to draw in the after work crowd every Wednesday. But even if your schedule doesn’t fit the 9-to-5, it’s worth it to check out drinks and food at far below the prices normally associated with the swankiest area in Philly.
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