The 20 Best Things You Can Possibly Do in Philly This Week
This week in Philly: The Auto Show, a Heated Rivalry dance party, Manayunk freezes over, and more.
The Philadelphia Auto Show comes to town this weekend.
This week in Philly: The Auto Show, a Heated Rivalry dance party, Manayunk freezes over, and more — as carefully curated by the arts and entertainment experts at Philly Mag.
On Stage
Stavros Halkias
In the increasingly fractured comedy world, Stavros Halkias is something of a daywalker, able to step onto the podcasts of the dim-bulb populist philosophers and anti-trans Austin d-bags and tell them they’re stupid. (Watching him try talk explain trans issues to Theo Von is hilarious and deranged, like watching somebody try to teach a kitten to use a smartphone, but they kinda get there eventually. That clip is very NSFW, BTW.) Stavi’s also really funny, which is the main reason to see him when he plays the Miller Theater, twice on Saturday.
$55-$86, January 31st, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Miller Theater, 250 South Broad Street.
George Saunders
Once a “universally acclaimed short story writer,” George Saunders has more recently been reduced to “celebrated best-selling novelist” thanks to the success of 2017’s Booker Prize-winning Lincoln in the Bardo. His losing streak continues, apparently, thanks to Vigil, his brand-new novel about a dying tycoon and the spirit guide assigned to ready him for the afterlife. Barnes and Noble presents this conversation between Saunders and Miwa Messer that doubles as a live recording of the Poured Over podcast.
$33.75, January 28th, 7 p.m., First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street.
Erik Ruin’s Ominous Cloud
Boundary-pushing art and music collide wherever Erik Ruin goes, but Friday’s show at Yoga 34 sounds especially intriguing, with the esteemed cut-paper artist teaming up with notable musicians to create “a new immersive long-form four-channel performance-installation.” Expect puppetry, animated, and other visual delights synced to soundscapes terraformed by guitarist DM Hotep (Sun Ra Arkestra), cellist Tom Kraines (Daedalus Quartet), violaist Myles Donovan (Disemballerina, A Stick And A Stone) and multi-instrumentalist Julius Masri (Mephisto Halabi).
$10-$30, January 30th, 9:30 p.m., with Chiffchaff Trio, Studio 34, 1522 Baltimore Avenue.
Sudan Archives
On her latest record, The BPM, and corresponding tour, singer-songwriter-violinist Sudan Archives is embracing performance-enhancing electronics to turn her avant-pop and hip-hop sound into dance music realms. When she takes the stage at Union Transfer on Tuesday, you can call her Gadget Girl. “I feel like I am a Gadget Girl already,” she told W magazine. “But it’s going to be enhanced through the wardrobe and the way we design the stage. There will be no band members — instead, there will be stations on the stage that represent themes of gadgets. I’m going to be interacting with my violin bow, [my bow] is going to interact with the lights, and when I move the bow, maybe it’ll control the next song.”
$40.73, with Halima, January 27th, 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street.
Good Bones
It’s a no-brainer for the Arden to give Good Bones its Philly premiere. Pulitzer prize-winner James Ijames’s comedy about gentrification, community, and plans to plop a sports stadium onto an established neighborhood should ring a bell here in the playwright’s hometown. Directed by Akeem Davis.
$55-$70, through March 15th, Arden Theatre, 40 North 2nd Street.
See Also: Winning Playwright James Ijames Loves Trash TV Just As Much As We Do
Exclamation Point
This edition of “Philly’s comix reading night” features live readings by artists/storytellers Jesse Arbor, Terry LaBan, and Becca Morgan, with music by Joel Chartkoff and Kevin Alvir. Hosted by Marta Syrup. What’s it like to have comics read to you? We’ll have to find out. P.S. They’re collecting comics and manga for Books Through Bars.
$10, January 28th, 7 p.m., Upstairs at Abyssinia, 229 South 45th Street.
The Bucky Carson Show
How to describe Philly comedian Bucky Carson? “Thought-provoking alternative standup,” is one way. “Alternative arms dealer” and “consensual mass shooter” are two other options, apparently. You could also say “esteemed Philly clown.” Regardless he’ll be playing Vox Pop’s Long Shot series on Thursday, paying tribute to The X-Files, Mister Rogers and Pee-wee’s Playhouse while immersing the audience and pushing weird boundaries.
$10, January 29th, 7:30 p.m., Vox Populi Gallery, 319 North 11th Street.
Tashi Dorji
On his latest record — low clouds hang, this land is on fire, due out on January 30th via Drag City — the Bhutan-born/Asheville-based guitarist previously known for his acoustic, avant-garde dissonance has gone electric and gentler, crafting improvised sounds that move like deer through a dark forest. It’s perhaps expectedly lovely and moving, and somehow humane in its abrasiveness.
$20.16, January 28th, 8 p.m., Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street.
Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective
Walnut Street Theatre is best known for stating road-tested crowd-pleasers, but they’re offering something different this time. Sort of. Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective is a brand-new world premiere by playwright Bill Van Horn, but based on classic stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — “road-tested crowd-pleasers” going back 150 years.
$31-$159, through February 15th, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street.
Steel Magnolias
People’s Light presents Robert Harling’s “hilarious and heart-wrenching” comedy-drama on which the beloved movie was based. Directed by Abigail Adams. Stars Janis Dardaris, Claire Inie-Richards, Teri Lamm, Susan McKey, and Marcia Saunders.
$59-$69, through February 15th, People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern
Art
2nd Meetinghouse by Amie Cunat / Photograph by Bernhard Strauss, Vitra Design Museum
A World in the Making: The Shakers
This new major exhibition at the ICA explores the style and functionality of the furniture, architecture and other objects created by the Shaker community. A World in the Making includes “historical artifacts with newly commissioned works” and invites visitors to reflect “on how Shaker ideals continue to inform conversations around inclusion, gender, and intentional living in the 21st century.” The opening celebration features performances by Hudson Rivers, The Foundation Singers and DJ Rashid Zakat January 30th, 7 p.m., free.
Runs January 31st-August 9th, Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 South 36th Street.
Make-it-POP!
InLiquid Gallery is setting its members loose on a vivacious, multimedia group show with a Pop Art theme, “drawing on nostalgia and the use of timeless iconography.” Includes works by Jasmine Alleger, Ernesto Raúl Beckford, Lupien LaMountain, John Wind, Wendee Yudis, and lots more. Expect color.
Runs through February 21st; opening reception February 12th, 6-9 p.m.; InLiquid Gallery, Crane Arts Building, 1400 North American Street.
Lost Creeks of Philadelphia: Burying the Streams, Building the City
Researcher Adam E. Levine (of the Water Department) and photographer Joseph Elliott use words, maps and images to unearth the city’s creeks and streams that were diverted or buried in the making of Philadelphia.
Runs through May 16th, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 South 6th Street.
Threaded Currents
PAFA and the Fabric Workshop and Museum presents this new group exhibition of works by rising star artists exploring “the dynamic crosscurrents between traditional fine arts training and contemporary, experimental materials-based practices.”
Exhibition runs through March 14th, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 North Broad Street.
Kaleidoscope: Mixing Shapes, Colors, and Motion
This colorful group show at the main branch of the Philly Free Library, comes complete with multiple side quests, including this weekend’s Art Explorers: Protest Art and Self Expression workshop for kids, led by West Philly activist and artist Carolyn Chernoff. The kids have demands. Free, January 21st, 4 p.m.,
Exhibition on display through March 7th, Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street.
Cornbread: Legendary
World-famous and groundbreaking Brewerytown graffiti artist Darryl “Cornbread” McCray comes home for a big solo, multi-floor exhibition at Paradigm.
Free, through February 15th, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, 12 North 3rd Street.
Festivals, Parties, Games
Black Excellence in Action
The Fallser Club — winner of the Best Intimate Venue 2025 — kicks off Black History Month with a stacked bill. Veteran rapper (and owner of the best smile in hip-hop) Reef the Lost Cauze headlines the show, but get there in time to catch perfomances by young story slam artist Nigel Ousey along with spoken word artists Empress L and Lady Boss, and to check out works by visual artists Nomad, Unapxlxgetic and Tieshka K. Smith. Also: vendors, food, art and more.
$10-$25, February 1st, 4-8 p.m., the Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Avenue.
Philadelphia Auto Show
The Convention Center will be once again crammed with cars — new cars, classic cars, custom cars, and “famous vehicles” from TV and movies. Also on the agenda: “ride and drives” (with Polestar, Cadillac, Lucid, GMC, etc.), Camp Jeep, indoor e-tracks and more. (The show kicks off with Black Tie Tailgate, January 30th, 7-11:30 p.m., $350-$5,000.)
$21.50, January 31st-20th, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street.
CultureFest at the Penn Museum
The Penn Museum’s annual celebration (going strong since 1981!) explores the traditions of Lunar New Year with a full schedule of family-friendly activities: live performances, storytelling, art-making, and a Lion Dance finale. All activities are included with museum admission.
January 31st, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Penn Museum, 3260 South Street.
See Also: Where to Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Philly
Heated Rivalry Night
Hey, you know that queer romance show on HBO that finally got your friends interested in hockey? Well now it’s a “bold, high-energy LGBTQ+ dance party.” Not exactly sure what happens at Heated Rivalry Night, but the vibes should be spotless like the Zamboni just left. (If you’re on the IR for this Saturday’s event at Franklin Music Hall, you can make up for it February 27th.)
Check for prices, possibly on the secondary market, January 31st, 9 p.m., Franklin Music Hall, 421 North 7th Street.
Twin Peaks: Season 1
Starting Saturday, Hiway Theater in Jenkintown will be showing David Lynch and Mark Frost’s O.G. TV series the way it was never intended to be seen: on the big screen. It works, of course, because the famously twisted (and bizarrely funny) series, launched in 1990, is gorgeous enough to transcend its standard def origins.
$13.50 per two-episode block, starts January 31st, Hiway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown.
Outdoor Fun
Photo by Joseph Gidjunis / JPG Photography
Founders Philly Freeze Out
If you only like beer gardens in the summer you’re a coward. I’m sorry. I don’t even mean that. But listen, this Saturday you can bundle up and head to the hills of Manayunk for an afternoon of beer (by Founders), food (by lots of local restaurants), a chowder crawl (not as scary as it sounds), hot cocoa, vendors, ice sculptures, a “snowy igloo” for selfies, and more.
Free till you spend money, January 31st, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Main Street, Manayunk.
Winter in Franklin Square
Franklin Square is full of sparkle, mini golf, and plenty to eat, drink, and celebrate every day through February. Gather a group of up to eight to enjoy their iceless “street curling” rinks, or just warm up and make s’mores at the fire pits. Catch the Electrical Spectacle light show every 30 minutes beginning at 5 p.m. daily and running through 9 p.m.
Free to attend, Thursdays through Sundays through February 28th, Franklin Square, 200 North 6th Street.
Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest
The holidays may be over, but the family-friendly Winterfest — along the Delaware River, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge — is sticking around for more ice skating, hot chocolate sipping, food munching, game playing, etc. You can even rent a little warming cabin! Want more skating? Visit Dilworth Park, who’s keeping their rink up through February 22nd.
Free till you skate or buy or do something else that costs money, through March 1st, Blue Cross RiverRink, 101 South Columbus Boulevard.
