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'Let them eat Tastykakes!' at Bastille Day and 15 other ways to spend your weekend

Need something to do this weekend? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Marie Antoinette at Eastern's State's Bastille Day.
Marie Antoinette at Eastern's State's Bastille Day.Read moreDarryl Moran

KIDS

» READ MORE: Physics laboratory tour

10 a.m. Friday, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 100 Stellarator Rd., Princeton. Free. pppl.gov.

Got a little Einstein? Of course you do. Give him or her a boost in science curiosity with a tour of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory led by an engineer or physicist. Learn about fusion energy, and get a behind-the-scenes look at a place where scientists are creating "a star on Earth" as a future power source. (Yeah, we know - it's really cool.) This one is best for those ages 10 and up. All children must be accompanied by adults, who must show a photo ID such as a driver's license or passport at the security booth. Can't make it Friday? The tour also takes place Aug. 5 and Aug. 19. While you're in Princeton, check out Einstein's home, a national historic landmark, at 112 Mercer St. (be aware that it's not a museum, but a private residence - so, shoosh!). You can also wander the grounds at the Institute for Advanced Study, where Einstein once worked, and maybe run into a fellow genius or two while walking in the woods. - Michael Harrington

» READ MORE: Kidchella

6 p.m. Friday, Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse, 3500 Reservoir Dr. $10. 215-765-4325.

Small-fries can shimmy and shake as the third annual children's festival presents the second of three concerts this summer. On the bill Friday: R&B combo Shine and the Moonbeams, with Latin pop group Moona Luna. - M.H.

» READ MORE: Civil War Saturday

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (rain or shine), Fort Mifflin, Fort Mifflin and Hog Island Roads. $10; $8 seniors, $6 ages under 12. 215-685-4167.

Did you know that Fort Mifflin was a Civil War prison? Find out what it was like at a Civil War reenactors' encampment featuring living history displays and activities, period toys and games, scavenger hunt, open-hearth cooking, and more. Kids can "enlist" and join the soldiers to learn how to march with (wooden) muskets. (Don't worry, they'll be mustered out at the end of the day.) - M.H.

BEER

» READ MORE: Summerfest Live

3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Xfinity Live, 1100 Pattison Ave. $45; $20 designated drivers. 267-443-6415.

These hot days call for a cold brew. Summerfest Live to the rescue with more than 150 brewers, live music, food trucks, games and contests, and more. As the poet (or the guy a couple of lawn chairs over) once said: "One swallow does not a summer make." Better have two (responsibly - bring that designated driver). - M.H.

» READ MORE: Kensington Gardens

5-10 p.m. Saturday, Kensington Community Food Co-op, 2670 Coral St., 215-650-7286.

Drink up in the River Wards. The first of five pop-up beer gardens benefiting the Kensington Community Food Co-op starts Saturday, plus four other dates: Aug. 13, Sept. 10, Oct. 15, and Oct. 22. - Molly Eichel

ART

» READ MORE: Echo Valley Art Group

Through Aug. 21, Demuth Museum, 120 E. King St., Lancaster. Free. 717-299-9940.

For their exhibit at the Demuth Museum in Lancaster, 22 artists from the group created a print inspired by Charles Demuth's visits to Paris. Though some Echo Valley members are veteran printmakers, those who do not normally work in this medium agreed to participate in the exhibit. The result is surprising and well worth the trip. - M.H.

» READ MORE: Unguarded, Untold, Iconic: Afghanistan through the Lens of Steve McCurry

Saturday-Oct. 23, Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, Pa., $18; $17 seniors; $16 students; $8 6-18; free children under 6. 215-340-9800.

The Philadelphia-born photographer who shot the world-famous "Afghan Girl" cover of National Geographic in 1985 displays his work capturing Afghanistan. - M.E.

MOVIES

» READ MORE: Badlands

8:15 p.m. Saturday, PFS Roxy Theater, 2023 Sansom St. $9; $8 seniors and students. 267-639-9508.

Terence Malick announced himself to be one of our best and most intriguing directors with this absorbing 1973 thriller, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as young lovers on a violent crime spree across the Midwest in the 1950s. - M.H.

» READ MORE: My Girl

8:30 p.m. Saturday, Trolley Car Diner. 7619 Germantown Ave., Free, 215-753-1500.

If you've never seen a tragicomedy in the parking lot of an old trolley car converted into a diner, now's your chance. This 1991 film starring young Macaulay Culkin would be a great place to start. - Nick Vadala

FESTIVALS

» READ MORE: Bluegrass and Blueberries

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (rain or shine) at Peddler's Village, Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska. Free. 215-794-4000.

It's National Blueberry Month. Celebrate at Peddler's Village with blueberry treats including pies, butters, jellies, and preserves, and music from Ray Owen, Vintage Drive, Borderline, Daisy Jug Band, and Mike Brill. It's one time when it's great to be blue. - M.H.

» READ MORE: Bastille Day

2 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.

No one does Bastille Day quite like Eastern State Penitentiary. This is a massive street festival in collaboration with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, who put on a historically accurate storming of the Bastille - Edith Piaf narrated that one too, right? - and includes appearances by Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and Benjamin Franklin. London Grill owner Terry McNally as Marie Antoinette will cry, "Let them eat Tastykake!" as she is dragged to the guillotine, and Tastykakes are flung from the Eastern State ramparts. Bring the kiddies. They'll have a blast (and might even become interested in French history). - M.E.

» READ MORE: The Oval

Through September, Eakins Oval, 2601 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Free. 215-422-4169.

The Ben Franklin Parkway comes alive during the summer when eight of its acres become the Oval. There's programming Wednesday through Sunday (Fridays, for instance, are Food and Flicks days, featuring movie screenings - July 22 is Finding Nemo - and food trucks). There's also a beer garden and an art installation by Mural Arts Project's Brad Carney, who created a work called Rhythm and Hues. - M.E.

PERFORMANCE

» READ MORE: Richard III

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and July 22 and 23 (rain dates: Sunday and July 24), Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave. $20.

It's Shakespeare's greatest portrait of the poisoned crown and the corrosive corruption borne of power and ambition. (Imagine what the Bard would have made of the 2016 campaign.) The Mechanical Theater, site-specific specialists, tell the tale amid the tombs of Laurel Hill. - M.H.

» READ MORE: Beck Epoch

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Strawberry Mansion Bridge, 2200 Kelly Dr. Free from land.

Head to Fairmount Park to see some incredible aerial acrobatics. Members of the Invisible River troupe will dance above the Schuylkill. Land lubbers can bring a blanket and watch from the shore, but those feeling adventurous can rent a kayak ($35 for single, $70 for tandem) or a seat on a dragon boat ($25) to see the performance from the closest possible angle. Mom Mom's Polish Food Truck and Little Baby's Ice Cream will provide treats. - M.E.

PARADE

» READ MORE: Night in Venice

6:30 p.m. Saturday, the Bayside Center, 520 Bay Ave., Ocean City, N.J., $3 (12 and under), $7 for adults. Grandstands from Battersea Road to 16th Street and at Tennessee Avenue. Free. 609-399-6111.

Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin will host the 62nd annual Night in Venice parade. Liukin will join other celebrities including various Eagles team members and Gina Castanzo of The Voice. Described as "the pinnacle of the summer season in Ocean City," Night in Venice will be organized around a "Destination America" theme, which will be reflected in boat entries. In addition, the ceremony will feature a fireworks display to close out the evening - the first time Night in Venice has done so in about 40 years. - N.V.

MUSIC

» READ MORE: 5 Seconds of Summer

With Hey Violet and ONE OK ROCK, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, $25-$89.95, 856-365-1300.

The Aussie teen heartthrobs headline in Camden a night after playing Madison Square Garden. This international jaunt is behind their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good. Then ask the tween in your life. - M.E.

» READ MORE: Lucy Dacus

9 p.m. Tuesday, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $12, 215-739-9684.

» READ MORE: Duran Duran

7 p.m. Thursday,  BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, $19.95-$150, 856-365-1300.

There's a lyric from the second-to-last track on Duran Duran's 14th studio album, 2015's Paper Gods, that distills the essence of the iconic British new-wave synth band: "There's a vampire in the limousine/ Sun's going down like a symphony/ She keeps a guard up while her nails are wet," Simon Le Bon sings on "Only in Dreams." "I don't want to wake up." A Paper Gods Tour with Chic's Nile Rodgers seems perfectly natural, since Rodgers helped produce the record (with Mark Ronson) and even appears on the track "Pressure Off." With Tokimonsta. - Bill Chenevert