With so many great festivals in the pipeline for Saturday, May 3, we wanted to bring you a roundup of all of them. Plan away! (Photos clockwise from left by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia, courtesy South Street Headhouse District, by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia, by E. Mencher for Visit Philadelphia)
Heads up, Philadelphia. On Saturday, May 3, the spring festival season has its heyday with a crush of awesome street fairs and major events all happening nearly simultaneously throughout the city.
With so very much happening on a single spring date, we wanted to bring you a road map to the festivals of what we’ve dubbed Super Spring Saturday.
Starting at 10 a.m., the city will practically shut down to host free street fairs, block parties and one enormous bar crawl. No matter what part of the city you visit — Rittenhouse Square, Graduate Hospital, Headhouse Square or the Benjamin Franklin Parkway — a spring celebration will greet you.
Below, we’ve rounded up the major fests and block parties taking place on what promises to be one of the liveliest Saturdays of the entire season. Organized chronologically by start time, festivalgoers can use this guide as a road map to the alfresco good times.
Game plan? Check.
Read on for the top events taking place on Saturday, May 3 in and around Philadelphia.
Blockbuster Saturday Festivals
• Philadelphia Science Festival Carnival on the Parkway: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Logan Square, 20th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Looking for a brainy affair? The Philadelphia Science Festival culminates in its annual Carnival on the Parkway, a free alfresco street fair on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Young and the young-at-heart should report directly to the Parkway for interactive activities, live performances and cool demonstrations. Check out more than 150 exhibitors offering non-stop free, family-friendly experiments, interactive activities, games and the opportunity to meet scientists, engineers, and mathematicians all afternoon.
• South Street Headhouse District Spring Festival: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Queen Village/Bella Vista, South Street between Front and 8th streets. With an eight-block span and nine-hour run, the free South Street Spring Festival offers up plenty of opportunity to hit the sidewalks and streets of the neighborhood. More than 40 artists and retailers will set up shop alfresco for the day while live music plays throughout the event on three stages, and fine food and drink flows liberally, with some of the area’s top establishments dishing festival-appropriate fare.
• Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival: Noon-6 p.m. Rittenhouse, Walnut Street between 19th and Broad streets. The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival transforms the Rittenhouse shopping and dining district into a come-one, come-all free street fest. More than 50,000 people from across the entire region are expected to attend the daylong fest, which takes over Walnut Street with the city’s finest food, fashions and live entertainment. This year, the fest extends for an extra hour, too, from noon to 6 p.m.
More Saturday Festivals
• Peddler’s Village Strawberry Festival: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska. Peddler’s Village hosts its annual Strawberry Festival on May 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Strawberries take the spotlight at this weekend-long event; enjoy chocolate dipped strawberries, strawberry fritters, strawberry shortcake, strawberry butter and even get a peek at a strawberry pie eating contest. Live music and arts and craft also abound on both days of the festival.
• Brauhaus Schmitz Maifest: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Bella Vista, 700 block of South Street. Complementing the South Street Spring Festival, Brauhaus Schmitz hosts its second-annual Maifest, a full day of drinking, eating, dancing around a maipole and additional German-themed merriment. All of the alfresco Maifest fun is open to the general public, but a select number of VIP tickets are available online for $100. VIP tickets include complimentary appetizers, beer tickets, a commemorative beer stein, access to private bathrooms, a VIP room and more.
The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival on Saturday, May 3 expects crowds of close to 50,000 to pack the streets and sidewalks of the Rittenhouse neighborhood. (Photo by E. Mencher for Visit Philadelphia)
Even more Super Spring Saturday events, below.
• Go West! Craft Fest: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Spruce Hill, The Woodlands, 40th and Woodland. The popular Go West! Craft Fest returns to the Woodlands with a score of crafts from local vendors, live music and local food. Shop prints, jewelry, ceramics, candles, cards, clothing and more at the alfresco fest. Admission is free, so you can save your pennies for shopping.
• Mt. Airy Day: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mt. Airy, 6400 Germantown Avenue. The six-acre grounds and mansion of historic Cliveden in Germantown hosts the 44th-annual Mt. Airy Day, a free family-friendly fest featuring street eats, shopping from local vendors, two stages of live performances, activities for youngsters and more.
• Sister Cities Park International Festival: Noon-5 p.m. Logan Square, 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Running alongside the Philadelphia Science Festival Carnival on the Parkway, the Sister Cities Park International Festival celebrates Philadelphia and its 10 sister cities. Sample food, wine and beer from our sister cities and enjoy free live performances that honor traditional dances and musical performances from each country.
• The World’s Largest Bar Crawl: Noon-8 p.m. Multiple neighborhoods. Watch out world, Philadelphia is coming for you. On Saturday, May 3, revelers are invited out for an evening of bar hopping in hopes of securing the title of the Guinness World Record’s title of the world’s largest bar crawl. Visit participating bars like Bar Ferdinand, Varga Bar, Cantina Dos Segundos, Triumph Brewing Company, London Grill, Bob and Barbara’s, Adobe Cafe and many, many more well-loved spots. Tickets are required to participate. General admission tickets, which cost $10, include drink specials and bar entry. VIP tickets, which cost $25, include a t-shirt and an open bar at the after party.
• Plazapalooza: 1-7 p.m. Graduate Hospital, Grays Ferry Avenue Triangle, South and 23rd streets. The Graduate Hospital neighborhood gets in on the alfresco festival action with the free, fun and family-friendly Plazapalooza at Grays Ferry Triangle. The event includes food, beer, live music, family activities and more. Local bands perform live, brews will flow and there will be food offerings from local eateries in the neighborhood. *Top Pick*
• Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party: 3:45-7 p.m. Northern Liberties, The Piazza at Schmidt’s, 2nd Street and Germantown Avenue. Warm weather at The Piazza at the Schmidt’s means the return of the much-loved Radio 104.5 Summer Block Parties. On Saturday, May 3, head out for free live music provided by Phantogram, Chvrches and Cherub.
• Kentucky Derby Day: Multiple locations. While the majority of Philadelphians won’t have the chance to giddy-up to Churchill Downs for the annual “Run for the Roses,” there’s still plenty of ways to get in on the Kentucky Derby Day action. For ladies and gents who seek Southern-inspired hospitality, spots including Pub & Kitchen, The Cambridge and Paramour at the Wayne Hotel serve up Derby Day festivities.
BONUS! The fun doesn’t end on Saturday. Come Sunday, May 4, the festival season continues.
• Broad Street Run: Sunday, May 4. The annual Broad Street Run races through town on Sunday, May 4 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The 10-mile race spans from Northeast Philly, at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue, all the way down Broad Street where it finishes at the Navy Yard. Non-participants are encouraged to cheer on the runners as they race to the finish line. The race passes by major Philadelphia landmarks like Temple University, the Pennsylvania Convention Center and City Hall, allowing guests to easily check out the action. While it’s not a festival per se, the energy felt throughout the city, is more than festive.
• Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival: Sunday, May 4. Head out to Chestnut Hill on Sunday, May 4 for a day of spring blooms, handmade home accessories, live music and lots of festival fare at the neighborhood’s annual Home and Garden Festival. Get your home and garden ready for the summer months by shopping the special collection of items presented by a number of vendors along Germantown Avenue.