Philadelphia’s weekend kicks off with two very different but equally exciting experiences. On Friday, sports fans can head to Xfinity Mobile Arena for Philly Is Unrivaled, a landmark night marking the city’s first women’s professional basketball games in nearly 30 years. Music lovers can slide over to The Met Philadelphia the same night for the Room 112 Tour, with ‘90s hitmakers 112, Total and Case.
On Saturday, the city shifts into gear with the Philly Auto Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, while Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is right on time at the Kimmel Center this weekend. Sunday marks the start of Black History Month with Black Excellence in Action, hosted by Reef the Lost Cauze at the Fallser Club, while food purveyors are recognized at The Tasties, at Live! Casino & Hotel, where Philly’s top chefs, bartenders and hospitality pros are honored before concluding the night and the weekend with a high-energy after-party.
Delaware | New Jersey | Special Events | Arts & Culture | Kids | Food & Drink | Sports | Comedy | Music
Delaware
Art Battle Wilmington
On Saturday, The Queen transforms an artists’ battle arena where live painters race against the clock in three high-speed rounds. Each painter has just about 20 minutes per round to transform a blank canvas into an original work as the crowd moves among easels to watch the creative process unfold. But the audience doesn’t just watch: they vote for their favorite piece after each round to help decide who progresses. Even if the participants don’t win the grand prize, their pieces are up for sale in a silent auction, so you can bid to bring home a one-of-a-kind original.
New Jersey
Fire & Ice Festival
- Where: High Street, Mt. Holly, N.J.
- When: Saturday, Jan. 31, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- How much: Free, pay as you go
“Ice, ice, baby!” Yes, it’s too cold outside, but this is one event where the chilly temps are welcomed. The third annual fest includes master ice carvers chipping, sculpting and creating artworks from massive 300-pound blocks of ice right before your eyes. Meanwhile, the Chili Cook-Off pits professional and community chefs against each other for prizes including Best Chili, Most Creative Presentation and People’s Choice. The event also features live entertainment, vendors, a beer garden and a festive atmosphere to turn frigid temps into a lively celebration of art, food and community.
Special Events
2026 String Band Spectacular
A celebration of Philadelphia’s beloved Mummers String Band tradition brings the city’s ensembles back together after extreme New Year’s Day winds postponed their competition. Let’s hope the weather gods are kinder this time despite the changing forecast. This official, judged contest showcases the musicianship, choreography and vibrant costumes that define string band performances, with concessions and commemorative merchandise available. There’s also free parking in Lot K, but keep in mind — it’s first-come, first-served. For those who can’t attend in person, the event will be broadcast over the air on multiple TV networks and streamed online on several streaming platforms and apps.
The Philly Auto Show
The Ford Model T, America’s first mass-produced affordable vehicle, wasn’t even on the assembly line when Philly first hosted the auto show in 1902. Though no one thought to document it in those days, the Packard and the Oldsmobile Curved Dash were the coveted “horseless carriages,” along with European models like the latest Benz. This year’s show includes stalwarts like Ford, Toyota and Honda, along with Camp Jeep. The indoor track lets you try electric cars and trucks from Kia, Polestar and Cadillac, while Stellantis offers outdoor test drives for vehicles including Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Dodge. The annual Black-Tie Tailgate preview event happens Friday night.
The Tasties
Philadelphia’s top chefs, restaurateurs and service staff gather for this awards event spotlighting culinary excellence across multiple categories, including chef of the year, breakout chef and excellence in hospitality. It then morphs into an immersive after-party experience featuring signature dishes, artisanal cocktails, themed rooms, live music and surprise performances. Created and hosted by Chef Eli Kulp, Marisa Magnatta and Dave Wez, the team behind the Delicious City Podcast, The Tasties is the local answer to a Michelin star, paying tribute to the talented people who have made Philly one of the most diverse foodie capitals in the country.
Arts & Culture
A World in the Making: The Shakers
- Where: Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St.
- When: Saturday, Jan. 31 – Sunday, Aug. 9
The Shakers, an 18th-century religious community, believed in simplicity, equality and purposeful labor. Those principles shaped their choices in furniture, architecture, tools and everyday objects that continue to influence artists and designers today. By bringing together more than 150 historical artifacts alongside newly commissioned works, the exhibition, opening this weekend, explores how Shaker values continue to resonate, although the religious community is now virtually extinct. The exhibit opens with a reception Friday.
CultureFest! Lunar New Year
Part of the museum’s CultureFest series, this event celebrates the Lunar New Year — which officially starts Feb. 17 — with dance and music performances, storytelling, art-making, educational workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations and a Lion Dance finale. This year marks the Year of the Horse, appearing every 60 years, “bringing passion, energy, and boldness and courage” to the forefront.
Black Excellence in Action
A Black History Month series of programming celebrating Black art, culture, resistance, pride and joy kicks off Sunday, featuring a rotating roster of local poets, visual artists, spoken-word performers and community voices. Headlining the series is Reef the Lost Cauze, a Philadelphia underground hip-hop legend. He’s known for epic rap battles and decades of influential albums and collaborations. Spoken-word artists like Ursula Rucker, Empress L and Lady Boss, as well as visual storytellers such as Tieshka Smith, Nomad and UNAPXLXGETIC, and house music icon Lady Alma, will all appear throughout the month.
Drunk Black History
Black history is not always funny for sure, but even the most sacred things can have a humorous side. Or maybe it’s that you sometimes have to laugh to keep from crying. Either way, host Brandon Collins has combined storytelling, comedy and cocktails with lesser-known stories from Black history to successful effect. In this performance, comedians, writers and experts recount the achievements of Black historical figures and events that haven’t always gotten their due, with a little laughter to ease in the education underpinning it.
Kids
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day
- Where: Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
- When: Sunday, Feb. 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- How much: Free, but registration is required; it opens Thursday at 10 a.m.
This family-friendly celebration highlights poetry, rhythm and creative expression for visitors of all ages. It includes complimentary admission to the Barnes art collection, including the latest exhibition, “Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets.” That’s along with interactive art activities led by ColorWheels teaching artists, storytime sessions for young readers and workshops with award-winning authors Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Weatherford, inspired by their YA book “Rap It Up!” Pro tip: Get those reservations in fast as this event usually fills up quickly.
Food & Drink
Northern Liberties Restaurant Week
- Where: Multiple venues
- When: Through Sunday, Feb. 8
- How much: Various prices
The two-week celebration of the neighborhood’s thriving restaurant scene brings specially priced prix fixe lunch and dinner menus to more than two dozen bars, eateries and restaurants throughout the transforming neighborhood. Organized by the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District, the event showcases a mix of local favorites and aspirational new eateries offering global flavors for lunch at $10 – $20 and dinner from $25 – $45.
Dry Vibes Philly: A Wellness Circle
If you want to be spirited but without spirits, head to this alcohol-free wellness social built around mindful living, community and good times, where attendees can sample more than 30 zero-proof and wellness-focused drink brands. The day features interactive wellness activations like aura photos and craft stations, health-focused experiences such as IV therapy and health talks, plus live entertainment and DJs. Leaders from the recovery and wellness space will also be in the house to share their thoughts.
Ardmore Passport: World Pours
But if you like your drinks with alcohol intact, no judgment. You’ll just need to head to Ardmore this weekend, where craft beer lovers and foodies converge for a celebration of brews and bites. This global-inspired beer and food festival pours a curated lineup of local and regional beers alongside fare from area food vendors. Hoppy IPAs, rich stouts and artisan snacks from Main Line favorites and food trucks, and friends and neighbors who don’t have to head to the city to enjoy all of the above, should keep you feeling warm inside no matter the forecast outside.
Sports
Philly is Unrivaled
Philly hasn’t had a professional women’s basketball game in town in thirty years. That drought ends with Unrivaled, the innovative player-owned 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. They’re bringing back-to-back games to Xfinity Mobile Arena, spotlighting local heroes like New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud, from Delaware County, and Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper, from North Philly, returning to compete in front of hometown fans alongside other top talent from the WNBA. The game is almost a sellout, heightening anticipation for a Philly team coming in 2030.
Comedy
Ari Shapiro
The award‑winning journalist, best known for more than 25 years at NPR and a decade as a host of its flagship show “All Things Considered,” brings his storytelling to the stage with his cabaret‑style show “Thank You for Listening,” a performance that blends his broadcast experience with music and personal narrative. Over the years, Shapiro has expanded beyond news: hosting the “Consider This” podcast and Netflix’s reality series “The Mole.” Along the way, he wrote a New York Times bestselling memoir, “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.”
Music
Room 112 Tour with Total and Case
Nineties-era hitmakers are still on the road, though some changes have happened to the groups you remember from high school. 112, known for “Only You,” “Peaches & Cream” and “Cupid,” continue to perform with members Marvin “Slim” Scandrick and Michael “Mike” Keith, who helped earn the original quartet a Grammy Award for their feature on Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You.” Kima Raynor and Keisha Spivey of Total, behind the hits “Can’t You See” and “Kissin’ You,” are now a duo as the “Pam” in the original trio opted out of continuing. Case, celebrated for hits like “Touch Me, Tease Me,” “Happily Ever After,” “Faded Pictures” and “Missing You” rounds out the lineup. The tour heads to Philly on Friday night.
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
This program features celebrated South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, who captured global attention by winning first prize at the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, and has since become one of classical music’s most sought-after soloists. He’s recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and appeared with major orchestras and in distinguished concert halls around the world. He’ll be directed by the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Yannick Nezet Seguin in performing one of classical music’s most initially controversial works.
Drama
The genre-blending duo of producer Na’el Shehade and vocalist-songwriter Via Rosa brings their R&B, dance, electronic and jazz-infused grooves to Philadelphia in a performance that reflects their growing influence in the global music scene. The duo recently released the EP “Till We Die” to critical acclaim, with outlets like Forbes heralding the project as an evolution of their sound. Drama backed up their accolades with expansive touring across North America and Europe and critically acclaimed festival appearances at Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle and Splash House.
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