What to do in Philly this week: Paleopalooza, Philly Craft Beer Fest, King of Prussia Restaurant Week, and more
Plus legendary comedian Paula Poundstone, a junior version of MasterChef, the Israeli Film Festival, and more...
Flowers, funny, food and film: Here are fun-filled festivities for your week:
They may be pint-size, but they know how to cook. The adorable and admirable kids of MasterChef Junior are in town for a live show at the Kimmel this week. Which made us wonder: What were Philly chefs cooking when they were little? We asked them where it all started for them, and found some surprisingly touching stories (as well as cute photos).
Is getting your groceries delivered worth it? If you’ve ever wandered aimlessly through the aisles, hangry, dodging wild screaming toddlers and trying to find something that used to be in this aisle last week, you’ve wondered: Does it really have to be this way? There are a lot of grocery delivery services in Philly: Ellen Gray took a look at what’s out there.
FLOWER SHOW
2020 Philadelphia Flower Show
Breathe in the aromas of lavender, walk beneath a towering 25-foot-tall olive tree, and spot fresh lemons growing between green leaves. You’ll see it all within the first few steps into this year’s “Riviera Holiday”-themed Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, intended to whisk you off on a mini trip to the south of France. Check out our full guide to this year’s show — Grace Dickinson
Through March 8, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., $42 for adults, $26 for those ages 18-29, $17 for those ages 5-17, free for those younger than 5, theflowershow.com
FAMILY
Paleopalooza
The Academy of Natural Sciences’ annual Paleopalooza returns this weekend with fossil hunts, T. rex photo-ops, dino dissections, and more. Dive deep into the worlds of paleontology and geology with expert scientists leading discussions and hands-on activities all weekend. — G.D.
Saturday and Sunday, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., included with general admission, ansp.org
BEER
Philly Craft Beer Fest
Sample your way around the country at this craft beer fest, featuring dozens of national breweries serving up 100-plus sudsy varieties of beer to try. Food trucks, axe-throwing, and games like giant Jenga and cornhole are all part of the fun. — G.D.
1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Navy Yard, Building 611, 1100 Flagship Ave., $49 (online), $60 (day-of), phillycraftbeerfest.com
FOOD
King of Prussia Restaurant Week
Whether craving filet mignon from Sullivan’s Steakhouse, vegan butternut squash pizza from True Food Kitchen, or a casual night of tacos and guac from Bartaco, King of Prussia Restaurant Week brings dozens of prix-fixe dining deals to restaurants across the area. And, to make you feel extra good as you dive into that third-course dessert, a portion of proceeds from every meal benefit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. — G.D.
Starts Monday, continues through March 15, locations across King of Prussia, $10-$20 for lunch and $20-$40 for dinner, koprestaurantweek.com
MUSEUM
Fault Lines: Contemporary Abstraction by Artists from South Asia
This exhibition focuses on six artists working in or born in South Asia who explore minimalism in their work. Expect to see paintings, textiles, drawings, and sculptures that feature wavy lines, intended to disorient. — Thomas Hine
Opens Saturday, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., included with general admission, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org
COMEDY
Paula Poundstone
Poundstone is a living legend. If you don’t know her stand-up, maybe you know her from NPR; if not, maybe from her iconic appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, or maybe from her podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. If none of it rings a bell, well, get to know her at this show. — Jesse Bernstein
8 p.m. Saturday, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., $35-$55, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
FAMILY
MasterChef Junior Live
Neither chef Sanchez nor chef Ramsay will be there, but some as-seen-on-TV junior sous will show off their quick-fire skills onstage to impress an audience of future James Beard Award winners. — Lauren McCutcheon
7 p.m. Wednesday, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., $35-$125, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org
FILM
Israeli Film Festival
Now in its 24th year, the Israeli Film Festival celebrates Israeli culture with a lineup of feature films, dramas, comedies, and documentaries. Choose from two dozen screenings at venues across the region, including the Philadelphia Film Center, the Ritz East, and the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theatre. — G.D.
Starts Saturday, continues through March 29, prices and locations vary, iffphila.com
MUSIC
Wesley Stace
For the first 25 years of his career, British folk-rock singer Wesley Stace recorded under the stage name John Wesley Harding. Meanwhile, he was busy writing novels using his birth name. In 2013, the Mount Airy-based musician switched back; Wesley Stace became his nom de rock, starting with Self-Titled. Now, Stace — who recently coauthored dancer Mark Morris’ memoir Out Loud and who has written the libretto to Erollyn Wallen’s opera Dido’s Ghost, which premiers in London in 2021 — is on a cheekily titled tour, A Tribute To John Wesley Harding. He plays Wilmington, Del., with Robert Lloyd as his accompanist. John Faye opens. — Dan DeLuca
8 p.m., Friday, Arden Concert Gild, 2126 The Highway, Wilmington, Del., $17-$20, 302-475-3126, ardenconcerts.com
Poguetry: Songs of the Pogues
It’s nearly St. Patrick’s Day, which means many a band from the Emerald Isle will be spending the month touring the U.S. This rare treat pairs Spider Stacy, the tin-whistle player and sometime singer of the Pogues, with Cait O’Riordan, the Shane MacGowan-led band’s bass player on its great 1980s albums such as Red Roses for Me and Rum Sodomy & the Lash. They’ll be backed by Grammy-winning Cajun band Lost Bayou Ramblers. A lively evening is certain to ensue. — D.D.
8 p.m., Friday, City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St., $32-$44, 267-479-7373, citywinery.com/philadelphia
Destroyer
While Destroyer’s provocative new album, Have We Met, leans on synthesizers, there’s no guarantee that the songs will sound that way on Sunday when Dan Bejar brings his band to Underground Arts: He likes to radically transform the arrangements when he tours, so maybe the horns that lent his 2011 classic Kaputt its soft-rock sheen will infiltrate the new tunes, or maybe the glammy guitars from his early work will resurface. Regardless, Bejar is a captivating performer, and his aphoristic, word-rich songs hit harder live. Opening for Destroyer are fellow Canadians Nap Eyes, whose Lou Reed-obsessed Snapshot of a Beginner arrives at the end of the month. — Steve Klinge
9 p.m., Sunday, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., $25, 215-627-1332, undergroundarts.org
Dan + Shay
Do you ever marvel at how you blinked and a musical artist went from a nobody to a platinum-plated, award-winning, arena-packing attraction out of nowhere? That’s pretty much the story of Nashville vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. The country-music twosome — both with Pennsylvania roots — met in Music City in 2012; started writing songs together immediately, as legend goes (their first collab was for Rascal Flatts); and created their own harmony-laced brand of glossy, rocky C&W. The next thing you know — boom: three platinum albums, hit collaborations with Kelly Clarkson and Lindsey Stirling, 2020 Grammy Awards for Best Country Duo Group Performance and Best Country Song (both for “Speechless”), and now, their first arena tour. — A.D. Amorosi
7 p.m., Thursday, Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St., $35.50-$75.50, 215-336-3600, wellsfargocenterphilly.com
Brian Fallon / Justin Townes Earle
As the leader of the Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon specialized in scrappy, streetwise character studies set to rousing, rootsy punk rock. His solo work, including the forthcoming Local Honey, is much more introspective and restrained: Instead of the romance of the street, he’s interested in fatherhood and marriage, in songs that are still big-hearted and detailed. Fallon and his band, the Howling Weather, begin their world tour on Thursday at Wilmington’s the Queen with the excellent storytelling singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle opening. — Steve Klinge
7:30 p.m., Thursday, the Queen Wilmington, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del., $32.50, 202-730-3331, thequeenwilmington.com
Sun of Goldfinger
With his bald pate and shoulder-length white mane, David Torn bears some resemblance to a certain Revolutionary-era icon familiar to Philadelphians. But the guitarist, producer, and all-around sonic mad scientist shares not only Ben Franklin’s hairstyle but also the Founding Father’s restlessly inquisitive spirit of experimentation. Behind the scenes, he’s worked his magic on records by David Bowie, Madonna, and countless others. In the trio Sun of Goldfinger, he shares the spotlight with the venturesome saxophonist Tim Berne and drummer/electronic musician Ches Smith, together submerging listeners into a dense and mystifying onrush of sound. — Shaun Brady
8 p.m., Thursday, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $20, arsnovaworkshop.org