🎇 What to do this Labor Day weekend

It’s the (unofficial) last week of summer. While we know this Philly weather will continue to play games for the next month or so, Labor Day weekend is definitely a sign to get to the beach, pool, or watering hole before it gets too chilly! Are you planning anything fun to check off your summer bucket list? Let me know!

This weekend, we’re excited about family-friendly events to celebrate Labor Day, the start of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, a new outdoor movie series, and the Paralympics.

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— Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

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Things to do with your kids this Labor Day

The best things to do this week

👑 Hear ye, hear ye: Get dressed up in your favorite Rings of Power cosplay and head to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire that kicks off this weekend where you’ll find everything from sword fighting to jousting to sing-alongs.

🍿 Free fun: Independence National Historical Park is hosting a monthly outdoor movie series this fall, beginning with National Treasure on Friday night. Watch Nick Cage running around Philly locations (including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell) under the stars.

🎭 Stage sights: “Is this a wedding?” “Sorry just seeing this.” “What is the butt game?” “It takes guts.” No, that’s not dialogue — these are all titles of shows kicking off the wacky, experimental, and boundary-pushing theater-circus-dance performing arts festival Cannonball, which kicks off in various venues on Sunday. See the full schedule.

📽️ Doom, not gloom: Queer actors in West Philly created a new independent film reenacting a 19th-century doomsday prophecy. Premiering at the Philadelphia Film Society Center on Wednesday, Those Who Wait is a subversive, experimental film about how apocalyptic events impact us as a society.

🏛️ Open doors: A new museum in Germantown focuses on the revolutionary art and activism of people who have been imprisoned. Take a first look at the Formerly Incarcerated Renaissance Museum.

🏆 It’s not over: The international competitions in Paris don’t stop with the Olympics. The Paralympics started this week. Meet Gemma Wollenschlaeger, a 21-year-old Temple grad competing in para rowing and root for these other local athletes.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Summer unWINEd Concert, Patty Jackson’s Party In The Park, Renaissance — Beyoncé Night

The thing of the week

Do you have roots in Philadelphia? A new exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences, examines special plants and seeds and celebrates local community gardens and farms. “Heirloom Plants: Ancestral Seeds in Philadelphia,” showcases 25 heirloom plants that comprise an archive put together by Philadelphia gardeners and seed-keepers. Learn what these seeds can tell us about our city’s history and culture.

Summer fun this week and beyond

🌊 Summer bucket list: It’s last call for Philadelphia public pools (and most have already closed). These are the pools still open through Labor Day.

🎫 A cheaper night out: You can soon see incredible opera at an affordable price point — for $11 a ticket. You read that right. Opera Philadelphia’s new director hopes the change will bring in newcomers.

🎾 Pick it up: Dilworth Park will soon open pop-up pickleball courts for a second year in a row. Whether you’re a pro or you just want to try it out, here’s what you need to know.

🚗 One man’s treasure: What is the American Treasure Tour Museum? There’s no easy answer. It’s a pop culture spectacle in Oaks, Pa. owned by a mysterious man who calls himself “The Collector” that showcases a massive array of Americana, from Raggedy Ann dolls to a 20-foot Gumby. Take a look inside the huge, bizarre museum.

🌳 Take a deep breath: Where can you find peace and quiet in Pennsylvania? Though there isn’t technically an official quiet park in the state, there are a few spots where you can embrace the silence.

Our critic’s picks

Usher is coming to town! Plus, the best shows coming up this week, thanks to pop music critic Dan DeLuca.

🎤 Friday and Saturday: That Super Bowl headliner is Usher, the Dallas born pop-R & B singer and dancer who played the halftime show of the Chiefs-49ers game in Las Vegas in February and was last seen in Philadelphia when he rescued the Roots Picnic in 2023 after Diddy canceled at the last minute. It’s been 30 years since Usher’s self-titled debut and 20 since Confessions, which contained his signature hit with Lil John, “Yeah!” He’s at the Wells Fargo Center with his “Past Present Future” tour on Friday and Saturday.

🎤 Friday: Meanwhile, in a mellower mood, James Taylor — who Taylor Swift’s parents were inspired by when choosing a baby name — is at the Mann Center on Friday. Fans will get a full dose of Taylor and his All-Star Band, which includes fiddle player Andrea Zonn and drummer Steve Gadd, on Friday, which will undoubtedly include that Carole King song and T-Swift’s favorite, “Fire and Rain.”

🎤 All weekend: The Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival is being held for the 52nd time this year at the Salem County Fairgrounds in Woodstown, N.J. It’s one of the Philadelphia-area’s great end-of-summer traditions. And this year’s lineup is dynamite, starting with the Del McCoury Band and Danny Paisley playing Friday. Saturday’s headliner is Asleep at the Wheel, the Austin, Texas, institution who is the world’s leading practitioners of Wester swing. It has been led, for over 50 years, by Ray Benson, who grew up wanting to be a singing cowboy in Springfield, Delaware County. The Seldom Scene headlines on Sunday.

🎤 Tuesday: Tems, the Nigerian pop star born Temilade Openiyi, who became known in the U.S. on the 2020 Wizkid single “Essense,” plays the Met Philly on Tuesday.

🎤 Also Tuesday: That same night, Cigarettes After Sex, the El Paso, Texas, dream-pop band that has been steadily growing in popularity this decade and is touring behind its new album X’s, plays the Wells Fargo Center. And Nicki Minaj returns with her “Pink Friday 2″ tour to the South Philly arena on Wednesday.

The take: MIA is still MIA

This weekend, Philly will see another Labor Day without the Made in America Festival. The music fest, curated by Jay-Z and produced by Roc Nation, was canceled earlier this year for the second time in a row. For a decade, the annual event shut down Benjamin Franklin Parkway to make way for major music acts (Bad Bunny was the last to headline in 2022) but the organizers have yet to explain their future plans. Have you been to MIA? Do you miss it? Let me know!

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Not gonna lie, I’ve been waiting for this day all summer because I’m an absolute nerd — Rings of Power finally returns today with its second season. Are you watching, too? Tell me your favorite character.

🎇 What to do this Labor Day weekend | Things to Do (2024)