Experience Center City

The latest arts, culture, and entertainment events

Barnes Foundation: PECO Free First Sunday Family Day

First Sunday of every month | 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. | Free admission to the collection galleries and family-friendly activities like arts and crafts, musical performances, and interactive workshops. Registration is required.
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215.278.7000

Beat The Bomb
Ongoing | Choose from one-hour Bomb Missions, where teams of four to six suit up in protective gear, dodge lasers and crack codes.
1218 Chestnut Street

Center City District Foundation: Revisit 1876 Exhibition
Through December | Revisit 1876 is a free exhibition that recreates Philadelphia’s historic hosting of the 1876 World’s Fair. In time for the Semiquincentennial celebrations, the exhibition opens on the ground floor of the Lits Building.
8th & Market Streets

Ensemble Arts Philly: Mamma Mia!
September 29 – October 4 | Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.
Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street

Caroline-Achaintre-Seeker 2024

Caroline Achaintre, Seeker, 2024

The Fabric Workshop and Museum: You Stretched Diagonally Across It: Contemporary Tapestry

Ongoing | “You Stretched Diagonally Across It: Contemporary Tapestry” presents works by twenty-five artists who have magnified and challenged the material and narrative conventions of the age-old medium of tapestry.
1214 Arch St., 215.561.8888

Helium Comedy Club: 2026 Philly’s Phunniest – Semi Finals
Wednesdays, September 2 and 9 | Various times
Armed with only their own original material, more than 250 aspiring comics will throw their hats in the ring to compete for the title of Philadelphia’s Phunniest Person and take home the $3,500 prize.
2031 Sansom Street, 215.496.9001 

Lucky Strike: Endless Summer Nights Unlimited Bowling
Sunday – Thursday | Unlimited bowling for $21.99, Sunday from 6 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. Includes shoe rental.
1336 Chestnut Street, 215.545.2471

Interior shot of Luminiscence Philadelphia with basilica covered in lights and an audience watching

Photo courtesy of Luminiscence Philadlephia

Luminescence Philadelphia
Through December 31 | Experience an immersive celebration of light, music and story.at the iconic Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul.
1723 Race Street

Mural outside of Sampan restaurant

Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC

Mural Arts Philadelphia: Center City Tours

Take in the imagery that makes Philadelphia the mural capital of the world and learn about its colorful history from expert tour guides.
Various locations, 215.685.0750

PAFA: Family Art Day 
September 13 | 1-3 p.m. | Family Art Day is a completely free, all-ages event designed to get everyone making art together. 
128 N. Broad St., 215.972.7600 

Philadelphia Museum of Art: Friday Night Lounge
Every Friday | 5-8:30 p.m. | Philadelphia’s art world shows up and shows out every Friday night. Join in!
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 215.763.8100

People walking by the sounds of Philadelphia sound installation on broad street at historic building with pillars.

Photo by Ed Newton

Village of Industry & Art: Sounds of Philadelphia
Through September 22 | Scout, the Philadelphia-based design and development practice behind the Village of Industry & Art (VIA), announces Sounds of Philadelphia, a summer-long out door sound installation on the facade of the project at 320 South Broad Street
320 South Broad Street

Siempre Salsa Philly: Salsa & Bachata in Love Park
Fridays through September 25 | Enjoy free dance lessons in the heart of the city with Siempre Salsa.
Love Park, 1501 John F Kennedy Blvd.

 

More to Explore

Street scene with diners at outdoor tables enjoying a sunny day. A jazz band plays nearby. The atmosphere is lively and cheerful.

Open Streets: West Walnut

A bustling city sidewalk scene with two young women drinking beverages in the foreground. Tables with seated people line the street, creating a lively atmosphere.

Shop Center City

A server in a white shirt delivers a salad to a table where three people are seated, smiling, and chatting. A woman holds a glass of red wine. The setting is a modern, well-lit restaurant with a view of city buildings and trees outside. The atmosphere is casual and friendly.

Dine Center City