Philadelphia is a city rich in cultural diversity, with a wide range of communities holding special events and festivals throughout the year. During the spring and summer, there are dozens of outdoor festivals where families can enjoy delicious food, cold drinks, music, performances, and other entertainment. Our Philadelphia adoption professionals think it’s important to engage in these types of events with your children. This helps to build an appreciation for the different cultures that make up their community.
Some of our favorite Philly family-friendly festivals include:
Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest
Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest runs throughout the entire summer and offers a slew of family-friendly activities, games, rides, and concessions. 2018 marks the fourth summer for this attraction. Entry is free and you simply pay as you go for the variety of fun attractions available here.
Some of our favorite parts of Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest include:
- Roller Skating
- The Midway
- The Artful Golfer
- Chickie’s and Pete’s Waterfront Crabshack
- Franklin Fountain Confectionary Cabin
Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival
In 2018, the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival returned to Franklin Square for the third year. The entire square is transformed into a wonderland of beautiful lantern creations, with over 15,000 LED lights making up 28 different displays and 1,500 different works of art. This is a mesmerizing display that the whole family can enjoy wandering through together. The festival’s most dazzling structure is back for the third year – a 200-foot long Chinese dragon. A panda display also returned for 2018. Other notable features at this festival include a variety of cultural performances and a Dragon Beer Garden where parents can cool off with a refreshing beer, wine, or cocktail. There are also plenty of Asian foods and treats if you and your kids get hungry.
Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA)
Each year in late May and early June, the Kimmel Center hosts the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). This 11-day festival is overflowing with fun activities and entertainment, including collaborative live performances and a live art festival and street fair running down Broad Street. In 2018, French performance troupe Transe Express returned the festival for the premiere of Cristal Palace – a 30-foot chandelier made of 50 air acrobats and dancers along the Schuylkill River. Another cool event was Taylor Mac’s recreation of the history of dance, covering everything from waltzing to disco and more.
West Park Arts Fest
West Park Arts Fest has been held each year in West Fairmount Park since 2007. This festival features family-friendly live music, dance performances, arts & crafts, public art, and other creative attractions. There is also a large selection of food and drinks from various local vendors
2nd Street Festival
In 2018, Northern Liberties hosted the 10th annual 2nd Street Festival. Held in one of Philadelphia’s hippest up-and-coming neighborhoods, this festival shuts down traffic along 2nd street from Girard Avenue to Spring Garden Street. All along the street you’ll find food vendors from a wide range of local restaurants, beer gardens, dance parties, crafts and goods for sale, live music, dance performances, and more. There’s truly something for everyone here and a visit to the 2nd Street Festival is always a treat for the whole family.
