12 Things To Do in Philly This Weekend: Pennsylvania Dutch Festival, Bacon Fest Redo, Kensington Picnic, and More
Get our weekly picks of what to do this weekend and the latest on Philly's arts and entertainment scene.
Mad Decent Block Party
The Mad Decent Block Party returns this Friday, in all its bass-thumping, fist-pumping glory. The daylong dance party—held at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing—features DJs and artists well known in the EDM scene, including Dillon Francis, Dirty South Joe, DJ Snake, Flosstradamus, and of course, Diplo, the creator of the whole bash. Regularly priced tickets are now sold out, but those interested can still snag (slightly pricier) passes here. If you're still in full rage mode post-bash, Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) is hosting the after-party, where Francis and Swizzymack will spin encore sets, along with Noah Breakfast. Friday, August 8th, 3 p.m., Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. & Spring Garden Street.
Pennsylvania Dutch Market Festival
From Foobooz: Our neighbors, the Pennsylvania Dutch, are bringing it to the big city for a three-day festival that started Thursday. And by “it” we mean Amish-style pork sausage sandwiches, apple dumplings, donuts, funnel cake, hand-churned ice cream and basically all of your favorite Lancaster County culinary delights. The festivities take place at Reading Terminal Market and continue into the weekend until Saturday, August 9th when the celebration moves outside to Arch Street in true county fair style. More here.
Bacon Festival
Rescheduled from last weekend: You had us at bacon. The 2nd annual Bacon Festival hits The Oval on Friday, for a celebration of all things bacon (Kevin, and the food). Food trucks will be offering tons of bacon-themed creations (bacon maple pancake cupcakes!!), including samplings of Godshall's maple bacon, turkey bacon, and chicken bacon. There will be bacon-related fun all night in the form of recipe demonstrations, games, and contests. Oh, and a bacon space capsule will be launching into "space," courtesy of the Franklin Institute. Yup. The festival will end with a screening of the Kevin Bacon classic Apollo 13 at 9 p.m. Friday, August 8th, 5 p.m., The Oval, 2601 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
GayFest!
From G Philly: Philly’s only LGBT theater festival, GayFest!, kicks off on August 5th. Now in its fourth year, GayFest! producer Rich Rubin says the theme of the season is new meets old. There are a handful of Philadelphia premieres—Next Fall, Some Are People, and You Know My Name—playing alongside old-school favorites. The Haunted Host, for instance, celebrates 50 years on the stage. “It is considered by many to be America’s first full-length gay play,” says Rubin. “I’m excited about combining the new and cutting-edge work with historic work. More than ever, there’s a real range of tone and style in the festival.” So get out there and support our city’s sole LGBT film festival. For a preview of what's opening this week at the festival, go here.
Peach Festival
August is peach month, and Linvilla Orchards is celebrating the delectable fruit with its annual Peach Festival. You can pick your own bushel of juicy peaches—and other fruits and vegetables in-season—while enjoying a full lineup of family-friendly activities, including musical performances, homemade jam preparations, art activities, hayrides, pony rides, face painting, hula-hoop contests, and much more. Admission is free, so go scoop up some delicious produce while entertaining the little ones. Saturday, August 9th, 8 a.m., Linvilla Orchards, 598 Linvill Road, Media, PA.
Pets in Prison
Eastern State Penitentiary housed some big name crooks throughout the years, but did you know they had a four-legged inmate? On Saturday and Sunday, in addition to regular tours, the Penitentiary will host the family-friendly event Pets in Prison, a focus on furry friends. You'll learn about Pep the Dog, Eastern State's very own pup prisoner, as well as stories of inmate's pets, guard dog tales, and the important part that pets still play in prison life today. Animal-themed activities will take place throughout the day, and New Leash On Life USA (a prison dog training program that helps with the rehabilitation of inmates) will be on-site. Guests will have the chance to meet trained pups–and even take home adoptable pets. Tickets are available online. For more information, click here. Saturday, August 9th & Sunday, August 10th, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue.
Rock the Block
Rembrandt's Restaurant and Bar will host Rock the Block this Saturday, an all-day live music and craft fair. Aspen Street will be in full block party mode, with craft vendors lining the block and live entertainment from bands including Mumblr, The World At Large, A Day without Love, and the Rock to the Future House Band. Proceeds will benefit Rock to the Future, a program that promotes free music education for Philly youth. Saturday, August 9th, 11 a.m., Rembrandt's, 741 N. 23rd Street.
Kensington Picnic II
You can revel in our city's local music scene this weekend at the second Kensington Picnic, a free all-day concert featuring several Philly-based bands. There will be a variety of musical stylings from The Strapping Fieldhands, Birds of Maya, Laura Baird, Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler, Spacin', Hohlraum, Fursaxa and Randall of Nazareth. Guests are invited to bring chairs, blankets, and food to grill: the picnic starts at noon and the live tunes (beginning at 2 p.m.) will go until sundown. Saturday, August 9th, 12 p.m., Liberty Vintage Motorcycles yard, 2212 Sepviva Street.
Take It to the Limit
Over the past week 180 musical theater students have been participating in the Broadway Dreams Foundation's Summer Intensive at the Kimmel. The weeklong training session paired them with Broadway professionals—actors, directors, choreographers—who they've worked with to produce a show, Take It to the Limit, this Saturday. The production is basically a big ol' revue of some of Broadway's current smashes, including Tony winners Kinky Boots, Dreamgirls, and Crazy For You. Star gazers will be interested to know that Ginna Le Vine, great-niece of Grace Kelly, will strap on a pair of roller skates to perform in the disco-tastic Xanadu. Proceeds from the performance will benefit Broadway Dreams Foundation's goal to foster kids of all socio-economic backgrounds who have dreams of being on Broadway. Saturday, August 9th, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., $25-$128, Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street. —Josh Middleton
Philly Summer Fest
The Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (PhilaMOCA), will host a daylong concert and barbecue this Saturday. Philly Summer Fest has a solid lineup of over ten bands, including Cassilis, Dogs on Acid, Bubonic Bear, APE UP!, and more. The doors open, and the grill will get going, at 1:30 p.m., and guests are encouraged to bring food. The show will begin at 3:30 p.m., so look forward to jamming well into the night. More information and a full music lineup can be found here. Saturday, August 9th, 1:30 p.m., $10, PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th Street.
Gospel Brunch
Traditional Sunday mass isn't for everyone. Cue the Gospel Brunch at Fishtown favorite Johnny Brenda's. DJ DNA—who hosted WRDV-FM's "The Gospel Train" and "Roots of Rhythm & Blues" programs for over 20 years—will be spinning soulful classics from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. while you munch away those hunger pains. Pancakes with a side of Sam Cooke will certainly make up for any Saturday night sins. Sunday, August 10th, 11 a.m., Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave.
Submit An Event
Have an event you'd like featured in an upcoming "Things to Do" post? Send information to ksordjan@phillymag.com.
