Visit The Oval, a transformed surface parking lot on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, this week for free movies, classes and daily fun. (Photos by M. Fischetti for GPTMC)
Seeking fun in Philadelphia’s summer sun? The Oval has you covered like SPF 45.
The new pop-up park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., through August 18, and has a full calendar of free daily educational programming, tons of free live entertainment, a daily lineup of food trucks and a weekly beer garden.
Each day, the agenda revolves around a theme: Tuesdays are all about wellness, Wednesdays focus on arts and culture, Thursdays center on the environment, Fridays are for food and flicks, Saturdays bring a live music series and Sunday is for family fun.
This week, family-friendly fun is high on the agenda with storytelling and plenty of classes, the weekly beer garden brings cold brews for the over-21 set on Thursday night, plus a free alfresco film — Goonies! — hits The Oval this Friday, August 2.
For a complete schedule of the multitude of daily events, check the online calendar here and the daily food truck roundup here.
Read on for our top picks of not-to-miss happenings at The Oval this week.
• “Play” Station: Tuesday, July 30, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Join the good people of Fairmount Park’s Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse for an interactive afternoon of educational play. Both kids and parents will have a ball playing with ropes, blocks, bubbles and crafts while learning about the importance of interacting with children. Look out for healthy and kid-friendly fare from food trucks like Zea May’s Kitchen, Mac Mart Cart, Lil’ Dan’s and Lil’ Pop Shop from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• School of the Future’s Hip Hop Trio and Troupe Da Da’s Ire Afro-Cuban Forklore Ensemble: Wednesday, July 31, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Come out this week to catch students from The School District of Philadelphia and Microsoft’s joint venture, the School of the Future, perform a funky hip-hop routine. Then, just try not to dance to the beats of the West African and Afro-Cuban rhythms of Troupe Da Da’s performance.
• Kite Bonanza: Thursday, August 1, 11 a.m.-noon. Hope for beautiful breezes on Thursday afternoon to lift the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation craft hour and kite-flying meet-up. Come out to make your own kite or B.Y.O.K. (bring your own kite) and fly on your own.
• Beer Garden: Thursday, August 1, 5-9 p.m. The third installment of The Oval’s weekly beer garden brings music by DJ DeeJay, games like corn toss and bocce, plus frisbee golf education classes. Sip a craft brew from Great Lakes Brewery or Sixpoint Brewery, or grab a good ol’ Yuengling, Coors Light or Blue Moon. Food trucks to roll in this Thursday include Cow and the Curd, Farm Truck, Lucky Old Souls and Cupcake Carnivale.
• Goonies Outdoor Film Screening: Friday, August 2, 7-11 p.m. In yet another alfresco film screening this summer, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy team up to show the ’80s cult classic Goonies on the big outdoor screen. Movies begin around sunset, generally around 8:30 p.m.
• The Trocadero presents Desoto Jones and Kid Felix: Saturday, August 3, 6-8 p.m. Saturday night, the Troc takes its tunes outside for free live music from a duo of performers. Warm up with a DJ starting at 4 p.m., then stay tuned for alt-rock band Desoto Jones and six-piece rockers Kid Felix.
• Hoop Dance Performance and Classes: Sunday, August 4, noon-2 p.m. Join in the hula-hooping good times with The Philly Hoopstarz. Watch a choreographed hula-hoop routine, or take part in a hoop class. With the performance on Sunday family fun day, there will be food trucks like the Tot Cart, Mucho Bueno, Street Food Philly, Local 215, Innovative Catering and the Lil’ Pop Shop from noon to 4 p.m.
The Oval
When: Through August 18, Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Where: Eakins Oval, 2601 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: Free
More info: www.phila.gov