Photo courtesy of Sharing Excess

Sharing Excess, a Philadelphia non-profit dedicated to providing healthy food to local communities, is hosting a Free Food Fest this Saturday, Aug. 1 from 12 – 3 p.m. at Monumental Baptist Church (50th and Locust).

Free Food Fest will be a grab-n-go market in partnership with Wawa, Giant Heirloom, Saxbys, and other local Philly food sponsors. Food donors will set up booths in the parking lot of Monumental Baptist Church and distribute food and beverages for free. Reusable bags will be distributed at the entrance to be used as “grocery boxes” at the corner of 50th St. between Locust and Chancellor from 12 – 3 p.m..  Continue Reading

The Rotunda has been closed to the public since March due to COVID-19, but the pandemic has not stopped the popular West Philly venue and arts organization from offering many virtual events this summer: performances, classes & workshops and even festivals! All events are free and available to the public via Zoom or Facebook.

The list of events for the rest of the summer is below. On September 19 and 20, The Rotunda is hosting Philadelphia’s 14th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival and is currently seeking participants – singers, dancers and other performers and poets, storytellers and other artists who can live stream (by Zoom) from their home or studio. Short film submissions and workshop presenters/speakers/panelists are also wanted. Artists will receive a stipend which will be decided based on fundraising. Volunteers and interns of all colors and genders are also sought to assist in planning and organizing for this event. Artists, presenters, and volunteers/interns can contact Cassendre Xavier, Founder & Director by email: BWAFphilly@gmail.com.

Donations can be sent via Paypal to cxmusic@gmail.com (Please use the Friends & Family option) or use this link.  Continue Reading

Map created by Dre Grigoropol

At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when art galleries and museums are closed, West Philly artists will put their work on their porches for everyone to enjoy! The very first West Philly Porch Art Show will take place this Saturday, June 27, from 2 to 6 p.m. with over a dozen artists participating in the event. The organizers, West Philadelphia Community Art Alliance (Facebook page), are excited to bring this event to the West Philly community:

“This is the first time many of us have seen art [in real life] in many months!”

Here’s the list of participating artists:  Continue Reading

Photo by Ken McFarlane; digital rendering by Jeff Sugg.

To celebrate Black Lives and Black Fatherhood an outdoor public art installation by West Philly artist and activist Ken McFarlane will be projected on the façade of the Barnes Foundation this Saturday and Sunday (June 20 & 21) from 8 – 11 p.m.

The project, titled “From the Root to the Fruit: Portraits of Black Fathers and Their Children“, is presented by We Embrace Fatherhood, a coalition of West Philadelphia fathers, activists and artists, as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement for eradicating systemic racial injustice and in response to the COVID-19 health crisis which has dramatically decreased public access to the arts.

The installation will be projected onto the facade of the Barnes and can be viewed from their South East plaza as well as from the streets. Music will provided by DJs from PC Radio Live. This will be a COVID-19-safe environment, with six foot spacing. Attendees must wear masks at all times.  Continue Reading

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, June 17, event organizers raised over $4,000, which will be split among participating businesses. To keep the momentum going, University City District will match the next $1,000 raised through the Virtual Dollar Stroll.

The annual Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, the celebration of local businesses and community, was supposed to return on June 4th. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the community couldn’t physically gather to enjoy the tastes and sounds of the Stroll. So here’s some great news: the event organizer, University City District (UCD), has just launched an inaugural Virtual Dollar Stroll where you can support over 30 local businesses.

Here’s how it works:  Continue Reading

Juneteenth will be celebrated as an official city holiday in 2020, following an executive order signed by Mayor Jim Kenney yesterday. City offices will be closed to the public on Friday, June 19 to observe the holiday and municipal services, like trash collection, will be postponed until Saturday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date considered as the end of slavery in the United States, and it’s an important, big step for Philadelphia officials to finally recognize it.  Continue Reading