Black History Month Events in Philadelphia
Here are some highlights to add to your calendar this February.
Celebrate Black History Month with tours, events and more. / We Still Here mural, 22 Maplewood Mall, courtesy Mural Arts Philadelphia / Gaia, Jetsonorama, & Ursula Rucker; photograph by Steve Weinik
From tours to museum exhibits and beyond, there are so many ways to celebrate Black History Month in Philadelphia. Here are just some of the highlights to explore.
Mural Arts’ Black History Month Civic Heroes Trolley Tour
This special 90-minute trolley tour features murals that represent Black historical figures, civic heroes and social justice issues. View these murals, hear the stories behind them, and learn about their artists and the mural-making process along the way.
$28-$38, February 24th, departs from PAFA, 128 North Broad Street.
The Black Journey: African American History Walking Tours of Philadelphia
This tour group offers two different tours of Philadelphia’s Black history throughout the year. The Old City tour begins at Independence Visitor Center and explores Black Americans’ role in the founding of America, including founding fathers like James Forten, and those who escaped enslavement on the Underground Railroad. The second tour begins at Mother Bethel AME Church and explores Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward. Once the epicenter of Black business and community, this is also the neighborhood W.E.B. DuBois visited to study the African American experience.
$20-$35, weekends throughout the year.
Black History on South Street: A Self-Guided Tour
Don’t have time for an organized tour? South Street Headhouse District has put together a guide to Black history on and around South Street, from the all-Black Engine #11 fire station to murals to Mother Bethel AME. Church. You can find the list and map here.
Black History Month at the Betsy Ross House
On weekends in February, the Betsy Ross House will have free programming featuring storytelling that highlights the contributions of Black Americans through history. On Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., “Meet the History Makers,” when re-enactors will bring to life Black residents of colonial Philadelphia, including abolitionist James Forten (February 3rd and 24th) and Bishop Richard Allen (February 10th and 17th). Then, on Sundays, the Once Upon A Nation storytelling bench will be visited by storytellers sharing short, interactive tales of Black history in Colonial Philadelphia.
Free, Saturdays and Sundays in February, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street.
African American Children’s Book Fair
One of the oldest and largest single-day events for African American children’s books in the country, the afternoon includes visits and book-signings with authors and illustrators, games, giveaways, and the opportunity to purchase books — from preschool to young-adult lit.
Free admission, February 3rd, 1-4 p.m., Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch streets.
Black History Month at the Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute hosts a day of programming to recognize contributions of Black scientists, innovators and engineers, both past and present. There will be live STEM demonstrations that combine science, stotytelling and hip-hop by master scientist Grand Hank, as well as music and dance performances by Troupe Da Da. In the planetarium, TFI chief astronomer Derrick Pitts will provide live narration of “The Sky Tonight” show.
Included with museum admission of $21-$25, February 3rd, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th Street.
Black History Month Celebrations at Philadelphia Museum of Art
PMA has two days of celebration for Black History Month, both with pay-what-you-wish admission. First, a family festival will be held on Sunday, February 4th. There will be a performance by storyteller Thembi Palmer, and art activities inspired by Black artists Sister Gertrude Morgan and Moses Williams.
On the evening of Friday, February 9th, the museum will have art tours, a pop-up studio with Philly artist Nazeer Sabree, photobooth with Lendl Tellington and a Friday Lounge performance by Rashid Zakat.
Pay what you wish, February 4th, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and February 9th, 5-8:45 p.m. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
50 Years of Hip Hop: Art, Music, Power
National Liberty Museum’s newest special exhibit, Amplified, explores music as a form of self-expression, community empowerment and meaning. So it’s the perfect setting for this celebration honoring the legacy and culture of hip hop. The day includes art making, musical tributes, and pop-up talks. RSVP online.
$6-$12 (free for kids under five), February 17th, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut Street.
Little Free(dom) Libraries
Visit Philly teams up with the Free Library and the Little Free Library by installing 13 Little Free(dom) Libraries this month in locations all over town. These colorful kiosks are packed with banned fiction and non-fiction books by Black authors, including Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and more. Here’s where to find the Little Free(dom) Libraries.
Free, throughout February, multiple locations.
The Drunk Black History Show
Comedian Gordon Baker-Bone hosts an interactive show that invites some special guests “to talk about unsung heroes and stories, while drunk, on stage.”
$20, February 17th, 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
Chef Kevin Watters hosts a special Black History Month pop-up at The Dutch / Photograph by Lexi Pierce
Mom Mom’s Soul Food Pop-Up
Executive chef and co-owner Kevin Watters hosts a one-night-only pop-up at The Dutch, in remembrance of his late grandmother Lillian Lewis, known as “everybody’s Mom Mom.” The meal will be inspired by Southern fare, with dishes like deviled eggs with Cajun shrimp, mac-and-cheese cornbread, and fried chicken. A portion of proceeds from each $75 ticket will benefit Everybody Eats, the West Philadelphia-based, BIPOC-owned and chef-led charity dedicated to increasing food security in the community. Book via Tock.
$75, February 19th, The Dutch, 1537 South 11th Street.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Revelations
The legendary dance troupe returns to the Academy of Music with Revelations, a celebration of African American heritage set to spirituals, song-sermons, gospel and holy blues.
$29-$90, February 23rd-25th, Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street.
Black History Month at the National Constitution Center
In addition to daily self-guided tours and activities, you can experience The Four Harriets of History, a show exploring the lives of Harriet Tubman, Harriet Robinson Scott, Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Beecher Stowe — four women who fought to end slavery — during Black History Month at the museum. On weekends, kids can also visit the Freedom Fighters story corner and make their own portrait books.
Included with admission of $12-$15, through February, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street.
Black History Month at the Free Library of Philadelphia
There will be free events at libraries throughout the city all month long, including storytimes, author talks, crafts, cooking classes, and much more. Check out the schedule here.
