Students are returning to school and workers are returning from vacations, but we still have over a month of the sunny season left. Now that August has arrived, here’s how you can get through the dog days of summer.
🕵️ Solve a Wild Mystery
Step back in time and solve this puzzling crime at the Philadelphia Zoo. Figure out “Zoo Done It?” on Aug. 2 for the chance to win flex passes to the Red Rum Theatre and other grand prizes. And if you miss out on this adventure, visit the zoo on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10 for African Culture Fest in partnership with Odunde.
🌊 One Last Summer Splash
If you still haven’t gone boating this summer, now is the time. The Southeast Asian Water Festival will have dragon boat races, cultural dances, and free community boating at the FDR Park Boathouse on Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
🏛️ Last Chance at These Galleries
Some exhibitions at Philly’s art institutions are completing their run.
Vox Populi’s “first, then, next, finally” poses the questions: “What can we gain from following the sequence? What can we find if we choose another route?” This concludes Aug. 3.
The clothes we wear and the accessories we hold are not just for utility but are outward expressions of who we are. Through Aug. 17, Fabric Workshop and Museum’s “Soft/Cover” highlights how artists uniquely use fabric and screenprinting to create day-to-day objects.
Navigate the in-between of presence and erasure in this William Villalongo exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Explore art and design shaped by war, politics, and culture in the 1940s at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These exhibitions end Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, respectively.
🍪 National Cookie Day Is This Month
Munch on some cookies for a cause. The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company is selling cookies for $1 apiece on Aug. 4. Proceeds will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region. And if you want even more cookies, check out these bakeries in Rittenhouse.
🛍️ Shop or Swap
Not everything on the internet actually lasts forever, so we’re rebuilding our physical media library. Swap CDs, DVDs, and more at the Funhouse Gallery on Aug. 21 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
While the night is still young, browse what Philly vendors have to offer. The Southwest Philly Night Market is saying goodbye to summer with a night of music, food, and local businesses on Aug. 30. Entry to the market at Richard Allen Prep is free and will take place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
🔮 Indulge in the Macabre
Are you into the creepy, the spooky, and the kooky? At the Oddities & Curiosities Expo on Aug. 16 and 17, you can browse the strange wares of hundreds of vendors.
🍽️ Dine Out
You can taco bout how good the food is at the Philadelphia Taco Festival on Aug. 17. Visit Xfinity Live! from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. to enjoy food from nearly 50 vendors, margarita bars, and lucha libre.
Drink that cup of coffee and get energized at the House of Coffee Music Festival. Combine beats with caffeine at the Navy Yard on Aug 23.
🇺🇦 Celebrate Culture
Did you know the Philadelphia area has the second largest Ukrainian population in the U.S.? Learn about the culture at the Ukrainian Folk Festival in Horsham, just outside of Philly. Listen to live folk songs, dance along, and create art on Aug. 24.
🤼 Let’s Get Ready To Rumble
Philly has a reputation for extreme wrestling. From Aug. 27 to Sept. 11, All Elite Wrestling is having a residency at the 2300 Arena in South Philly, former home of the ECW promotion. And if you want to support the local wrestling scene, Labor of Love is having events on Aug. 10 and Aug. 31.
