Annual Events in Philadelphia: A Month-by-Month Calendar
Date Published
At a glance
- Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Center City, Fairmount, University City, Bella Vista, Manayunk and South Street
- When: Year-round; this guide lists the usual month for each event, not exact dates
- Cost: Mixed: the Mummers Parade, Manayunk Arts Festival and Christmas Village are free to enter; the Flower Show and Halloween Nights are ticketed
- Dates: Always check each event's official site for the current year's dates before you plan around it
Philadelphia's biggest annual events run from the Mummers Parade on January 1 to the Christmas Village market that opens in late November, with a flower show, a track meet, two street festivals, a rowing regatta and a marathon in between. This guide lists twelve of them in calendar order, with the usual month, the neighborhood and the official site, so you can plan a trip or a year around them.
We give the usual month, not a date. Organizers move dates from year to year, so each entry links to the official site where the current dates live. Months with nothing we could verify (February, August and September) are skipped rather than padded.
January
Mummers Parade (Center City to South Philadelphia)
The Mummers Parade is held every New Year's Day, when about 10,000 adults and children in costume march from City Hall south down Broad Street to Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia describes the route as about 1.5 miles and says the parade typically starts at 9 a.m. at City Hall and wraps up in the evening.
The first recognized, judged Mummers Parade was held in South Philadelphia in 1901, when local neighborhood parades merged into a single New Year's event. Dress warm, claim a spot along Broad Street early, and check Visit Philadelphia's Mummers Parade page for the current schedule and route details.
March
Philadelphia Flower Show (Center City)
The Philadelphia Flower Show fills the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, in Center City, usually in March. It is run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), which calls it its largest annual fundraiser and says it is the longest-running flower show in the world, first held in 1829.
A new theme drives the design each year, so the show rarely looks the same twice. It is a ticketed event, so buy through the official Flower Show page and check the opening days there.
Cherry Blossom Festival (Fairmount Park)
The Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia is an annual spring celebration of Japanese arts and culture, organized by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. Its centerpiece, Sakura Weekend, is held at the Horticulture Center in West Fairmount Park, usually in early April, with other festival events across the city from late March through April.
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, also in West Fairmount Park, sells separate timed-entry admission that weekend. Because bloom time shifts with the weather, check the official Cherry Blossom Festival page for the current dates and program before you go. Our Fairmount guide covers what else is nearby.
April
Penn Relays (University City)
The Penn Relays track and field carnival takes place at Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania campus in University City, usually in late April. The meet runs over three days, and its official site posts the coming year's dates well ahead.
Tickets and the schedule are on the official Penn Relays site. Pair it with a Baltimore Avenue meal from our University City guide.
May
Italian Market Festival (Bella Vista)
The Italian Market Festival takes over South 9th Street in Bella Vista, usually in May, with more than 100 vendors lining seven blocks of the market, according to the festival's official page. It runs over a Saturday and Sunday, and the vendors are mostly about food and drink.
Go hungry, and arrive early before the crowds fill the street. The official festival page lists the vendors and dates, and our Bella Vista guide has the neighborhood's permanent food stops.
June
ODUNDE Festival (South Street and 23rd Street)
ODUNDE Festival is held every June around 23rd and South streets in South Philadelphia, and its own site calls it a Philadelphia tradition since 1975. The week of events builds to Festival Day, held on a Sunday in June.
Plan for crowds, walk in rather than drive, and check the official ODUNDE site for the week's schedule.
Manayunk Arts Festival (Manayunk)
The Manayunk Arts Festival closes Main Street in Manayunk to traffic for a weekend in June. Its official page says it has run since 1990, is free, goes ahead rain or shine and features about 300 juried artists across eight disciplines, with a shuttle running both days.
The festival page is at manayunk.com. Our Manayunk guide covers the Towpath and the car-free Manayunk Bridge for before or after.
Mid-June to July 4
Wawa Welcome America (citywide)
Wawa Welcome America is Philadelphia's Fourth of July festival, a run of events at venues across the city that builds over the second half of June and ends on July 4. Many of the events, such as free museum days and movie screenings, cost nothing.
Schedules and headline acts change annually, so use the official July 4 Philly site. If you are staying over, see our travel and lodging listings.
October
Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (Schuylkill River, Fairmount Park)
The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR) is a two-day rowing race held in October on a 2.3-mile course on the Schuylkill River, past Boathouse Row in Fairmount Park. The race has run for more than five decades, and its official site announces the next year's dates well in advance.
Watch from the river trail near Boathouse Row and check the official HOSR site for spectator information.
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary (Fairmount)
Halloween Nights is the Halloween festival at Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue in Fairmount. It opens on select nights in the fall, running into early November, and offers premium add-ons such as skip-the-line entry and a historic tour.
Pick your night and book ahead on the official Halloween page. The penitentiary itself is open for daytime tours outside the event.
November
Philadelphia Marathon Weekend (Parkway and Fairmount Park)
Philadelphia Marathon Weekend is held in November, with races starting and finishing around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Art Museum. The organizers say it first ran in 1994. The half marathon starts on the Parkway and finishes in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the full marathon runs through Fairmount Park and along the Schuylkill River.
Registration can close early, so see the official marathon site. Spectators should expect Parkway closures that weekend.
Christmas Village in Philadelphia (Center City)
Christmas Village in Philadelphia is a German-style holiday market at LOVE Park and the City Hall courtyard, 1500 Arch Street, running from late November to late December. The official site lists over 120 vendors, a historic two-tiered carousel in the City Hall courtyard and free admission.
Opening dates and hours vary, so check the official Christmas Village site before you go. See our Center City guide for the surrounding streets.
How we chose
We started from Philadelphia's researched events list, then added well-known recurring events and checked each one against its own official site or the city's tourism site. Every event here is held inside Philadelphia and still shows a current or upcoming edition. We left out events that have moved out of the city, and anything whose official page we could not read.
We do not quote dates. Where an official site states a fact such as vendor counts or a founding year, we repeat it and say whose claim it is.
Philadelphia's year of events at a glance
- January: stake out a Broad Street spot for the Mummers Parade.
- March: buy Flower Show tickets early.
- Spring: catch the cherry blossoms in Fairmount Park.
- April: watch the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.
- May: eat your way down South 9th Street at the Italian Market Festival.
- June: ODUNDE on South Street, then the Manayunk Arts Festival.
- Mid-June to July 4: Wawa Welcome America.
- October: rowing on the Schuylkill, then Halloween Nights.
- November: Marathon Weekend, then Christmas Village.
For what is on right now, see our events page and the this weekend listings. Weather matters for outdoor events, so check our weather guide before you head out.
Quick tips
- Several of these events close streets, so take SEPTA or walk.
- Ticketed events (the Flower Show, Halloween Nights, Penn Relays) are worth booking early.
- Free street festivals are best early in the day, before crowds build.
Last verified: November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest annual events in Philadelphia?
The best-known annual events in Philadelphia include the Mummers Parade on New Year's Day, the Philadelphia Flower Show in March, ODUNDE Festival in June, Wawa Welcome America around July 4, Philadelphia Marathon Weekend in November and Christmas Village in late November and December. Each is held inside the city.
What happens in Philadelphia on New Year's Day?
The Mummers Parade takes place on New Year's Day. About 10,000 costumed adults and children march from City Hall south on Broad Street to Washington Avenue, a route of about 1.5 miles, according to Visit Philadelphia.
When is the Philadelphia Flower Show?
The Philadelphia Flower Show is usually held in March at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, in Center City. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society posts the exact dates and tickets on its official site.
Which Philadelphia events happen in the fall?
In the fall, Philadelphia hosts the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in October, Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary on select autumn nights, and Philadelphia Marathon Weekend in November. Christmas Village opens in late November.
Are Philadelphia's annual events free?
Many are. The Mummers Parade, Manayunk Arts Festival and Christmas Village are free to enter, though food and shopping cost extra. The Flower Show and Halloween Nights are ticketed, so check each official site.
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