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One thing you should know: Philly isn’t shy. It’s an award-winning, headline-grabbing kinda town.
Having trouble keeping up with all the Philly buzz? We’re making it easy for you with a weekly roundup of our favorite Philly stories.
Bookmark this page and check back every Thursday for a fresh batch of headlines with that awesome Philly flavor.
Philly keeps glowing, growing and getting ready to welcome the world, and we are here for it! Here are our favorite Philly stories this week:
Returning for its tenth year, the annual Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square is getting a spruce-up for 2026, featuring brand-new lanterns, including a few sporting major FIFA World Cup 26 and Semiquincentennial vibes.
The festival opens on Friday, June 5 and runs daily through Sunday, August 16 (except for July Fourth). Expect interactive displays and food and drink vendors, plus regular live performances and giveaway nights. Heads up: The rain-or-shine show requires timed tickets Fridays through Sundays.
In other America’s 250th news: Nearby Elfreth’s Alley is more ready than ever to welcome visitors after converting an abandoned lot into a pocket park honoring Dolly Ottey, one of the women who once fought to preserve the historic street.
And, arriving just in time to celebrate the big 2-5-0: See the world’s largest steam engine, a locomotive appropriately named Big Boy No. 4014, as it rolls into the Navy Yard just in time for the citywide Independence Day bash.
Full steam ahead, Philly!
Philly-based artist Andre Saunders’ words have been chosen to be permanently etched on the soon-to-be-installed Harriet Tubman statue at Philadelphia’s City Hall.
Creative Philadelphia asked the public to vote for the best of six possible quotes that answered the question: “What does it mean to walk in Harriet Tubman’s footsteps today?”
After a monthlong window of public voting, Saunders’ words — “Carry your light into the dark, for on the other side of fear is freedom.” — garnered the most votes.
The new statue is slated to be installed on the northeast apron of City Hall facing the Municipal Services Building. When complete, it will be the city’s first piece of public art to honor a Black female historical figure.
Congratulations, Andre!
When William Penn came to Philadelphia in the 17th century, he envisioned creating a city with gardens galore — a “greene countrie towne.” Centuries later, Philly still bursts with green space, and we’ve got the rankings to prove it.
The city now ranks 27th in outdoor space across the nation’s 100 most populated cities, up one spot from 2025 and six spots from 2024.
The Trust for Public Land — the nonprofit that ranks urban outdoor spaces — credited the addition of the new Robert A. Borski Park in Bridesburg as one reason for the bump in rankings. The 10-acre park opened last year along the Delaware River waterfront.
Now, 97% of the city’s residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park or green space.
Stateside Live! — the South Philly Sports Complex’s indoor-outdoor dining and entertainment venue — is getting in on the citywide 2026 glow-up with a $20 million renovation.
Opening this weekend, the venue’s swanky new rooftop lounge, AVA, offers “elevated stadium bites” and specialty cocktails like the Philly-exclusive Dirty Luxe ’Tini, topped off with caviar-stuffed olives.
The renovation also adds an outdoor concert venue with capacity for 5,000 fans, a beer garden and big-screen TV to ensure guests don’t miss a single play.
The grand-opening weekend features a free Friday concert from Taking Back Sunday, Mayday Parade and Bayside, with DJs Two Friends spinning for the crowd on Saturday.
Cheers to new spaces!
Philadelphia has always been a city of neighborhoods — anchored by strong communities and even stronger small businesses.
Case in point: Paul Beale’s Flowers has been there for its West Oak Lane community for more than 55 years, providing joyful flowers for proms and weddings and sorrowful blooms for funerals and memorial services.
Opened in May, 1971 by the late Paul Beale and his wife Altermese, the business has become a true family affair with four generations of Beales at the helm, all following the founder’s belief that good service trumps advertising.
Today, three generations of Paul’s descendants run the shop and continue to pass on their flowerful knowledge to the younger generation.
Our friends at Billy Penn recently spoke with Beales about this long-standing family biz. Read all about it, then meet members of the Beale fam in our Legacy & Love video series below:
We’re not ones to brag … Oh, wait! Yes, we are! Philly snagged another nationwide top spot this week, and the good news just keeps on rolling in. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week:
Following the conclusion of 16 days of festive celebrations during Wawa Welcome America, Philly’s going BIG for the nation’s 250th birthday. How big?
This week, the city announced the brand-new One Philly Unity Concert for America on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, packed some of the biggest names in music.
The free concert — followed by fireworks, of course — kicks off at 3 p.m. and features a star-studded lineup filled with some legendary Philly performers. Here’s who will take the stage:
The Semiquincentennial shindig will be hosted by comedian Wanda Sykes and feature other guests like Gillie Da King, Wallo267 and more.
To borrow a bar from Xtina, this lineup rubs us the right way.
The envelope please …
Visit Philadelphia (yep, that’s us!) unveiled this year’s winners of the annual Liberty Bell Awards, our annual awards-season celebration of the people, places and attractions that make Philly, well, Philly.
After more than 1,400 votes, the people have spoken. Here’s the rundown of this year’s winners:
Now your job is to spread the word, grab a group and visit these amazing places!
Here’s some news that all of us already knew: Philly is the best NFL city in the entire country. That’s according to the USA Today Sports Readers Choice Awards, announced this week.
In a city prone to break out in “E-A-G-L-E-S” chants at any given moment, Philadelphia’s passionate football fans get the cred for this one, always showing up for the team to cheer (and sometimes boo, if warranted).
Readers across the country voted, with Philly beating out 19 other football towns. But let’s be honest: Other cities (like Dallas!) never stood a chance.
Go Birds!
Looking for a way to really get your next event off the ground? Why not invite West Philly resident falconer Courtney Douds to bring one of her avian ambassadors?
Douds’ newest staff member — a baby Eurasian eagle owl named Medusa — made her public debut last week to a sold-out crowd at Love City Brewing’s Callowhill taproom.
Douds’ company, Raptor Jawns, educates and entertains the public with her winged sidekicks: Medea the red-tailed hawk and Hecate the Eastern screech owl. At just one-month old, fluff-ball Medusa will join the gang once she gets a bit bigger. For now, she’ll be learning how to hop, fly and hang out with humans.
Welcome to Philly, Medusa! We’re big fans of Birds here.
At a Philadelphia250 kick-off event last week, city leaders announced that Fairmount Park’s historic Belmont Mansion will get a $10 million makeover, ensuring the site’s connections to the Underground Railroad are preserved for future generations.
Long ago, a mansion resident built a secret, underground tunnel from the site to the Schuylkill River to help enslaved people find their way to freedom. That history remained hidden until 1985, when the late Audrey Johnson-Thornton discovered evidence linking the site to the Underground Railroad.
Now, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has partnered with the Women’s Heritage Society and the Women’s Committee for Philadelphia250 to spruce up the space over the next two years.
In other 250th birthday news: Five theaters across the region are bringing revolutionary history to life with plays sporting Semiquincentennial vibes.
And to make sure everyone gets to all of these amazing places and events more easily (including FIFA World Cup 26), SEPTA has announced additional service.
Philly is ready to continue making history.
South Philly residents looking to take a night off from cooking can grab some Love & Honey Fried Chicken, as the franchise opens a new location on Passyunk Avenue.
Chefs Laura and Todd Lyons created the Love & Honey concept and began franchising in 2023, with franchisee Nafee Hossain bringing the love to the Passayunk building recognized by its vibrant mosaics from the late Isaiah Zagar.
Expect the same format as Love & Honey’s other four spots — takeout and delivery service only.
In other restaurant news, popular Chinatown eatery EMei has purchased another new spot — the former location of the Irish Pub in Rittenhouse. No word yet on an opening date, but it will be worth the wait.
Dig in, Philly!
— Photo courtesy Love & Honey Fried Chicken
From full-circle moments to a brand-new cocktail trail, Philly’s chock-full of spirit and pride. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week:
Raise a toast to America’s birthplace on the Spirit of 76: The Philadelphia Cocktail Trail. This week Visit Philadelphia (hey, that’s us!) unveiled the new citywide celebration featuring original cocktails and mocktails at more than 30 hotel bars and restaurants across the city, inspired by ingredients and themes from 1776.
Residents and visitors alike can explore neighborhoods like Center City, Fishtown, Eastwick and South Philly through September 30. The best part? Visit Philly will donate to PHLCares, an organization that battles homelessness, for once-daily check-ins (up to $5,000 during the run of the program).
See the full list of participating hotels here. Scan a QR code at the hotel bar to check-in online.
And, while you’re out there exploring the city, take a jawnt through a new neighborhood on one of the city’s free Neighborhood Jawnts Walking Tours, happening each week through October.
SEPTA is making it easier to get to the PGA Championship at Aronomink Golf Club this week.
SEPTA announced additional service on the Paoli/Thorndale line, dropping off passengers at the Paoli Station where they can then show their PGA ticket to hop on a free shuttle to the tournament.
Already underway, the PGA Championship tournament heats up this weekend when the top players advance to the final rounds. SEPTA will add nine additional trips on Saturday and Sunday to help transport thousands of eager fans to the stands to cheer on the pros.
In other transportation news, Amtrak debuted its new Freedom 250 Acela train in Philly last week, all gussied up in iconic images and red, white and blue, so those coming here to celebrate the Semiquincentennial can ride in patriotic style.
Peggy Moore is living proof that it’s never too late to achieve a dream. At age 75, she walked across the stage at Temple University’s graduation last week to receive her college diploma as the oldest grad in this year’s class.
Moore has been an administrative specialist at Temple for 44 years, taking classes on-and-off while raising kids and caring for her elderly mother. Now, she’s got a well-earned diploma and sage advice for others: “’Keep persevering and just keep going.”
Meanwhile, a Temple med school grad had a full-circle moment when she walked across the stage last week. Phyllis Parkansky was just 6 months old when she accompanied her mom on stage to get her med school diploma in 1999.
Phyllis’ mom, Dr. Inessa Parkansky came to the U.S. as a child after leaving the former Soviet Union. And, mom was right there on stage to place Phyllis’ ceremonial hood.
A cap tip to these grads showing true Philly grit!
In 1751, Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond founded the nation’s first hospital to treat Philadelphia’s poorest residents, free of charge.
Centuries later, visitors can now learn about that rich history alongside exhibits detailing modern medicine at the new Pennsylvania Hospital Museum, featuring eight galleries showcasing the evolution of modern medicine and the hospital’s long legacy of care.
Visitors can watch videos, see historic medical artifacts and engage in hands-on activities.
Be sure to hit the Firstival celebration on Saturday, May 16 to mark the occasion in style!
Philly’s bar and restaurant scene is getting two new establishments from some old pros.
A South Street board-game-themed restaurant and bar, Queek & Rook, brings some retrofuturist flair to Fairmount in the space once occupied by Thirsty Dice.
Queen & Rook owners Edward Garcia and Jennie Wong promise to keep what already works for them: Board games galore + veggie fare + a full bar = happy customers. The new spot is slated to open later this year.
And revelers in the City of Brotherly Love can now get more Love City brews as the Callowhill-based brewery opens a second spot on Manayunk’s Main Street.
Kevin and Melissa Walter took over the former Fat Lady Brewing space earlier this year and transformed it into a love-ly space. Sophie’s BBQ has set up the kitchen, offering ribs, brisket and veggie meatloaf.
Cheers to new beginnings!
There’s music in the air, and it sounds a lot like awards and accolades for the City of Brotherly Love — all wrapped up in one joyful song. Here are our favorite Philly stories this week:
Gritty is getting the royal Wawa treatment with the debut of the Gritty Smoothie — just in time for the Fly Guys’ playoff push.
Much like our favorite fluffy orange mascot, the Gritty Smoothie comes supersized and adorned with signature bulging eyes, always keeping a watchful eye on the opponents.
The fruit-based drink is a blend of mango, tart cherry and pineapple, topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips. Get your limited-edition Gritty drink the next time you just gotta have a Wawa — at any one of the hundreds of Philly-area stores.
And in other sports merch news, the Phillies’ new cooler cup mug sporting vintage blue and maroon vibes has fans clamoring. The limited-release mugs are flying off the shelves, but word on the street is that there will be another release timed for this summer’s big MLB All-Star Game.
Drink up, Philly!
Philly’s rich music scene keeps racking up awards. And this one’s a biggie.
Former Philadelphia Orchestra Composer in Residence Gabriela Lena Frank snagged the Pulitzer Prize for music this week for a composition she wrote during her residency.
The orchestra performed the world premiere of Picaflor: A Future Myth in March 2025. Picaflor is the Spanish word for “hummingbird,” with Frank drawing on her Latin American roots to create the work about a hummingbird who tries to save the world.
Philly’s music scene has more great news this week, too: The Dell Music Center revealed its summer lineup and announced it has been awarded $1.5 million to revitalize the venue.
Oh, and Philadelphia’s beloved non-profit music station, WXPN, has announced it will count down the top 250 Philly-themed songs over Independence Day weekend.
Plus, the first ever Philly Jewish Music Festival debuts on Sunday, May 17, 2026, featuring two stages, kid’s programming and Grammy-nominated performer Matisyahu headlining.
Bravo, Philly!
When Penn State University mechanical engineering professor Tahira Reid Smith was a kid, she envisioned a mechanical Double Dutch machine that would automatically turn the two jump ropes needed for the sport.
Decades later, Smith has realized her childhood dream by creating a prototype of the world’s first automatic Double Dutch machine. And, she brought it to Philly to try it out.
Smith debuted the invention last week during Double Dutch Day — a community event organized by Philly Girls Jump — at Awbury Park in Northwest Philadelphia.
With feedback from the crowd in-hand, Smith plans to head back to the drawing board to keep improving the design before making it available for sale.
Raise a pint to Northwest Philadelphia’s newest award-winning breweries — Attic Brewing Co. in Germantown and New Ridge Brewing Co. in Roxborough.
The World Beer Cup awards wrapped up the annual Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Attic’s Common Nightjar brew took gold in the international dark lager category, while New Ridge’s Just Like Himmel grabbed gold in the American-style amber lager category. New Ridge also walked away with a bronze award for its London Porter brew.
Both breweries opened in 2020 and have developed strong followings (and flavors!). New Ridge had a setback in January after a fire shut down production. But in true Philly style, other breweries stepped in to offer support, enabling the brewers to enter the competition and continue brewing nearby.
Cheers to great Philly beer!
In just a few weeks, high school seniors across the region will walk across stages to collect their diplomas and officially graduate.
In Philly, at least five of those students already got to practice the walk as they earned their associate’s degrees last week from Community College of Philadelphia.
The Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School seniors — Dylan Adkins, Khalif Barakat-Cooper, Marquise Floyd-Reid, Aidan Marion and Jeremiah Roach — got to take college-level classes on the charter school’s dime.
The program the boys participated in affords top students an opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school. In all, 120 Philly students graduated from the program this year.
Each will now take more than 60 college credits with them as they head to college campuses in the fall.
Way to go, grads!
Contributing Writer
Senior Content Manager, Visit Philadelphia
It’s Philly’s biggest year yet!
Make the most of it by booking the Visit Philly Overnight Package, which comes with free hotel parking and complimentary tickets to some of the most popular attractions in each of Greater Philadelphia’s five counties including Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute, the Mercer Museum in Bucks County, Longwood Gardens in Chester County, the Brandywine Museum of Art in Delaware County and Elmwood Park Zoo in Montgomery County.
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