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City Cast Philly

Siani Colón

, it’s a good time to start thinking about what to plant in your garden this season. 

 to your plot and pot. Not sure where to find some? Here are some upcoming plant sales and swaps to spruce up your garden while supporting local businesses.

Remember the former Greensgrow Farm in Kensington? The 

 is taking over in partnership with the New Kensington Community Development Corporation. The institute is kicking this new era off with an 

. Attendees can go on a "wonder walk" that includes snacks and plant activities led by staff. The organization has also opened plant orders. 

 on April 18 to celebrate Earth Day. Make native plant 

 with other community members, along with other activities, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

 on April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The street will be blocked off outside of the MLK Triangle to make way for workshops, music, and plenty of plant supplies. Interested in vending? 

 of Philadelphia County are bringing their 

 on April 26. Guests can browse over a hundred plants, from tasty veggies to fragrant herbs and beginner-friendly houseplants. There will also be opportunities to attend garden tours, plant demos, and workshops.

Stock up on pollinator plants, herbs, and more at 

. Sales will happen on April 21, May 9, June 13, May 30, and Sept. 12. Be sure to check out the 

 while you’re visiting during the weekend.

Support students at Philly’s agriculture high school by attending its 

 on May 2. Not only will you have the opportunity to purchase plants, but you can also receive free vegetable seeds. Stick around and see the students show off the skills they’re learning.

Germantown Residents for Economic Alternatives Together

demonstrations on living well on a budget

 at this event on May 2. Aside from a seed exchange, 

 a foraging walk and citrus juice-making workshop. All activities will be at the Wyck Historic House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Head further up Germantown Avenue the following day to Chestnut Hill for its annual 

 on May 3. Browse plants, pots, and other garden decor from over 300 vendors along the corridor.

PHS hosts monthly plant swaps at its pop-up gardens in 

. Keep an eye on its calendar for other plant workshops throughout the season.

Several festivals and businesses are hosting major pop-up sales to help you find the perfect plants for your garden. 

Where To Shop For and Swap Plants in Philly

Shop and Swap at These Spring Plant Pop-Ups

Find the best of everything that Philadelphia has to offer.

Philly’s Best

Philly's Best

Did you know April 7 is National Beer Day? On this day in 1933, 

 for the first time since Prohibition began, marking the beginning of the end of the dry era.

Breweries are a part of Philly history, so much so that we have 

. Curious how Philly’s finest brewers make their beer? Discover the secrets and taste it for yourself on these tours.

 went from brewing beers from a small location in Manayunk in the 1990s to running its huge Northern Liberties facility today. Find out how all of it came to be! On a tour, you can get a look-through of the facility, a beer sample, a full beer, and a souvenir. 

 everyday of the week. Right now you can get half-off tickets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

 has locations in Point Breeze and Fishtown. If you want to take a tour, those are 

. For $10, you can sample a couple of beers and receive a pint glass and sticker. The tour runs for about 30 minutes and is available by appointment on Saturdays at 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. Larger groups can be accommodated on different days of the week upon request.

Walk down Frankford Avenue and you’ll stumble upon several breweries, craft halls, and neighborhood bars. Operating from the nearly 150-year-old Weisbrod & Hess Oriental Brewing Company facility, 

. is keeping the River Wards’ beer-making tradition alive. This brewery leads 

 of the month at noon and 2 p.m. Stop by and learn more about the building’s history and see where the beers are brewed and bottled. Keep your eyes peeled for Duke the Brewery Cat while looking around!

Co-owned by brothers Richard and Mengistu, 

 in Pennsylvania. The University City brewery offers tours Friday through Sunday between noon and 4:30 p.m. Guests receive a souvenir glass, a vinyl-branded sticker, $1 off all draft beer the same day, a coupon for a return visit, and a complimentary pour of Good Jawn (Pale Ale), Nubian (Brown Ale), or Clean Sweep (Pilsner). 

Philadelphia Hops and History Walking Tour

 narrows its focus to the Spring Garden section of the city. Attendees can sample up to 12 different beers from three stops while learning about Philly beer history. This walking tour is on Saturdays and is $75 per person. The 

 is your crash course to the beer scene in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Round-trip transportation is provided. This tour is available Wednesday through Saturday and is $85 per person.

Have a Drink at Philly’s Touring Beer Garden

Philly’s history with beer goes as far back as the city’s founding. These are the breweries continuing that legacy. 


Where To Go on a Brewery Tour in Philly

Tours on Tap: See How Philly Beer is Made

The latest on the best and newest restaurants and bars in Philadelphia. We'll help you find where to eat, drink, and socialize.

Philly Food & Drink

Food & Drink

City Cast Philly staff

✏️ Find past crossword puzzles below:

This mini-crossword is filled with clues on Philly history and headlines. 

Can You Solve This Philly-Themed Crossword?

Play Our Philly Crossword Puzzle

What Philadelphians have been wondering. We break down why things in Philadelphia are the way they are and how they work.

Philly, Explained

It’s officially April! It’s not just the plants and animals waking from their slumber — Philly’s coming alive this month with outdoor festivals, arts celebrations, and opportunities to give back to our planet. 

This may not be the most exciting announcement to start with, but it is the most important. The deadline to file your taxes is April 15. Several organizations in Philly can 

, and this year you can keep that legacy going strong. Aside from starting small by 

, there are several communal opportunities throughout April. Protect the 

 is back for a second year. Attend live shows all over the city, from a 

. Once the month-long celebration is over, keep up with Philly’s jazz scene 

The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts is hosting free shows and workshops as part of 

, intro courses will only cost $5.20 from April 11 through April 17.

Head over to the Philadelphia Ethical Society on April 12 for the 

 to host this day-long meetup with over 40 local organizations. Join a bike club, book club, or choir. The options are endless.

 is an opportunity for local creatives, from hackers to potters, to show off what they’ve been working on. The DIY celebration of science, arts, and technology takes place on April 19 at Cherry Street Pier.

Pay-What-You-Can at These Live Performances

. The annual celebration of the stage features over 50 performances and workshops throughout the Philadelphia region between April 23 and May 3. See shows from classics such as William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” to a lecture/punk-rock concert with “Fascist Groove.”

City Cast Philly host Trenae Nuri will be interviewing "Our Missing Hearts" author Celeste Ng for the Free Library's 

 kick-off celebration on April 7. The event is sold out, but there are 

 celebrating Philly’s favorite annual reading tradition throughout this month and next.

More April Events

Philly’s making sure you spend the whole month outside. 

Your Guide to Philadelphia in April 2026

How to Spend April 2026 in Philly

Parks on Tap, the popular touring beer garden, returns for its ninth year, spanning 27 weeks until mid-October.

The season kicks off on April 8 at Azalea Garden, a scenic area near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Lloyd Hall Recreation Center featuring gorgeous flora once in full bloom. The pop-up will remain there until April 19, before moving around the rest of the city.

The series is free entry, but food and drinks are pay-as-you-go. Vendors take credit cards or cash, but a card is preferred.

A portion of all proceeds goes to Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to fund projects such as trail improvements, tree plantings, and movie nights.

You must be 21+ with a valid form of ID to enter, and alcoholic drinks must stay within the restricted area. Younger attendees must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Some seating will be available on-site, but feel free to bring your own blankets or chairs to lounge in the parkland.

The menu offers a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Offerings include a pulled pork sandwich ($16), a loaded Mexican hot dog ($10), and a veggie crunch wrap ($14). Select vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are also available.

For drinks, you can sip on options like spicy mango margaritas ($12), draft beers ($8), and wines ($11). If you want a zero-proof drink, you can choose from lemonade ($3), soda ($3), or Athletic Brewing Company’s N/A drinks ($8).

Parks on Tap will rotate between 25 parks, spending five days at each location (Azalea Garden will host two consecutive weeks). Here are the first few stops:

​​Full Parks on Tap Schedule

Find the seasonal pop-up at these Philly parks.

Philly’s Traveling Beer Garden Returns for 2026 Season

What to Expect at Parks on Tap for the 2026 Season

Spring has just started, but now’s the time to start researching and applying to summer programs. Finding the right one can be difficult and overwhelming. Luckily, several camps across the city offer activities in the arts, music, and technology to help you find the right fit.

Germantown Friends School | 31 W. Coulter St.

 offers a range of activities to personalize a camper’s summer. Subjects include chess, wrestling, mural painting, nature chemistry, and Greek Mythology.

The programs for rising preschoolers and pre-kindergarteners run from June 15 through July 17. For participants entering kindergarten through ninth grade, the program runs from June 15 through July 31. Children don’t need to be enrolled at Germantown Friends School to attend its camps.

Fleisher Art Memorial | 719 Catherine St.

 runs special summer art programs for youth ages 5 to 18. Classes are organized in three separate age ranges. Topics include mosaics, puppetry, and fiber arts. Because the subject changes weekly, campers can join a specific week of interest or complete different projects throughout the summer. The camp runs from June 15 through July 31.

Yes! And…Collaborative Arts | Multiple Locations

’s summer programs have an arts concentration. Campers can sign up for more traditional topics, such as Theater Camp or Musical Theatre Creation Camp, to either perform on stage or write a musical. Other offerings include Imagination Camp, which uses play to foster creativity; Sort of Things Camp, which connects participants with professional artists; and Shadow Company, which teaches students skills to produce a show for the FringeArts Festival. Each specialized camp has its own schedule with different start and end dates between June and August.

Old Pine Community Center | 401 Lombard St.

 promises nine weeks of fun for its young campers. Children can enjoy the playground, sports, music, arts and crafts, and science programming. Located centrally in the city, the experience offers additional enrichment through field trips. Old Pine’s camp runs from June 22 through August 22.

Viva Verano | 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square, Second Floor

Learn a new language and immerse yourself in cultures across Latin America. 

Viva Verano’s Spanish Immersion Summer Camp

 is taking over the Philadelphia Ethical Society between June 15 and July 31. Campers will explore art, music, and food across the Americas. The program is accessible to new learners and heritage speakers.

Need help finding more summer programs? Use the city’s 

Keep your child engaged while school’s out of session at these local camps. 

Where To Send Your Kid This Summer for Camp in Philly

What value is a bank that stores no money?

Enter the Ministry of Awe, the newest addition to Philadelphia’s art scene. The former Manufacturers National Bank, originally designed by architect Frank Furness, has been transformed into a surreal, immersive art experience that feels like equal parts bank, playhouse, museum, and escape room 一 while also being none of those things.

 Meg Saligman, who serves as the Ministrix of Awe and executive creative director.

“What if we built a place that treats wonder like a serious resource?” Saligman said. “What do you value? What if we create a bank where your attention is the deposit, and your curiosity is the interest rate, and what you withdraw is something you forgot you were allowed to feel?”

The Ministry of Awe indeed requires your undivided attention. As you, the “account holder,” first walk into its lobby, you find yourself in what seems like an old bank. Until you notice something 

Perhaps it’s the giant eyeball watching your every move. Or the enormous nose sniffing you. Maybe it's the disembodied head behind the bars of a teller booth.

The oddities only increase as you wander the nonlinear labyrinth within the six-story building. Each room feels like its own pocket dimension that you can enter by climbing colorful stairwells decorated with murals or venturing through hidden doors. It’s almost uncertain where the art ends and where the bank itself begins, if such a distinction even exists.

All the artwork was completed in collaboration with over 100 Philadelphia-based artists whose work ranges from live performances to set design. The worlds they’ve built explore themes of life, death, memory, connectivity, insecurity, and participation.

You can explore several departments, such as The Vault, where you can rummage through its drawers to unlock its secrets (and some human teeth); the Jewelry Box’s immersive sound experience; The Department of Final Affairs, which passes through the land of the living and the dead; and The Heavens, the celestial space that evolves with as you speak through a mic using AI technology. As you walk around, you’ll run into several characters across the departments and gain insight into the overarching story being told.

“We got to really have fun playing with ideas of management and organs around an institution,” said narrative artist Mimi Hacking. “In general, making something we hope feels alive and forestalls the foreclosure of the human soul.”

Visitors could easily spend hours in the building. No experience will be quite the same. The space not only invites artists to collaborate; it invites them to come 

 and update the stories they’ve created. How you experience an installation today can be much different six months from now, leaving more for you to explore.

“Each act of wonder yields infinite returns,” Saligman said.

The Ministry of Awe is now open. General admission is $29.99. 

The Ministry of Awe invites curiosity as guests interact with performances, art installations, and secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Ministry of Awe Runs Wild With Imagination

Human Spirit Is the Currency at This Bank Turned Art Experience

March 8 was International Women’s Day, but we’re celebrating women’s contributions and history all month long. Learn about the women who shaped Philly and the nation at these upcoming tours and talks.

offers several history tours throughout the city, but this one is a feminist take on your typical history lesson. Go beyond your textbook to learn about Philly women’s role in medicine, the arts, and politics. Each tour is offered daily at 11 a.m.

If you prefer to do things on your own time, you can take a 

 along the Philadelphia Women’s History Trail. This tour takes you through 25 sites and historic markers in Philadelphia and its suburbs. Stops include the home of opera singer and activist Marian Anderson and a marker honoring abolitionist Anna E. Dickson.

Philadelphia has thousands of murals splashed on its walls, many created by women, depicting women. Lace up your shoes and take your own tour around the city and 

spot the murals celebrating our city’s women

 is hosting exhibits and talks spotlighting remarkable women throughout American history. Programs include a self-guided women’s history artifact tour, an exploration of four women all named Harriet who confronted slavery, and a trivia game. Can’t make it in person? The museum has virtual programming on March 10 and 24.

Join the Library Company of Philadelphia for a fireside chat on “

The Gendered Republic: Reimagining Identity in the New Nation”

 on March 18. The talk will explore how gender roles shaped the lives of people of all races in early America and their lasting impact on cultures and laws.

Betsy Ross is one of the most famous historical figures in Philadelphia. And while her role in the American Revolution is iconic, she wasn’t the only woman contributing to the war effort. On March 22, Interfaith Philadelphia is 

leading a talk on the other unsung heroes

 during the colonial era. The discussion will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Historic St. George’s United Methodist Church.

Both of Laurel Hill’s cemeteries are the eternal resting places for groundbreaking local figures. Walk the hallowed grounds and learn about the 

 in Bala Cynwyd on March 22 or stay on the east side of the Schuylkill River by visiting the 

Honor the women whose contributions impacted not just Philly, but the nation, on these tours throughout March. 

Where To Celebrate Women’s History Month in Philly

People, places, and scenes from Philadelphia's past.

Philly History

After a chilling winter, we’re ready to put the snow behind us and enjoy the extended daylight. 

 could bring us down. These are our recs to make the most out of March.

 through March 8. This is the neighborhood’s first winter restaurant week, as it typically takes place in the fall. Right after that, head over to Mt. Airy for its 

 from March 9 to 15. If you’re more interested in the drinks, the 

 has returned to Northern Liberties. Here are some tips for 

Head to the theater and see the latest stage productions that Philly has to offer. If you’re into the classics, the Arden Theatre’s production of William Shakespeare’s 

 pushes boundaries with comedic performances that promise to make you “laugh and squirm” between March 18 and 29. Sing along to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll at “TINA - The Tina Turner Musical” at the Miller Theater from March 10 to 15.

 in the country is honoring the nation’s founding with “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.” The event runs until March 8.

 will take over Center City’s streets on March 15. This year’s theme celebrates 250 years of Irish contributions to America.

It’s Oscars Season! You don’t need to travel to Hollywood to get a taste of it. The Philadelphia Film Society is hosting an 

 on March 15 complete with curated food and drinks, a photo booth, and a silent auction to support PFS.

Pause and breathe in the fresh air at Laurel Hill Cemetery’s 

 on March 21. Enter the season of renewal by walking through its arboretum with a focus on transformation and balance.

 against the Texas Rangers is on March 26. Here are some tips for having the 

Cheer on our other teams whose seasons are still in full swing. 

 have seven home games this month and so do the 

, who will have special nights including a birthday bash for Franklin and a homecoming night with limited-edition Mitchell & Ness t-shirts. The 

 just started at the end of February, so you’re just in time to join the hype.

From parades to ball games, here’s how Philly’s welcoming the springtime this March 


Your Guide to Philadelphia in March 2026

How to Spend March 2026 in Philly

The Free Library of Philadelphia houses hundreds of thousands of books within its collections. But did you know that with your library card, you can borrow way more than just books? When you stop at one of its 54 branches to grab a copy of this year’s “One Book, One Philadelphia” pick, be sure to check out what else the library has to offer.

Be one with nature and hit the trails with a 

 and can be checked out for three weeks. These backpacks include binoculars, a field guide, and a journal to record your observations. The library partners with several local birding groups if you’d like to use your backpack with company rather than on your own.

If you just want to go on a regular hike, 

If you’re looking for alternatives to Spotify and Apple Music, go back to the basics with a CD. If you prefer records, those are only available for in-library use. But you can join Parkway Central’s Music Department’s 

Speaking of music, you can borrow instruments, too. 

Instruments easily transportable via SEPTA

With your library card, you can borrow items beyond the library’s extensive book collection. 



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Shop and Swap at These Spring Plant Pop-Ups

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