It’s here!
Cheap Date Philadelphia’s extremely handy and quite dandy list of Street Fairs and Fests for summer 2012! As you well know, Cheap Dater is a huge fan of festivals. It gets you outside, there’s lots to see, hear, and talk about, and there’s always plenty of cheap eats and treats. Good for a first date, a friend date or a group date – a win, win, win!
Check back often for updates, share with your friends, and let cheapdatephiladelphia@gmail.com know if there’s a festival that should be added! Happy Festing!
- MAY 26-MAY 27: Sundrop Music and Arts Festival. Live Music all day at the Fire, 412 W. Girard(1-8pm).
- MAY 28: Memorial Dei Picnic and Music Fest at Old Swede’s Church (noon-6pm – $10 entry).
- MAY 31-JUNE 3: Greek Festival at St. George’s Cathedral. Enjoy homemade Souvlaki, gyro, mousaka, pastitsio, spanakopita, baklava, play Coach Bag Bingo, listen to Greek music, learn about the 200 year old historical Cathedral, and more. (11-midnight)
- JUNE 1: Philaberry Fest. An annual arts and music festival featuring berry desserts and fun, held at Historic St. George’s on New Street and 4th.
- JUNE 3: Irish American Fest at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. Celebrate Irish culture through food, dancing and crafts (1-7pm)
- JUNE 3: La Festa della Repubblica on Passyunk Ave with live Italian music, a moonbounce and face painting for the kids, Italian food vendors and drinks, and a spaghetti eating contest. Rain or shine. (noon-6pm).
- JUNE 7: Sansom Street Soiree ($10). White Dog Cafe, New Deck Tavern and Baby Blues BBQ team up for a block party for Philly Beer Week. With Reggae, beer, and BBQ! (3pm-2am).
- JUNE 8: Philadelphia Orchard’s Project Strawberry Festival at Woodford Park, NW of 33rd & Dauphin in East Fairmount Park, with a strawberry dessert contest, food, games, tours of the orchard and historic Woodford Mansion, and more (10am-6pm).
- JUNE 9: FestivALE on Frankford Avenue. Johnny Brenda’s and Frankford Hall team up for a street fair with DJs, carnival games, a dunk tank, shopping, food and lots of beer (noon-8pm).
- JUNE 9: Islamic Heritage Festival at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. This event draws visitors, vendors, and Islamic scholars from all over the country (2-8pm).
- JUNE 9: West Park Arts Fest, themed “Friends Across Culture.” Fairmount Park at 40th and Parkside. Rain or shine.
- JUNE 9: ARTspiration! at Fleisher Art Memorial. Family-oriented activities will include free art-making activities, books and craft sales, and free performances. 700 block of Catharine Street and in adjacent Palumbo Park (10-4pm)
- JUNE 9-17: Strawberry Festival at Shadybrook Farms (Yardley). Admission is FREE, strawberries are sold by the pound.
- JUNE 10: Philly Pride Festival. DJs, food, drinks and a festive parade that runs from the Gayborhood to Penn’s Landing. (noon-6pm)
- JUNE 10: Odunde Fest celebrates the Yoruba New Year, beginning with a spiritual procession to the Schuylkill River and ending with a lively street fair (10-8pm).
- JUNE 16: Rock the Block! Sponsored by Rock to the Future, this block party will have live music and food. 2931 East Cumberland Street in Fishtown (1-6pm).
- JUNE 16: The 20th anniversary of Bloomsday, the day on which novel hero Leopold Bloom made his “odyssey” through Dublin in Ulysses. The Rosenbach Museum & Library commemorates the holiday with a day-long festival of programs.
- JUNE 16-30th: Commotion Festival. Seven site-specific, one-of-a-kind events created by Philadelphia artists and University of the Arts students in collaboration with members of the Grays Ferry, Point Breeze and South of South Street neighborhoods. All events are FREE!
- JUNE 17: Portuguese Fest at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. Showcasing traditions from Portugal, Brazil, Angola and the Azores Islands (1-7pm).
- JUNE 30: WaWa Welcome America, Taste of Philadelphia Festival and Fireworks Spectacular (11am-10pm)
- JUNE 30: Super Scooper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival ($7 donation to enjoy all the ice cream you can eat (noon-5pm, 6-9pm)
- JUNE 30: Clark Park festival in Clark Park, West Philly
- JUNE 30: Super Creature Raising and Block Party Featuring a Frankenstein-like raising of the creature sculpture at a community block party, featuring live music, a gallery of artwork from neighborhood artists, kids arts and crafts, food, and a family friendly outdoor movie (2-8pm).
- JULY 1: WaWa Welcome America, Taste of Philadelphia Festival and Fireworks Spectacular (11am-6pm)
- JULY 1: Super Scooper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival ($7 donation to enjoy all the ice cream you can eat (noon-5pm)
- JULY 14: Hispanic Fiesta at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing. (2-8pm)
- JULY 16-22: Global Fusion Fest. A week full of art, dance, music and “cultural fusion”! Performers announced soon.
- JUNE 23-24: Manayunk Arts Festival in Manayunk
- JULY 4: Wawa’s Welcome America Independence Day Festival Party on the Parkway!
- JULY 9-10: Hispanic Fiesta at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing
- JULY 14: Bastille Day Festival at Eastern State Penitentiary. One of Philadelphia’s largest free theatrical performances, which culminates with a playful reenactment of the Storming of the Bastille! (4:30-6:30pm)
- JULY 29: 6th Annual Classic Car Show & street festival. Over 130 antique, show, and custom cars, trucks & motorcycles will line Passyunk Avenue between Broad and Dickinson (noon-5pm).
- AUG 5: 2nd Street Festival, North 2nd between Germantown and Green Streets hwill be filled with beer gardens, workshops, art, food, and other merchandise vendors (noon-10pm).
Another great year-round resource for festivals (both cheap and not cheap) is Visit Philly. Check Philly Fun Guide too, especially for events outside the city.
