Max Roach: Courtesy of The Film Collaborative

The West Philly-based cinema project, cinéSPEAK, voted “Best of Philly 2020” by Philadelphia Magazine, is bringing back its independent film programming to Clark Park. On Friday, May 26, cinéSPEAK’s 3rd Annual “Under the Stars at Clark Park” festival kicks off with the Philadelphia premiere of Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes —the highly-anticipated documentary exploring the life and music of the legendary drummer, composer, bandleader, and social activist.

cinéSPEAK will present four film screenings every Friday through June 16 in fair weather. Rain dates are: Saturdays – May 27, June 3, June 10 and June 17. Continue Reading

Live interactive music shows for all ages are coming to Trolley Portal Gardens at 40th and Baltimore. Starting May 11, University City District (UCD) is partnering with West Philadelphia-based jazz vocalist Gretchen Elise to present inclusive musical performances featuring local talent on Thursday evenings from 5 – 7 p.m.

“Our goal with Trolley Portal Gardens is to bring programming for the neighbors, parents, and commuters who use the space every day,” said Margaret Starke, UCD’s Senior Manager of Events and Community Partnerships. “Gretchen has deep connections with the neighborhood and other local musicians and made a great fit as both a presenter and a curator.” Continue Reading

Two local DIY music festivals, Make Music Philly and West Philly Porchfest, are returning in June and currently recruiting musicians and venues.

West Philly Porchfest returns on June 3 from Noon – 6 p.m. It features musicians of all musical genres performing free shows on porches, stoops and lawns. Musicians who sign up to participate in the Fest will be matched with their host porch. Sign ups are still open for both parties. Sign up here if you want to host a show. Musicians who want to perform at the Fest can contact the organizers on this page. Both parties can connect on the West Philly Porchfest Musician/Porch Connector on Facebook. More info about the Fest is here. Continue Reading

A petting zoo will return to Clark Park on May 13 as part of the Spruce Hill May Fair (archive photo).

The Spruce Hill Community Association’s annual May Fair is set to return to Clark Park at 43rd and Chester after a three-year break on Saturday, May 13 from noon to 6 p.m. The 65th annual edition of the fair features family-friendly activities, arts and crafts vendors, live music, food purveyors and a raffle. The event is free and open to the public.

The 2023 May Fair will again be focused on family fun, with live music, outdoor games, an inflatable slide, face painting and a petting zoo. As always, food vendors will be on hand to serve up delicious treats.

The event will also feature vendors offering an array of arts, crafts and other items for sale. The University City Garden Club will be present with a large selection of herbs, perennials, vegetables, and other plants for sale. A raffle will offer attendees the opportunity to win a variety of exciting prizes from some of West Philadelphia’s favorite businesses. And live music will be playing on the stage throughout the day! Continue Reading

This Saturday, April 22 is Earth Day, and here are a couple of West Philly events where you can celebrate it.

Kimberly McGlonn outside the new store.

• Grand opening celebration for Grant Blvd’s new flagship store will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Shop Penn Retail District on Earth Day. The sustainable clothing brand will use the new space on 140 S. 34th Street to create jobs making items like zero waste shirting and men and women’s work wear pieces. The store in University City will also provide both pricing and fabric story transparency for garments, so shoppers can understand the cost of the items.

Created in 2017, Grant Blvd is one of the largest female Black-owned businesses in Philadelphia and North America’s first Black-owned B Corp in the fashion industry. For more information about the business and its founder and CEO Kimberly McGlonn, read our story here. Continue Reading

Voted Metro Philly’s Best Annual Festival, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival is kicking off Earth Day Weekend this Friday (April 21) with the first of six Community Pop-Ups. The festival organizer, HopePHL’s team will be at The Porch at 30th Street Station from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. with Dylan Band. All are invited to enjoy the food vendors, meet other jazz enthusiasts, and swing on the big swings!

Save the date for the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, Saturday, July 15, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Saunders Park Greene (39th St. and Powelton Ave.). Visit the HopePHL website for all of the upcoming events.