Memorial Day Weekend 2024 in Philly: 30+ Events, Fests & Exhibitions

In addition to free admission Saturday through Monday, the National Constitution Center marks the Memorial Day holiday with special programming, including daily flag ceremonies and presentations exploring some of the most famous memorials and monuments in the U.S. Learners of all ages can also look forward to family-friendly workshops and fun crafts.

In addition to the Museum of American Revolution’s permanent exhibits, special programming for Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom and includes pop-up discovery carts highlighting the daily lives of Revolutionary War soldiers, sailors and privateers. In addition, kiddos can participate in hands-on activities by making memorial-themed ribbons and creating revolutionary-themed thank-you cards for members of the American Legion. Admission is free for all veterans, active military members and Blue Star Families all weekend long.

The site of Philly’s first Memorial Day commemoration in 1868, Laurel Hill Cemetery continues the long tradition with an afternoon program featuring wreath-laying ceremonies, patriotic music, honor guards and refreshments. The event runs from noon to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Warmer weather days mean good times with good friends, preferably with a breeze at your back and a cold drink in your hand. Come Memorial Day, the doors and gates of Philly’s most popular outdoor bars and restaurants will be open for service again, including:

• the beloved rooftop Bok Bar in South Philly (opened April 11, 2024)
• waterfront destinations Liberty Point (opens April 13, 2024) and Morgan’s Pier (opens April 18, 2024)
• lush beer gardens like the PHS Pop Up Gardens on South Street and in Manayunk (opened March 29, 2024), Independence Beer Garden in the Historic District (opens April 17, 2024) and Uptown Beer Garden in Center City (opens May 2, 2024), and
• Parks on Tap, the traveling beer garden that pops up in public parks across the city, rolls into Clark Park for the holiday (May 22-27, 20-24).

Through Friday, May 31, 2024

This citywide art festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts initiative, and this year, over 40 museums, galleries and institutions host special exhibitions and workshops highlighting Black, Brown, women and non-binary artists. A few exhibitions you can catch this Memorial Day weekend include:

• Sit a Spell: An Invitation. An Invocation at The Colored Girls Museum: This Germantown museum celebrates the new generation of artists of the African Diaspora in its 10th exhibition. Sit with the works of artists from as close by as New Jersey and from as far away as New Orleans and Ghana (through Friday, May 31, 2024).
• Renee Osubu: Dear Philadelphia at TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image: British Nigerian photographer Renee Osubu hails from England. However, her exhibition at TILT, Dear Philadelphia, is a love letter to her North Philly neighborhood, Black families and Black fathers (through Saturday, June 29, 2024).
• Artists as Cultivators at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA): The multi-media exhibition taking over the entirety of PAFA’s 1876 National Historic Landmark Building examines how artists over the last 300 years have woven nature into their works as a subject, theme and medium to spark social dialogue and change. Art lovers can expect 90 drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures and digital installations pulled from PAFA’s extensive archive (through Sunday, July 7, 2024).

Through Sunday, July 7, 2024

The ’70s were a pivotal decade for both photography and activism in the United States. While traditionally trained photographers perfected the iconic black-and-white darkroom photography that exemplified the art form for a century, a new generation of shooters experimented with exciting ways of documenting daily life as well as the growing Black Arts and Feminist movements. This exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art offers guests a snapshot of the moment when these historic movements intersected.

Through Monday, September 2, 2024

Everything’s clicking into place. Returning to The Franklin Institute for the first time since 2015, The Art of the Brick displays more than 100 works all made completely of LEGOs — from recreations of masterworks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to original works of LEGO sculpture, including a 20-foot-long T. rex dinosaur skeleton. Every piece in the hugely impressive display is the handiwork of contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya, the first artist ever to create an exhibition of LEGO art.

Through Sunday, January 5, 2025

In this exhibition, rare documents, inspired works of art and historical objects paint a fuller picture of Washington’s headquarters tent — the Museum of the American Revolution’s signature artifact. The tent served as the battlefield sleeping and office quarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and the exhibition tells the stories of the many individuals who worked to preserve and pass down this vital symbol of America.

Lace up! This spring, the Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink at Dilworth Park paints the town rainbow with colorful springtime skate sessions. Vibrant overhead art and the checkerboard rink floor bring good times and retro vibes. For more fun, chow down at the Dilworth Park Café, fuel up at the Air Grille pop-up beer garden or hop your way through the Dilworth Park dancing fountain. Advance reservations for hour-long skating sessions are strongly recommended, and discounted Matinee Skate sessions are offered on Mondays and Tuesdays.

May 17 – November 17, 2024 (select dates)

Now you see it … Equal parts history, comedy and magic, this walking tour whisks you around Philly’s historic Old City, visiting the neighborhood’s most storied monuments, landmarks, and maybe even a ghost or two. Beginning at The Bourse, the stroll lasts about an hour and a half and takes tourgoers to the site where Betsy Ross stitched the first American flag, the home of everyone’s favorite Founding Father, the nation’s first bank and more.

May 14 – June 2, 2024 (select dates)

Second City has been the nation’s leading laugh factory for over 60 years, birthing the careers of comedy greats including the region’s own Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Keegan-Michael Key and more. This spring, the Windy City institution’s current class of comedy legends-in-the-making takes the stage at Bristol Riverside Theatre. Combining some of the funniest sketches and songs from Second City history with the troupe’s hallmark improv, this hilarious, brand-new comedy revue promises plenty of gut-wrenching laughs and a first glimpse of comedy’s future.

May 16 – June 16, 2024 (select dates)

As told by the sounds and music of the Caribbean, Once on This Island tells the tragic story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl in search of her purpose who finds herself falling deeply in love with a rich boy from the other side of the island. Over the course of 90 minutes, audience members join with the gods in rooting for young Ti Moune despite the prejudices and challenges that threaten her and her love.

Ah, the humble peony. This symbol of happiness, prosperity and fortune has decorated weddings, parties and gardens for centuries. But did you know that there are over 30 species and hundreds of varieties of this fragrant flower? For more floral fun than you can shake a stem at, head to the 6th Annual Festival of the Peony and frolic through peony fields of deep maroon, pastel pink, cloud white and more. (Cameras welcome, dogs not so much.)

This new exhibition celebrating Pennsylvania-born impressionist artist Mary Cassatt explores gender, labor and feminine agency through over 130 prints, paintings and pastels. Also included: new findings about the advanced processes and materials Cassatt used in the early 20th century. This is the first major showing of Cassatt’s life’s work in over 25 years.

The beloved Devon Horse Show is an annual equine tradition dating back to 1896 — the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition in the nation — which features equestrian disciplines, open-air exhibitions and special events (including a dog show and Memorial Day tribute) at Chester County’s famous Devon Show Grounds. Alongside is the old-fashioned Devon Country Fair, itself an institution since 1919, with a half-dozen pop-up restaurants and plenty of fair food stands, over 60 boutique shopping and souvenir vendors, an art gallery, and a Midway featuring a Ferris wheel and a carousel.

Free with garden admission, Longwood Gardens’ kickoff to the weekend gets a Taylor Swift makeover. Swifties of all ages are invited to don their friendship bracelets and explore the garden’s 100 acres to the tunes of T. Swift. You can expect family-friendly activities, nature strolls and organ demos inspired by or set to the singer’s Grammy Award-winning discography. Even the garden’s iconic fountains get in on the action, dancing to the melody of the universal classic Shake It Off.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Philadelphia Cup Regatta returns to the Delaware River waterfront. Hosted by the Liberty Sailing Club, the regatta — showcasing over 100 sailors from clubs from across the region — features all types of watercraft from dinghies to keelboats racing down the Delaware from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Washington Avenue Pier, with the best spectator views from Penn’s Landing.

Grab the kiddos and meet us on Sesame Street. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and the rest of the gang don their best red, white and blue for the unofficial start of every kid’s favorite season. Celebrate the holiday with fireworks (and an optional sweet treat add-on experience with Elmo) on Saturday, May 25, 2024 and fun meet and greets with the loveable monsters throughout the weekend.

Award-winning storytellers return this weekend to offer secrets about the history of Philadelphia and our nation through three- to five-minute stories told at special benches near several historic sites in Old City. Uniformed storytellers are on hand from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday this holiday weekend. Days and hours expand as the 2024 season continues. Be sure to check the official website for the bench locations when available.

Birria. Barbacoa. Carnitas. The possibilities are endless when it comes to tacos. Some of the region’s favorite taco food trucks (stay tuned — the lineup is still to come) roll up to Bucks County’s Chaddsford Winery to mark the holiday weekend with delicious food, tasty wine and live music. Enjoy the warm weather from the winery’s picnic area and patios or bring a blanket to lay out on the grass. Friends, families, couples or solo — everyone is welcome.

Rev your engines! The 43rd annual Mustang and Ford Show returns to Chester County, inviting car enthusiasts from across the region to connect with one another and showcase their most prized possessions. Rows and rows of colorful mustangs from every era in the sports car’s history — as well as Ford trucks, electric vehicles and more — go on display across the fairgrounds.

Boat dance party? Boat dance party! This DJ mash-up on the Moshulu — a historic sailing ship permanently docked at Penn’s Landing — pits throwback hits from the ’90s against more modern Top 40 tracks. Tickets are required for the 21-plus-party, which lasts until 2 a.m.

Film buffs and fans of Latino culture can celebrate a dozen years of cinematic grandeur from established and emerging Latino filmmakers at the annual Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival. The lineup includes feature films, shorts, animations, web series and documentaries, along with workshops and discussions such as the festival’s Luz Programs (including a work-in-progress lab and filmmaker Q&A sessions), and the 10th annual LOLA Awards, which honor filmmaking achievements in the Latino and Latinx creative community.

Everyone knows and loves the “biggies” in Philadelphia: the LOVE Statue, the Rocky Steps, Reading Terminal Market. But why stop there? Go deeper into what the region offers at one of these just-off-the-beaten-trail galleries, niche museums, quiet garden treasures and more.

One of the greenest big cities in the U.S., Philadelphia is spoiled with thriving trails that give us the best of both worlds — urban nature oases and gorgeous waterfront views. The Delaware River Trail and Schuylkill River Trail guide joggers, cyclists, hikers, rollerbladers and casual strollers along two of the city’s most recognizable waterways, through Center City and past both iconic Philly landmarks (the Philadelphia Art Museum) and hidden gems (Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education).

First time in town? With all the history, art and culture, it’s hard to know where to start. We get it. Why not begin with the basics? Get a jump on your Memorial Day weekend itinerary with this list of the 10 most essential things to do on your (first) visit to Philadelphia, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and, yes, the Rocky Steps.

We knew you’d ask about the cheesesteaks. And you’re absolutely right to — Philly’s most famous sandwich is famous for a reason. Check out our picks for the best places to find a cheesesteak in Philly, including the tourist-y spots you’ve likely heard about and more than a few places you may not have. While you’re in town, be sure to grab other iconic Philly treats like a delectable, doughy soft pretzel and water ice, a spring and summer staple.