So...What Is There To Do Around Here?: Seasonal Events

Philadelphia, PA - Through Saturday, November 23, 2024 (select dates)
The doors to the room where it happened are closing for good. The room? The historic Academy of Music. The happening? Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway blockbuster hip-hop musical Hamilton, marking its final days of performances in the city of its namesake’s highest highs (from influential presidential advisor to First Bank of the United States founder) and romantic downfall (see: the Maria Reynolds Affair). Don’t throw away your final shot to hear from Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Eliza Schuyler, King George III and the rest of the revolutionary gang on Philly’s Avenue of the Arts.

Philadelphia, PA - November 23 – December 30, 2024 (select dates)
One of the country’s largest outdoor model train displays gets its annual winter makeover, becoming the Holiday Garden Railway. Located inside the 100-acre Morris Arboretum & Gardens, G-scale mini locomotives wind through loops, tunnels, bridges and replicas of beloved Philly landmarks beneath a canopy of thousands of twinkling lights. The daytime light experience is free with general admission, but come sunset, the display transforms into The Nighttime Express (beginning Saturday, November 30, 2024) with sparkling lights along the railway and laser lights in the trees (separate timed tickets required).

Lahaska, PA - November 15, 2024 - January 19, 2025
With more than 60 specialty shops perfect for holiday shopping, picturesque Peddler’s Village rings in the holiday season with festive events and plenty of decorations. The celebration starts with Holiday Kickoff Weekend (November 15 to 17, 2024) featuring live performances, pay-as-you-go food and drink, and a Grand Illumination celebration (November 15, 2024) where the village is set aglow with 1 million twinkling lights. Plus, don’t miss the Gingerbread Competition & Display (November 15, 2024 to January 19, 2025), featuring dozens of handcrafted gingerbread creations on display for free.

Kennett Square, PA - November 22, 2024 - January 12, 2025
Half a million twinkling lights and spectacular fountain shows combine to create an incredible winter wonderland at A Longwood Christmas, named the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights for four years by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Visitors can stroll the grounds of Longwood Gardens — now even more spectacular across the brand new spaces of Longwood Reimagined (see above) — to marvel at miles of lights glowing in the trees, seasonal plants decorated with ornaments, a festive outdoor railway, cozy fire pits and the famous colorful fountains dancing to holiday music.

Philadelphia, PA - November 21, 2024 – January 4, 2025 (select dates)
The immersive LumiNature display transforms the Philadelphia Zoo into a multimedia spectacular with 16 zones illuminated with a million twinkling lights. While the animals sleep, humans can ride the SEPTA PZ Express Kiddie Train under a canopy of lights, go on a scavenger hunt or walk through a 100-foot long lighted jungle tunnel. Don’t pass up that perfect selfie in front of a 22-foot tall butterfly tree, a 40-foot tall glowing penguin and the new sparkling waterfall of lights. Top it off with seasonal fare, live performers, hot chocolate and adult beverages. Tickets are required.

Philadelphia, PA - Through Sunday, January 12, 2025
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s Barnes Foundation presents the East Coast debut of new exhibition Mickalene Thomas: All About Love. The exhibit showcases a series of vivid works (spanning the early 2000s to today) by the Camden, New Jersey-born artist utilizing mixed media — including paintings, collages, photography, videos and installations — highlighted by stunning large-scale rhinestone-bejeweled painted tableaus. The exhibit — spotlighting Black femininity, agency, desire and an empowered vision of beauty — runs through January 2025.

Philadelphia, PA - June 29, 2024 - January 5, 2025
You may not recognize the names of the artists who are the focus of Monuments and Myths: The America of Sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French, but you’d recognize their work: French’s Seated Lincoln is the centerpiece of Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial and Saint-Gaudens’s Diana sits atop the balcony of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Great Stair Hall. The James A. Michener Art Museum brings sculptures of the two contemporaries (and rivals) together for the first time, exploring the role public art plays in reflecting, informing and sometimes obscuring truths about our nation.

Philadelphia, PA - November 1-30, 2024
November is National Native American Heritage Month, and Philadelphia honors Indigenous peoples with a number of special events. Want to learn more about the region’s Indigenous art, history and legends? Comb through our new guide on Where to Explore Indigenous Culture in Greater Philly.

Philadelphia, PA - November 9-10, 2024
The city of Philadelphia fell under British control in 1777, occupied for nine long months — with Independence Hall serving as a prisoner-of-war camp. Learn more about those dark days during Occupied Philadelphia, the annual flagship event at the Museum of the American Revolution. Over two days, enjoy free public living history interpretations on the outdoor plaza featuring costumed historical interpreters, soldiers, civilians and spies, along with family-friendly activities, special programming and guided walking tours depicting life during that period. Free museum admission is available to active military, veterans and Blue Star families.

Philadelphia, PA - November 7-17, 2024
Among the largest festivals of its type, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival — marking its 17th anniversary in 2024 — celebrates and showcases the stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders in film, performance art, music and other creative expressions during its multi-day run and during special events throughout the year. The hybrid fest, held at the Asian Arts Initiative in Chinatown, features the best in AAPI diaspora filmmaking and storytelling, presented through panel discussions, in-person cinema screenings and online showings. Don’t miss the opening night film — and nominee for Best Narrative Feature — All That We Love, a series of award-nominated shorts, the powerful documentary Canadian Adobo and the feature-length dramedy Chaperone.

Philadelphia, PA - ongoing
The world just got little bit smaller. Most recently seen in New York City, the hit art installation comes to Philly’s LOVE Park. Created by Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, the Portal links the City of Brotherly Love to faraway countries around the world via a massive 24/7 video livestream.

Philadelphia, PA - Through Sunday, March 2, 2025
Curated in collaboration with award-winning actress CCH Pounder over the course of two years, this new exhibition at The African American Museum in Philadelphia highlights contemporary art spanning the African diaspora. The exhibition — composed of 40 works of art in multiple media — features Black figures and explores identity, presence, beauty, autonomy and power. Featured works include pieces by world-renowned artists like Bisa Butler, Elizabeth Colomba, Samella Lewis and Lezley Saar, along with art from emerging artists like Luke Agada and Alex Peter Idoko.

Philadelphia, PA - November 16-17, 2024
The 2024 version of the annual Siege Weekend at historic Fort Mifflin commemorates the 247th anniversary of the British bombardment of the site — one of the oldest active military bases on the continent — during the Revolutionary War. Watch reenactors recreate historic battles, view musket and cannon demonstrations (bring noise-canceling headphones for the young ones), play with 18th-century toys, enjoy guided tours, and even take a one-hour sail aboard the schooner Northwind (separate charge). Come early Saturday for a special Veterans Day commemorative flag raising at 10:15 a.m.

Philadelphia, PA - November 9, 2024 - February 9, 2025
Traveling all the way from the National Portrait Gallery in London, The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure makes its North American debut at the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art. Curated by trailblazing journalist and globally known curator Ekow Eshun, the exhibit (which takes its name from James Baldwin’s 1963 essay on desegregation) features 28 contemporary artists from across the Black and African diaspora, including Amy Sherald (you may know her mural at 1108 Sansom Street), Michael Armitage and Claudette Johnson. Through painting, drawing and sculpture, the collection celebrates Black contemporary life in all its nuance, richness and beauty.

Valley Forge, PA - Through Sunday, December 1, 2024 (select dates)
Hop aboard a 34-passenger, open-air trolley for 90-minute guided Trolley Tours at Valley Forge National Historical Park. The tours start at the Visitor Center, then follow the Encampment Tour, hitting up seven more locations across the park, with extended stops at Muhlenberg’s Brigade and Washington’s Headquarters. Two tours run each Saturday and Sunday, except Thanksgiving weekend which offers three daily options. Advanced purchase is recommended, with ticket pickup at the Encampment Store gift shop.

Norristown, PA - November 22 – December 30, 2024 (select dates)
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Why not make a few more furry friends this holiday season? Norristown’s Elmwood Park Zoo shines (quite literally) during the holiday season, with millions of LED lights illuminating the Montco attraction’s 16 acres during Wild Lights. The walk-through experience features brilliant light displays, live entertainment, animal meet-and-greets and photo ops with characters and Mr. Claus during the evening hours. Tickets are required.

Philadelphia, PA - November 15, 2024 – February 23, 2025 (Dates vary by attraction)
Located mere steps away from Christmas Village in Philadelphia (below), Winter in Dilworth Park adds to the seasonal fun around City Hall, arguably one of the most festive square miles in the city, with these wintertime attractions:
Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market: Shop local at this holiday market exclusively featuring the talents of homegrown Philadelphia artisans, designers, crafters and jewelers (November 15, 2024 to January 1, 2025).
Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink: Strap on your skates and hit the ice at Dilworth Park’s popular outdoor skating rink. Note that tickets are required (November 15, 2024 to February 23, 2025).
Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin: Laps around the rink not your thing? Swing by the Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin right next door for a bite and drink indoors or by the toasty fire pit (November 15, 2024 to February 23, 2025).
Wintergarden on the Greenfield Lawn: Step into a whimsical winter wonderland and explore this outdoor topiary garden decked in shimmering lights and playful reindeer sculptures (November 15, 2024 to March 9, 2025).

Philadelphia, PA - February 17, 2024 - January 5, 2025
In this brand-new exhibition, rare documents, inspired works of art and historical objects paint a fuller picture of Washington’s Headquarters Tent — the Museum of the American Revolution’s signature artifact. The tent served as the battlefield sleeping and office quarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and the exhibition tells the stories of the many individuals who worked to preserve and pass down this vital symbol of the American republic.