⭐ MLK Day, Restaurant Week deals, and new Mummers band competition|Things to do

I’ll be candid. The Eagles’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers was a sting to my winter plans. I looked forward to the crazed tailgates outside the Linc and the wave of excitement each tush-push touchdown generated among our rabid fanbase.

We were all hoping for a back-to-back Super Bowl run, even when the glaring holes in our offense signaled something far different. Unfortunately, we’ll have to see how things shake up next season. But that doesn’t mean our winter plans should be in the gutter. There are still plenty of things to do this weekend (and beyond) to mend our broken hearts and fill our typical Eagles Sundays.

Along with Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations throughout the city, restaurant week specials will be in full swing, plus the return of a Wilma Theater favorite, a toast to Ben Franklin’s 320th birthday, and more.

Read below to see what’s in store this week and beyond.

— Earl Hopkins (@earlhopkins_, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

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Thirty to 60 mph winds led to a postponement of the Mummers’ string band competition, and put a momentary damper on what was otherwise an extraordinary New Year’s Day. But the string bands may have gotten an even sweeter prize out of the ordeal, according to my colleague Henry Savage.

The judged string band competition will now take place at 2 p.m. on Jan. 31 at the Linc, parade officials announced last week. The annual competition is still open to the public, with tickets available on Ticketmaster for $12 to $25. It will also be broadcast on WFMZ-TV.

⭐ Celebrate MLK: Celebrate civil rights icon, and my dear fraternity brother, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at the African American Museum in Philadelphia starting Saturday. AAMP’s “Celebrating MLK 2026: Radical Peace and Public Memory” offers a screening of Selma, art-making, gallery talks, and other family-friendly activity through Jan 19.

🎉 Ben’s Birthday Bash: Stop by the Franklin Institute to celebrate Ben Franklin’s 320th birthday. The birthday bash for the founding father will be packed with games, music, and a few surprises. Visitors can even hear the song “Happy Birthday” being played on one of Franklin’s own inventions: the glass harmonica.

🦸🏼‍♂️ Unleash your inner superhero: The Bingo Verifying Divas will step out donning superhero ensembles for Superhero Smash GayBINGO at the Congregation Rodeph Shalom. The crew will bring its typical brand of entertainment and laugh-out-loud comedy, plus some prizes between each round.

🔍 A watchful eye on this famed detective: For theater-lovers and inquiring minds, Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective, directed by Bill Van Horn, now runs through Feb. 15 at Walnut Street Theatre.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Trestle Night Fever Happy Hour Dance Party and Tramp Stamp: Trashy 2000s Party at Kung Fu Necktie.

The brainchild of beloved performer Dito Von Reigersberg (aka Martha Graham Cracker) is now back on stage.

Pig Iron Theatre Company’s Poor Judge, a story of love, Hollywood ambition, and the darkness of the American success story, returns to Wilma Theater for the first time since its debut two years ago.

The show, brought to life by the music of Aimee Mann, is running through Jan. 25. Tickets are available at wilmatheater.org.

🎭 Final curtain call: Catch the Tony Award-winning musical Suffs, a story chronicling women’s struggles for the right to vote, at the Academy of Music before it closes on Jan. 18.

🍜 Restaurant Week in Center City: Center City District Restaurant Week returns with a bevy of prix-fixe dinner menus, ranging from $45-$60 at select restaurants, plus two-course lunches for $20 at other nearby eateries. Visit the official website for the full list of participants.

🥘 Bucks County bites: New Hope and Lambertville join forces for a PA-NJ-style restaurant week through Jan. 25, which includes two dozen restaurants along both sides of the Delaware River.

🍻 Philly Flurry in Fairmount: Small business in Fairmount, Brewerytown, Francisville, and Spring Garden are offering limited-time promos and discounts on drafts, cocktails, ice cream pints, and food orders through Feb. 1. Here’s a full list of participants.

Pop music critic Dan DeLuca lists the top concerts this weekend and a few holiday pop-up jams happening this month.

🎸 Thursday: Singer and guitarist Bill Kirchen, best known for their 1972 hit “Hot Rod Lincoln, stops at Sellersville Theater on Thursday. He will perform one set with his band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and another set with his Bob Dylan tribute band.

🎤 Friday: Long-time soul balladeer Peabo Bryson is on tour, 35 years since his Grammy-winning duet with Celine Dion on the title song for 1991’s Beauty and the Beast. He will be at City Winery on Friday.

🎤 Saturday: Chuck D and Flavor Flav will be joined by fellow hip-hop legends and R&B acts on Saturday at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Other veteran performers include Montel Jordan of “This Is How We Do It” fame, KRS-One, Sugarhill Gang, Philly’s Schoolly D, and the Furious Five – minus the group’s leader Grandmaster Flash.

Thanks for sticking with me for another newsletter entry. As I said at the top of the year, some amazing things are happening in 2026, even if our Birds came up short in the playoffs. I’ll do my best to capture the highlights. so tay tuned for more.

– Earl Hopkins