In 2025, I traversed the city to experience some of the events I write about here. There was no way I could make it to them all, but like Tupac, I did get around.
Here are 10 of my favorite people, places and performances from around the city of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection in 2025.
10 favorites from 2025
Favorite venue
The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. It’s a calming space that attracts adult, respectful audiences with the fewest people recording or watching the show through a phone. The staff is lovely, the seats are comfy and the acoustics are great.
Favorite performance
Jazz vocalist Samara Joy on her birthday, Nov. 11, at the Miller Theater. She’s the truth, and already in her young career, headed toward being a generational artist.
Favorite performer
Drummer Justin Faulkner, the Philly native who is a longtime member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet. With all due respect to fellow homegrown drummers Questlove and Lil’ John Roberts, his musicianship blew me away.
Favorite recreational spot
The Wissahickon, a beautiful oasis in the middle of a bustling city.
Favorite bar
Dahlak. The vibes are amazing, and you can choose your experience: inside, outside, dance, drink, eat or chill. Plus they have a parking lot and stay open late.
Honorable mention: Steak 48. Their bar offers impeccable service, a comprehensive wine list and the best bread in the city. I know it’s a chain, but I don’t care.
Favorite theater
The Arden Theatre. It’s intimate, and there’s always a good play there.
Favorite annual Philly event
BlackStar Film Festival. There are always great movies and concerts you won’t see or hear anywhere else.
Favorite cultural institution
The Barnes Foundation. It’s like the perfect lover — beautiful inside and out.
Favorite Philly personality
Jalen Hurts. I’m riding with QB1 until the wheels fall off. I have also said Chill Moody, and that’s still true, but Jalen needs our support right now.
Most looking forward to in 2026
Getting several projects off the ground — and the Eagles heading back to the Super Bowl. Go Birds!
10 things to do this week
Two marchers for the Golden Sunrise Fancy Division in “King Kelce” costumes, a nod to Eagles center Jason Kelce, during the annual New Year’s Day Mummers Parade on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Erin Blewett for Billy Penn)
2026 Mummer’s Parade
Where: City Hall to Washington Avenue, via Broad Street
When: Thursday, Jan. 1, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
How much: Free
As they’ve been doing for the last 125 years, the Mummers will strut down Broad Street to kick off the new year. This celebration will also happen at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the 28th annual Fancy Brigade Finale performances will run from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here’s more on the history of the parade and a guide to viewing it.
Realign and Renew
Start the year off in a peaceful place with licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher Monica Fauble. She’s leading a class that combines movement with guided journaling to help attendees gain clarity in the new year. Bring your own sketchbook, journal or notepad, and wear comfortable clothing conducive to yoga practice.
Philly Loves Bowie Week 2026
Where: Multiple venues
When: Friday, Jan. 2, through Saturday, Jan. 10
How much: Various prices
The weeklong celebration of all things Bowie is a welcome beginning to the year in arts and culture, dating back to 2017, the year after the British icon died. The celebration starts with a free concert at Ardmore Music Hall and includes a birthday celebration, a masquerade ball, Bowie beer yoga, BowieOkie night, a Bowie x Prince dance party and more. Be forewarned: Tickets to each event are sold separately and often sell out.
First Fridays at The Barnes: Luke Carlos O’Reilly & Emily Braden
The Barnes’ First Fridays attract an eclectic, diverse crowd, and given the lineup, this one is likely to be no exception. Performer Luke Carlos O’Reilly plays a genre-blending mix of songs with an emphasis on jazz. Singer/songwriter Emily Braden, a Jazzmobile Vocal Competition winner, will be the frontwoman, bringing her powerful stage presence to the evening’s festivities, which include museum access and pay-as-you-go drinks and refreshments.
First Friday at The Philadelphia Art Museum
The newly renamed Philadelphia Art Museum has weathered its fair share of controversies lately. Fortunately, its First Fridays series was not among them. The monthly social event features a range of themes and deejays in residence. For January, it’s yōsukeDj. The event includes access to the galleries and Great Stair Hall, along with pay-as-you-go drinks.
PWE Presents: Holiday Hangover
Wrestling fans, get in here! The cultural events space hosts a Pro Wrestling Entertainment event co-hosted by Q102’s Buster and BTA. They’ll be there to oversee the combination of music and wrestling with appearances by Griffin McCoy, Alec Price and other special guests. Sounds like a fun way to bring in the new year.
Saturday Firstival: The First Balloon Flight in America
Where: Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S. Sixth St.
When: Saturday, Jan. 3, 11 a.m.
How much: Free, no registration required
It’s 2026, which means The United States’ semiquincentennial is here. One of the city’s ongoing celebrations is 52 Weeks of Firsts, which highlights things that happened first in Philadelphia. This week, it’s the nation’s first hot-air balloon flight. This “firstival” at the Athenaeum will celebrate Jean-Pierre Blanchard’s successful flight on Jan. 9, 1793.
Southern Rock Night at Ardmore Music Hall
Tribute bands are never going out of style. Since the pandemic hit, these bands have proliferated as people seek the feel-good nostalgia that comes with hearing their favorite songs from their formative years. If those years included groups like the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Black Crowes, your 2026 is already starting on a good note (literally)! Southern rockers are the focus of this concert in the ‘burbs.
Miss Lisa Lisa’s Drag Show
Life’s a drag sometimes, and it’s been that way for quite some time at this popular event. It’s Philly’s longest-running drag show, which means it pays off for its enthusiastic audiences. Tickets are available for parties of two or four only. The show is also cash-only, but if you forget, an ATM is conveniently located on site.
50 First Jokes
Start 2026 off with some comedy, as it sometimes seems like the only thing keeping us from the abyss. We’re sure you can relate. Hosted by Peggy O’ Leary, organizers promise all-new jokes to usher in the new year. There will be 50 — yes, 50 — comedians at this performance, which benefits Comedy Gives Back. So chances are, someone’s gonna make you laugh.
(A few more than) 10 things to look forward to in 2026
No greater authorities than the BBC and the Wall Street Journal named Philly as one of the best destinations to visit in 2026. It seems like the world is heading this way already, but these events aren’t just for tourists.
Here are some of the major events happening this year. Check out the full list of events happening across Pennsylvania, historical and cultural events in the city, a list of events around the 4th of July and more on the nationwide America 250 celebration.
Reenactors participate in the Navy and Marine Corps 250th anniversary parade on Oct. 13, 2025, riding in a replica of the Durham boats that carried Washington across the Delaware to victory at Trenton in 1776. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
February
TED Democracy: A series of events that started in 2024 will culminate with a full-day event with a variety of guest speakers
Beauty and the Beast: The acclaimed musical returns to Philadelphia for a weeklong run
March
April
Nation of Artists: The Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts collaborate with the Middleton Family Collection on an exhibit of over 1,000 works
May
PGA Championship: Newtown Square’s Aronimink Golf Club hosts its second PGA Championship since 1962
What Now: 2026 Arts Festival: Put together by the nonprofit ArtPhilly, this is a five-week festival that includes some of Philadelphia’s top artists in multiple disciplines
June and July
FIFA World Cup: Yes, the world is coming to Philly for the World Cup, which hosts multiple matches this summer
July
MLB All-Star Game: Philly hosts the nation’s top Major League Baseball stars in a weeklong series of events
December
RockyFest: A major commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first “Rocky” film