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One thing you should know: Philly isn’t shy. It’s an award-winning, headline-grabbing kinda town.
Having trouble keeping up with all the Philly buzz? We’re making it easy for you with a weekly roundup of our favorite Philly stories.
Bookmark this page and check back every Thursday for a fresh batch of headlines with that awesome Philly flavor.
Play ball: Philly’s knocking it out of the park with plenty of good news swirling throughout the city. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week.
Yes! For the third time in recent history, USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice has named Philly’s beloved Reading Terminal Market as the best public market in America.
The market nabbed the top spot in 2021 and 2022 and has regularly ranked in the top five — for good reason.
First opened in 1893, Reading Terminal Market remains one of the nation’s oldest and largest public markets.
Inside, visitors enjoy a wide swath of cuisines, from sublime soul food and exquisite Asian and Middle Eastern dishes to authentic Philly cheesesteaks and traditional Pennsylvania Dutch fare — all available from largely locally owned family-run stands.
— Photo by Visit Philadelphia
Fans attending FIFA World Cup 26 matches at Lincoln Financial Field (temporarily renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the games) can enjoy free subway rides home on SEPTA, thanks to a sponsorship from Airbnb.
That’s right! While fans heading to stadiums in other host cities are facing super spendy rides, Philly is showing fans love by keeping inbound rides on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line at the normal $2.90 fare and providing free rides home. Score!
The free rides outbound from NRG Station start at halftime during each of the six matches and run for about two hours post-match.
Nothing beats free.
Skateboarders once flocked to Philly’s LOVE Park — a place so legendary in the community that Tony Hawk recreated it in his Pro Skater video game.
Now the legend lives on. Philly cut the ribbon last week to open its newest skate park in Center City, featuring resurrected granite from LOVE Park, now repurposed into a giant domino game piece.
But there’s more! The new $18 million redux of the plaza outside Philly’s Municipal Services Building also includes a bench from Dilworth Park (another former popular skate spot) as well as an extra-smooth granite surface.
Kick-flips all around!
Already the best city for street art in America and The Mural Capital of the World, Philly will soon add another iconic work to its always-growing list of public art — a new mural devoted to the Philadelphia Stars, the city’s historic, champion Negro League team.
Construction is underway at the Negro League Memorial Park at the intersection of Belmont and Parkside avenues in West Philly, where the Stars once played. The mural replaces one nearby that had to come down due to structural damage.
Artist David McShane, known for his iconic sports murals across the city, revealed his design on the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier.
In other baseball news, the 2026 MLB All-Star Week lineup has arrived as Philly hosts the Midsummer Classic on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
Batter up!
Philly loves a street festival, and the Semiquincentennial adds some patriotic flair to this year’s already-stellar festival calendar.
City leaders have promised to bring America’s big birthday bash to the neighborhoods, recently unveiling locations for 20 upcoming events that will get extra money and supplies (thanks to the city’s Ring it On! initiative) to make this year’s festival season one for the books.
Philly has been preparing for this moment for years, with the fruits of that planning finally popping up. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy Philly’s spruce-up that includes new benches, bike racks and planters with fancy 250 embellishments.
Plus, the John Welsh Memorial Fountain in West Fairmount Park (across from the Please Touch Museum) is undergoing a multi-million dollar makeover with the fountain expected to flow freely soon for the first time in decades.
Lookin’ good, Philly!
Caity Weaver, a staff writer for The Atlantic, set out on a quest to find the best free restaurant bread in the country. Spoiler alert: It’s right here in Philly.
After sorting through hundreds of reader recommendations and travelling thousands of miles, Weaver found herself nibbling on Rittenhouse Square hot-spot Parc’s cranberry-walnut loaf, which she says made her feel “grateful to be alive.”
We’re glad you found your way to Philly, Caity. C’mon back any time you need a bread fix!
Philly is so hot right now, and we’re not just talking about the weather. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week.
A little bit of Philly made a trip around the moon.
Artemis II astronaut (and huge Philly sports fan) Christina Koch surprised her husband by bringing a bit of confetti from the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl with her last week as she joined three others on NASA’s Artemis II mission to circumnavigate the moon.
Koch credits her husband with introducing her to our beloved Birds and causing her to fall in love with the team and our gritty city, despite her southern roots.
Thanks for bringing a little bit of Philly-style love to the moon and back, Christina!
Adding to an already robust list of Pride month happenings this June: A new arts festival devoted to queer art — The Philly Pride Arts Festival, or Philly PrideAF — offers a month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ art, stories and performances at locations throughout the city.
Expect a cavalcade of programming that includes live music like opera and choir, performing arts like drag shows and theater, plus interactive events like musical theater karaoke.
Philly’s art scene is gonna be lit this spring. The new ArtPhilly: What Now festival launches in May with some events already selling out. Plus, Philly Theatre Week opens next week with its popular pay-what-you-can pricing.
So much art, so little time!
A new Battle of Pennsylvania is brewing. For the first time in five seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers head into post-season play for a chance to win the coveted Stanley Cup.
The orange-and-black are set to face the heated intrastate-rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of Eastern Conference play.
Game days and times as well as ticket info remain TBD for the best-of-seven series. Stay tuned.
On the b-ball front, the Sixers officially punched their ticket to the 2026 NBA Playoffs with a victory over the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Next up: A first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics, kicking off in Bean-town on Sunday.
And the great sports news keeps on coming: Philly is one step closer to welcoming its WNBA team into the pro-team fold, as the league and NBA Board of Governors officially gave the greenlight to expand into Philly this week.
We’re ready for it all! Game on!
Earlier this week, Visit Philadelphia (yep, that’s us!) unveiled the locations of more than 65 libraries across the country hosting TED Democracy LIVE on June 13.
These free livestream events dramatically expand access to TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures taking place at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
The TED Democracy event brings together local, national and global thought-leaders for a series of original talks examining the past, present and future of democracy.
You can see a full list of participating libraries by clicking here.
In other 2026 news, details rolled out this week about what you can expect at the massive, day-long Red, White & Blue To-Do on July 2.
Shortly after graduating from art school, Gibbs Connors landed a gig at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, hand-painting signs with his refined artist’s touch.
A few years later, Starr Restaurants hired Connors to paint the sign for a nightclub and a new-to-the-dining-scene restaurant in Old City called the Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar.
Fast forward to 2026: Connors has since painted every Starr restaurant sign, plus hundreds more at establishments across the city. You can find his hand-lettering and gold gilding work at restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, boutiques, tattoo shops and cafes like Philly-based La Colombe.
About 12 years ago, Connors began partnering with South Philly native Christian Cantiello to begin passing the torch, er, paint brush.
The two now collaborate frequently, and chances are that your favorite Philly spot dons their handiwork. Learn more about these artists from our friends at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Break out the shades. April showers got nothin’ on Philly’s shine. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week.
A new statue honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman is coming to Philadelphia’s City Hall, and the city wants you — yes, you! — to have a say in the quote gets inscribed on the statue’s base.
For the entire month of April, Creative Philadelphia wants the public to pick which of six quotes will permanently anchor artist Alvin Pettit’s new work of art.
Here are the options:
Click here to cast your vote. The winner will be announced in May, with the statue’s installation coming later this year.
A new, 7,000 square foot soccer pitch (aka playing field) has opened up at Dilworth Park outside of City Hall, just a few steps from the giant countdown clock ticking toward FIFA World Cup 26 in Philadelphia.
Intended for casual play, The NRG Pitch at the Albert M. Greenfield Lawn invites visitors to kick around a ball or two as anticipation builds for Philly’s six World Cup matches coming to the Linc from June 14 to July 4, 2026.
Park visitors can also kick back and chill, or play a round of corn hole now through October.
To keep Philly’s growing love of soccer alive, a new permanent soccer park is coming to the Tip Top Playground on North Front Street in the city’s Northern Liberties neighborhood. Stay tuned for more details.
We recently shared news about Temple University’s new partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. Now, students at Temple’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts will get even more real-world experience with a new partnership between the university and Opera Philadelphia.
Performing arts students have already begun to learn from the pros in this immersive program that provides opportunities to record performances, become understudies and even create marketing content to help promote Opera Philadelphia shows.
Take a bow, Temple Owls!
When Bobby Krause was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, he turned to the doctors at the University of Pennsylvania to help him find ways to stop his tremors.
After a non-invasive ultrasound treatment, his tremors stopped, and he could get back to doing all the things he loved, like playing pickleball. So Krause decided to launch the national Be Still Foundation to raise awareness (and money!) for others facing the same diagnosis.
This weekend, fellow pickleballers can join the cause by participating in the Triumph Over Tremors pickleball tournament in the city’s Poplar neighborhood on Saturday, April 11, which is also World Parkinson’s Day.
Sign up here.
America’s oldest zoo is getting ready to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in a big way — by installing three new, gigantic animal-themed topiaries built from nearly 9,000 plants. The plant experts at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society lent a hand to bring the animal topiaries to life.
A 10-foot tall Eagle sculpture — a nod to our national bird and beloved football team (Go Birds!) — will greet visitors this Semiquincentennial year.
Visitors can also marvel at a 12-foot-long Galapagos tortoise topiary along with a plant-tastic momma bear and her cub welcoming visitors to the zoo’s new Bear Country exhibit, slated to open later this spring.
The zoo has also launched a new initiative — Action for Animals — that invites everyone to take small actions to help animals. The goal: a collective 250,000 activities that improve the lives of animals, such as picking up litter and even helping zookeepers make toys for resident animals.
— Photo courtesy Aversa PR
The cherry blossoms are blooming, the headlines are buzzing and our Philly pride is bursting at the seams. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week:
There’s hot, and then there’s Philly’s food scene. Fresh off celebrating its first batch of Michelin-starred restaurants last year, the city is well-positioned to clean up in the 2026 James Beard Awards.
The James Beard Foundation announced its finalists for the coveted foodie awards this week, with Philly scoring seven finalist nods in five categories:
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 15.
Stay tuned (and hungry!).
Kalaya — Photo by M. Persico
Levell “Garci” Peterkin has big plans for Chinatown’s Square Food Court. The Race Street storefront is currently home to a number of diverse food vendors, including the Yummy Palace and Halal by Iman.
Peterkin, a North Philly native and owner of Carter’s Steaks by Garci inside the space, is looking to fill the few remaining vacant spots with additional vendors who will put Square Food Court on the map for foodies as a Black-owned “Mini-Reading Terminal Market.”
His hope is to give up-and-coming chefs and business owners a shot at a brick-and-mortar location they might not otherwise get — and to expose their offerings to a wider audience.
You can learn more about his story and vision for the future from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mic check: A pilot program highlighting local live music is expanding to neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia.
After debuting at a number of Philly hotels last year, Weeknights Live is now bringing live tunes and performances to businesses like Pistolas Del Sur in East Passyunk on Monday nights, five hotels in Center City on Tuesday nights, and bars and restaurants along West Philly’s Baltimore Avenue on Wednesday nights.
You can see the full list of participating locations by clicking here.
All performances are free and open to the public. Entry is first-come, first-served.
That’s music to our ears!
Get ready for a citywide, summer-long bash on the streets of Philadelphia.
Complementing major international events like FIFA World Cup 26 and the MLB All-Star Game, Philly’s smaller streets and alleyways get in on the action with the Block Party Bonanza.
Through the community-centered program, the city is set to sponsor 250 block parties in neighborhoods far and wide from May through October.
Participating blocks will get funds for groceries, entertainment and games to super-size Philly’s already legendary block parties during America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
We’ll meet you on the block!
As the mercury continues to rise, we’re approaching peak ice cream season in Philadelphia. And an iconic scoop shop in Old City is celebrating with the launch of 26 brand-new flavors in 2026.
The limited-edition, experimental scoops are inspired by monthly themes like charcuterie (think: brie, fig, and elderberry goat cheese flavors); tea (London fog, chai and honeysuckle); and herbs (basil, sage, rosemary and thyme).
You can catch the new flavors — released weekly and available in flights or pints — at the Market Street shop beginning April 3 while supplies last.
How sweet it is!
It’s Philly’s biggest year yet!
Make the most of it by booking the Visit Philly Overnight Package, which comes with free hotel parking and complimentary tickets to some of the most popular attractions in each of Greater Philadelphia’s five counties including Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute, the Mercer Museum in Bucks County, Longwood Gardens in Chester County, the Brandywine Museum of Art in Delaware County and Elmwood Park Zoo in Montgomery County.
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