Philadelphia jump-starts 2020 with a month full of terrific things to do.
Residents and visitors looking to embrace the best of winter can head to Winter at Dilworth Park and Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest for ice skating, warm hot cocoa and seasonal cocktails.
The winter edition of the super-popular Center City District Restaurant Week returns this month, promising diners delightful meal deals at many of the city’s best restaurants.
Nature lovers can retreat to the vibrant sanctuary of Longwood Gardens for the attraction’s elegant Orchid Extravaganza, a showcase of beautiful and diverse orchid blooms arranged in awe-inspiring displays the debuts annually in January.
And for two weekends, the Philly Home Show brings experts in interior design, gardening, landscaping, architecture and home renovating to the Pennsylvania Convention Center to inspire attendees seeking smart advice and fresh ideas for home improvement.
Check out our guide to the biggest events coming to Philadelphia this January, below.
Not ready to say goodbye to the holidays? Peddler’s Village’s 1 million twinkling lights (!) continue to shine bright through early January. Visitors can also explore the dozens of shops throughout the attraction during the January Sales Event (January 1-31, 2020).
Where: Peddler's Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope
There’s still plenty of winter fun to be had at Dilworth Park throughout January. Visitors can ice skate around the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink, wander through seasonal plants and greenery in the Wintergarden, and warm up with tasty food and seasonal drinks in the cozy Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin all month long.
Where: Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th Street
November 8, 2019 – February 29, 2020 (select dates)
January is a great time to experience Live Nation’s interactive pop up in the King of Prussia Mall. The immersive, photo-worthy exhibit features dynamic, hands-on fun, including a confetti-filled space, a ball pit big enough for adults and an enchanting flower-filled display. Timed tickets are available in advance.
Where: King of Prussia Mall, 160 North Gulph Road, King of Prussia
November 20, 2019 – January 5, 2020 (select dates)
Two years in the making, this immersive display transforms the zoo’s day-scape into a nighttime multimedia light and music spectacle. Dancing lights and sounds throughout furnish illusions of animals (and trees!) coming to life. A flock of plastic flamingos forms a 25-foot-tall tree, an enormous polar bear display broadcasts the magnificence of our planet and all four seasons host their very own party. Seasonal fare, live performers, hot chocolate and ever-warming adult beverages round out the experience.
Where: Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Avenue
Thousands of poinsettias, Christmas trees and flowers transform the heated four-acre Conservatory at Longwood Gardens into a winter wonderland during the popular A Longwood Christmas, which stays open through early January. Outside, 500,000 lights glitter in trees and spectacularly restored fountains and fire pit flames dance to seasonal music.
Where: Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square
More than 3 million lights comprise the big, bright Bucks County spectacle that is Shady Brook’s annual Holiday Light Show. Visitors drive or, if weather permits, ride in wagons through illuminated tunnels and past celebratory nighttime displays. Afterward, guests warm up with a cup of hot cocoa and toast marshmallows over a bonfire for s’mores.
Where: Shady Brook Farm, 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley
Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest continues to delight crowds all through January 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
It’s unexpectedly easy to enjoy a getaway to Philly this winter thanks to the Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package. Offering the perfect base itinerary for any visit, the package includes overnight accommodations, FREE hotel parking and awesome seasonal perks, including two free Philadelphia Sightseeing Passes, which let you pick which Philly attractions and tours to explore. Start planning your trip today!
Where: Available at 44 hotels in Philadelphia
This only-in-Philadelphia New Year’s Day tradition dates back to 1901 and includes thousands of adults and children wearing feathers and sequins while dancing to music and parading along Broad Street from Philadelphia City Hall, site of competition among the Comic, Comic Wench and String Band divisions, to Washington Avenue. The indoor Fancy Brigade Finale competition at the Pennsylvania Convention Center consists of Broadway-inspired music-and-dance routines for prizes and bragging rights. Tickets for bleacher seating at City Hall and for the Fancy Brigades are available over the phone, via the mail or at the Independence Visitor Center.
Where: Parade starts at City Hall, South Broad Street & South Penn Square
Quarterback Carson Wentz makes his first NFL playoff appearance on Sunday, January 5 when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC wild card playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field. For excited (read: anxious) fans unable to swing tickets to the game, post up at one of the city’s awesome sports bars to watch all the action. Go Birds!
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, 1 Lincoln Financial Field Way
January 7-19, 2020 (select dates)
This Tony Award-winning production follows an Egyptian orchestra that boards the wrong bus on the way to a show and ends up in a remote desert town in Israel. The band brings the town to life in surprising ways, showing that even a brief visit from strangers can be unforgettable.
Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street
The dancing, rhythm and beats of historically black college and university marching bands are the star at DRUMline Live at the Merriam Theater. The show runs for two days and features high-energy performances created by the musical team behind the Drumline movies.
Where: Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad Street
January 10-19, 2020 (select dates)
Hundreds of home exhibitors and home design experts head to the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the Philly Home Show, a two-weekend event that inspires homeowners and renters alike to freshen up their spaces. Experts in gardening, landscaping, interior design, furnishing, architecture and construction set up shop to answer questions and help guide attendees seeking advice and inspiration.
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street
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. New restaurants for this season include The Prime Rib, Rouge and Sabroso + Sorbo.
Where: Various locations including Harp & Crown, 1525 Sansom Street
This year marks the 23rd year of the Lambertville-New Hope Winter Festival, a nine-day celebration located about one hour from Center City that helps raise funds for community non-profit organizations. Events for the 2020 fest include an oldies-music dance party, a Revolutionary-themed pub crawl, a chili cook-off featuring local chefs and restaurants, self-guided art gallery tours and more.
Where: Various locations including Triumph Brewing Company, 400 Union Square Drive, New Hope
During this event, Longwood Gardens creates an absolutely transcendent experience for orchid lovers, perching and planting the rarest and most beautiful of flora from conservatories to outdoors. Oncidium, Phalaenopsis and more elegant varieties — artfully arranged by the attractions’ skilled horticulturists — delight visitors looking to experience the beauty of nature during the wintertime.
Greater Philadelphia holds the country’s largest day of service every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with tens of thousands of volunteers doing community projects throughout the city and region.
Where: Various locations including Girard College, 2101 S. College Avenue
This brand-new production of Riverdance reinvents the Irish and international dance and music stylings of the worldwide sensation at the Merriam Theater. Reimagined for its 25th anniversary, the show features innovative lighting, projection, staging and costume design, and a spectacular all-new finale number.
January 23 – February 8, 2020 (select dates)
The Philadelphia Orchestra marks Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday with pianists Yefim Bronfman, Daniil Trifonov and Emanuel Ax performing all five of Beethoven’s piano concertos. January performances take place at the Academy of Music.
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The Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad Street
A midnight lion dance in Chinatown on Lunar New Year’s Eve ( January 24, 2020) is just one of a number of events occurring throughout the city on the first day of the Year of the Rat. Celebrate with parades, cooking demonstrations and craft activities at attractions like the Penn Museum, Reading Terminal Market and the Independence Seaport Museum.
Where: Various locations including the Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
Dates vary by event
Philly’s museums and attractions always deliver on stunning exhibitions and installations, and the winter season is no different. In January, visitors can see a showcase of painting, sculpture and photography by influential African American artists of the past three decades at the Barnes Foundation (through Sunday, January 12, 2020); an exhibition about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman and first Jewish woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, at the National Museum of American Jewish History (through Sunday, January 12, 2020); and more than 100 works of wearable art made by more than 60 artists that tell of the American art to wear movement at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Perelman Building (through Sunday, May 17, 2020).
Where: Various locations including the Perelman Building, 2525 Pennsylvania Avenue
In the world of Philly sports this month, fans can catch a host of local college basketball games, six Flyers home games and six 76ers home games — including a hotly anticipated meeting with Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, January 25, 2020.
Where: Various locations including the Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad Street
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.
Seasonal wintertime park on the Delaware River waterfront...