Events Advisory: Visitor health and safety is a top priority for the entire Philadelphia region. In an effort to limit the impact and spread of COVID-19, many events have been suspended or rescheduled. For information on COVID-19, click here.
Year after year, Philadelphia’s roster of events and festivals provides irresistible reasons for visitors to come to — and fall in love with — Philadelphia, and 2020 is no different.
The new decade in Philly brings not only the return of beloved annual traditions like the world’s largest indoor Flower Show and citywide Fourth of July celebration but also the debut of exciting fresh happenings including events around the 19th Amendment’s centennial.
Also on deck in 2020: Philly hosts major sporting events like the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
The events below are some of the biggest happenings coming to the city in 2020 — drawing tens of thousands of people. But these mark just a sampling of the hundreds of events that take place in Philadelphia every season. For more comprehensive lists of events and festivals coming to Philly this year, check back for our guides in the Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Here’s a look at what’s going on this year in the Philadelphia region.
There’s plenty of winter fun to be had at Dilworth Park. Guests can take a spin around the popular Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink underneath beautiful twinkling lights at City Hall while listening to a mix of holiday tunes and bouncing beats. Visitors also marvel at the gorgeous greenery of the Wintergarden, then head inside the Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin to enjoy spiked hot chocolate and other warm treats.
Where: Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th Street
Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest continues to delight crowds with ice skating, fire pits, seasonal food and drinks, a lodge, arcade, a confectionery cabin and more. The riverside attraction — with awesome views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge — hosts special events regularly, including live music nights in the lodge and sweetheart skates.
Where: Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, 101 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
During Center City District Restaurant Week, three-course lunch goes for $20 per person, while dinner costs just $35 at many of Philadelphia’s top restaurants. Despite its name, Restaurant Week has expanded over the years to cover nearly two full weeks, giving patrons plenty of time to try new spots and return to old favorites.
Where: Various locations including Butcher and Singer, 1500 Walnut Street
The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the International Conference & Festival of Blacks in Dance. The event features ticketed performances, conference sessions and lessons — including a midnight hip-hop class.
Where: Various locations including Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad Street
A midnight lion dance in Chinatown on Lunar New Year’s Eve (Friday, January 24, 2020) kicks off a number of events occurring throughout the city on the first day of the Year of the Rat. Celebrate with martial arts demonstrations and calligraphy at the Penn Museum (Saturday, January 18), cooking demonstrations at Reading Terminal Market (Saturday, January 18) and craft activities at the Independence Seaport Museum (Saturday, January 25).
Where: Various locations including the Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
Opens Friday, January 24, 2020
Wonderspaces aims to bring art to new audiences — including visitors to the Fashion District, which is its first permanent location in the center of a metropolitan area. The 24,000 square-foot gallery space features a series of stunning immersive exhibitions — including two virtual reality experiences — created by multiple artists. Guests can find Wonderspaces on the third level of the destination near 11th and Market streets.
Where: Fashion District Philadelphia, 901 Market Street
This incredibly popular, 28th annual event, held at the Community College of Philadelphia, features bestselling Black authors and illustrators, representatives from the multicultural literary community, enriching children’s books and activities that promote the power and joy of reading.
Where: Community College of Philadelphia, 1700 Spring Garden Street
This 10-day regional theatrical festival promises events, including panels, concerts, meet-ups and loads of live theater. The best part? All of the performances are free or cost $15-$30.
Where: Locations TBA, Philadelphia
The automotive industry’s latest creations are part of a 750,000-square-foot display at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the showplace for hundreds of pre-production, classic, luxury and exotic cars.
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street
Diners can experience South Philly’s most sought-after dishes and settings when East Passyunk Avenue restaurants offer three-course prix fixe lunches and dinners (tax, alcohol and gratuity not included) for $15-$35.
Where: Locations TBA, East Passyunk Avenue
The annual PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor show of its kind, featuring top-of-the-line horticulture and landscape design, entertainment and more than 100 vendors. The 2020 theme for the show is Riviera Holiday.
Called “one of the top 10 beer festivals in America” by Forbes Traveler, the festival features national and international breweries, food trucks and a VIP session with rare brews at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Where: Philadelphia Navy Yard, 4701 Intrepid Avenue
For one weekend, film fans can virtually works by established and emerging Latino and Latin American filmmakers — a lineup that includes feature films, shorts, animations and documentaries, along with workshops and discussions.
Where: Caplan Center for the Performing Arts, 211 S. Broad Street
Dates vary by event
The Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing celebrates the diverse cultures that make up Philadelphia during a series of free festivals that attract thousands each year. The lineup includes the Hispanic Fiesta, Islamic Heritage Festival, Irish Festival and Brazilian Day Philadelphia, among others.
Where: Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, 101 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
Opens Spring 2020 (Dates TBA)
Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest transforms a spot on the Delaware River waterfront into the ultimate summer hangout with Center City’s only roller rink, a boathouse-style lodge, a Ferris wheel and midway, and plenty of playful spaces to chill out.
Where: Blue Cross RiverRink, 101 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
Spring 2020 (TBA)
Enthusiasts of riverside chilling enjoy hammocks, patio games, an arcade, mini-concerts and tasty treats while strolling the boardwalk on Philly’s waterfront.
Where: Spruce Street Harbor Park, 301 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
No one does the 4th quite like Philly! Known as Wawa Welcome America, the event includes several days of virtual happenings, free museum admission, concerts and so much more.
Where: Various locations including Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 20th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway
This alternative and contemporary music festival, presented by AfroTaino Productions, celebrates the new sounds of Latin America and turns up the heat with jovial sounds from popular artists summer after summer. Previous performers have included The Beachers, Kevin Johansen, Lady HD and more.
Hailed by Ebony magazine as “the black Sundance,” this film festival screens artistically excellent independent films about the global Black experience and films by people of color.
Where: Location TBA
For two weeks of artistic pleasure, avant-garde performance meets street theater throughout the city during the annual Fringe Festival.
Where: FringeArts, 140 N. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
September 2020 (TBA)
The Jay-Z-curated Made in America music festival returns to take over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with an epic lineup of the hottest established and up-and-coming musicians. 2019’s lineup featured Cardi B, Travis Scott, James Blake, Kaskade, Jorja Smith and more.
Where: 22nd Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia honors this national event with the Feria del Barrio in El Centro de Oro, a Mexican Independence Day Festival on Penn’s Landing and the Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, among other civic occasions.
Things at Eastern State Penitentiary get pretty scary in the fall when Terror Behind the Walls — one of the country’s most popular Halloween attractions — returns for the season. Explore the abandoned halls of the former prison by nightfall while creepy zombies, nurses and ghouls pop out from around the attraction.
Where: Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue
According to Forbes, Philly Tech Week “is quickly becoming known as the fiercest and most comprehensive week of technology and leadership events on the East Coast.” Sponsored by Comcast and organized by tech news site Technical.ly Philly, the festival features panels, conferences, cocktail parties and more engaging, tech-centric events during its several-day run.
Fall 2020 (TBA)
More than 120 restaurants in the Center City District offer signature three-course dinners for $35 per person and three-course lunches for $20 per guest during the fall edition of Center City District Restaurant Week.
Where: Various locations including Mission Taqueria, 1516 Sansom Street
The Gayborhood parties to an ultra-fun level with live music, food from neighborhood restaurants, sidewalk sales and other festivities along a number of the neighborhood’s busiest thoroughfares, which close to vehicular traffic during this massive day-long event.
Where: Festival centered at 13th & Chestnut streets
Aronimink Golf Club hosts one of the five major championships on the LPGA Tour for the first time ever, a historic tournament in its 66th year.
Where: Aronimink Golf Club, 3600 Saint Davids Road, Newtown Square
The world’s largest Coming Out Day event features 10 blocks of drag shows, games, bar crawls, music, shopping and a high-heel race, with the main stage at 13th and Locust streets.
Where: Festival centered at 13th & Locust streets
Artists, crafters, designers, techies, entertainers and restaurateurs celebrate the creative spirit of the Historic District neighborhood along several blocks of activities, exhibits and programs that appeal to families as well as the over-21 crowd.
Where: Festival centered at 3rd & Arch streets
October 2020
This fall, Mural Arts Philadelphia celebrates the city’s thousands of murals with a full month of special events, performances, parties and more.
Where: Locations TBA
The entire city celebrates the nation’s oldest festival of its kind, with events that highlight local designers, architects, and creative professionals demonstrating thoughtful design, collaborative business practices and community engagement.
Where: Various locations including the Center for Architecture and Design, 1218 Arch Street
Rowers of all levels — high school, college, elite rowers and world champions — converge on the Schuylkill River for the two-day Head of the Schuylkill Regatta on October 24 and 25. The race winds along Kelly Drive and Boathouse Row, which offer optimal race-viewing points and a festive atmosphere made up of rowers and viewers alike.
November 2020 (TBA)
One of the country’s premier — and most scenic — running events sends 30,000 athletes through historic Center City, past the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Boathouse Row. The weekend includes an 8K race, half-marathon, a Kids Fun Run and the Health & Fitness Expo.
This annual festival showcases the best in independent and foreign cinema — shorts, features, animated and guest-accompanied films — in theaters and venues around Philadelphia.
Where: Philadelphia Film Center, 1412 Chestnut Street
This 40,000-square-foot Faith and Liberty Center —the newest addition to Independence Mall — opens in the fall and examines the roles of faith and liberty in American society. Once open, guests can interact with film, artifacts, imagery and more.
Where: 5th & Market streets
December 2020 (TBA)
The Army Black Knights take on the Navy Midshipmen in this epic collegiate rivalry, now in its 121st year and returning to Lincoln Financial Field.
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, 1 Lincoln Financial Field Way
The holidays are a magical time in Philadelphia. As the temperature dips and the year nears its end, the city is aglow with shimmering light shows, can’t-miss pop-up markets, festive decorations and stellar only-in-Philly attractions. Then, the city rings in the new year with two epic fireworks displays and the Mummers Parade, an event that’s been Philly New Year’s Day tradition for more than a century.
Where: Various locations including LOVE Park, 15th & Arch streets
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.
Sixty things to do somehow only scratches the surface of Philly's cultural offerings...