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The best things to do in Philly this weekend and next week

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s online fall fundraiser, Pennsylvania Ballet's digital season, Taj Mahal, and a Philly dance party from the guy who brought us tunes outside the Convention Center.

Franklin Square opens its dazzling holiday light show on November 19.
Franklin Square opens its dazzling holiday light show on November 19.Read morePhotos by Jeff Fusco for Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

📅 This calendar is updated every Thursday at noon with the best events for the week. You can always find it at inquirer.com/calendar

FRIDAY (NOV. 13)

💃 Pennsylvania Ballet Digital Season (Performance / virtual) Pennsylvania Ballet artistic director Angel Corella curated a four-performance showcase of exciting ballet, which is available for streaming now. (Free registration is required to view the performances — donations are encouraged, through Nov. 25, paballet.org, add to calendar)

🍲 Holiday Showcase at Reading Terminal Market (Fall event / in-person / food) Vendors throughout Reading Terminal Market show off their best holiday meals, desserts, platters and beverages at a two-day holiday showcase. Get inspiration for your upcoming holiday meals at the event. (Nov. 13-14, eventbrite.com, map, add to calendar)

🍜 PHeaST: A Harvest Party (Fundraiser / virtual / food) Nathalie Richan, a chef-owner of Suraya and Cafe la Maude, leads the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s online fall fundraiser. Watch Richan create a delicious meal inspired by her Lebanese upbringing in her home kitchen. ($75, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., phsonline.org, add to calendar)

🎼 Devon Gilfillian and Illiterate Light (Music / virtual) It’s been a breakout year for Devon Gilfillian, the Delaware County-born Nashville-based soul singer who released his debut album Black Hole Rainbow in January and then followed it up last month with What’s Going On, a track-by-track cover of the 1971 Marvin Gaye album that Rolling Stone recently named the greatest of all time. He’s performing with indie duo Illiterate Light, with whom he’s releasing the new single “Freedom.” ($10, Nov. 13, 9 p.m., stream.fans.live, add to calendar)

🎸 Taj Mahal (Music / virtual) In a 50-plus year career, Taj Mahal expanded the vocabulary of the blues by melding the distinctly American art form with music from all over the globe. His most recent studio album, TajMo, is a collaboration with fellow guitarist Keb Mo. This show from the UC Theatre in Berkley, Calif., is his first ever livestream. ($20, Nov. 13, 9 p.m., mandolin.com, add to calendar)

🎶 Icelandic Airwaves (Music / virtual) This annual festival from the land of the ice and snow usually attracts acts and fans from all over the world. For this year’s virtual Live From Reyjkavik, though, all acts are home grown. They include indie popsters Of Monsters & Men, orchestral soundscape creator Olafur Arnalds, plus Asgeir, Emiliani Torrini, Mammut, Junius Meyvant and more. ($20 per day, $50 for two day pass, Nov. 13 and 14, 7:30 p.m., icelandicairwaves.is, add to calendar)

🃏 Come Away. (Movie / virtual) A “Peter Pan”-"Alice in Wonderland" re-imagined mash-up. Angelina Jolie and a top-flight cast of Brits including Michael Caine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Anna Chancellor and Derek Jacobi star. Directed by former animator Brenda Chapman (“Brave”). (Rated PG. Premieres Nov. 13 on VOD and streaming services)

🎥 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story. (Movie / virtual) A rare big-budget holiday tale with Black actors as leads. Forest Whitaker plays a toy maker who must rely on his granddaughter (played by Madalen Mills) to get back one of his magical creations from a thieving apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key). (Rated PG. Premieres Nov. 13 on Netflix)

🎭 Get Pegged Cabaret (Performance / virtual) This Friday night, the Bearded Ladies and FringeArts turn your computer screen into a fun party complete with livestreamed song and dance performances from talented cabaret performers, along with special surprises. (Pay what you can, Nov. 13, 8 p.m., fringearts.com, add to calendar)

» READ MORE: How to do everything better right now: A collection of our most useful stories

SATURDAY (NOV. 14)

🛍️ Haddon Township Makers Market (Shopping / in-person) Shop handmade goods at Haddon Township’s all-day, open-air makers market, featuring a curated selection of home items, jewelry, art, accessories, unique cooking ingredients and more. Masks and social distancing required. (Nov. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., haddontwp.com, map, add to calendar)

🌳 Love Your Park Fall Service Day (Fall event / in-person / outdoors / volunteering) More than 65 beloved parks throughout the city’s neighborhoods welcome volunteers for end-of-season cleanup, leaf collecting and tree and flower planting. Registration is required to take part and masks and social distancing are mandatory. (Free, Nov. 14, loveyourpark.org, add to calendar)

🎨 Philadelphia Chalk Festival (Fall event / in-person / kid-friendly / outdoors) Take a stroll through Kensington and Fishtown on Saturday and find beautiful street street art outside of venues, restaurants and attractions for the one-day Philadelphia Chalk Festival. The festival map shows attendees where to find the impressive artworks on their socially distant and self-guided tour. (Free, Nov. 14, phillychalkfest.com, map, add to calendar)

📚 Griot Tale Saturdays! Stories for Little Ones at Franklin Square (Storytelling/ in-person / kid-friendly / outdoors) On select Saturdays this month, Franklin Square teams up with the African American Mueum for outdoor, socially distant afternoon storytelling. The event honors griots, African storytellers and oral historians who pass tales down to future generations. (Free, Nov. 14, 21, 28, 4 p.m.-5 p.m., aampmuseum.org, map, add to calendar)

💃 Dance on Philly (Fundraiser / virtual / performance) Musicians, DJs and dancers from across the region come together to show off their talents at a virtual, Saturday night dance party available for dance fans to livestream. Attendees can dance along from the comfort of their own homes while helping to raise money for local arts organizations Musicopia and Dancing Classrooms Philly. (Donations encouraged, Nov. 14, 6 p.m.-midnight, danceonphilly.com, add to calendar)

🎶 The Beths (Music/ virtual) New Zealand indie pop band The Beths came on with a winning combination of effervescence and self deprecation on their 2018 debut Future Me Hates Me and this year’s follow up Jump Rope Gazers. Instead of touring the U.S., the Elizabeth Stokes-led quartet are stuck in the Antipodes, and this show will be staged live from Auckland Town Hall. ($20, Nov. 14, 5 p.m. thebethsnz.bandcamp.com., add to calendar)

🎤 Andrew Lipke (Music / virtual) South African-born Philly based singer-songwriter, composer and arranger Andrew Lipke can play soft and loud: He frequently pairs off with symphony orchestras, and leads the Led Zeppelin tribute band Get The Led Out. This weekend, he’s playing with a rock trio and sting trio at the Kennett Flash, the Chester County that last month was one of only 20 venues nationwide to be awarded a sustaining grant by the Live Music Society. With Jennifer Orchard. ($20 suggested donation. 8 p.m. Nov. 14. kennetttflash.org, add to calendar)

🛍️ Fall Artist and Artisan Market at Cherry Street Pier (Shopping / in-person) Now’s the time to kick off your holiday shopping as artists and makers showcase their wares at an exciting market full of gifts and goodies at Cherry Street Pier. Masks and social distancing are required. (Nov. 14, 12 p.m.-5 p.m., cherrystreetpier.com, map, add to calendar)

» READ MORE: Keep your kids busy this week with our kids calendar

WEDNESDAY (NOV. 18)

💃 BalletX Beyond Premieres (Performance / virtual) This next BalletX program features new works by choreographers Amy Hall Garner, Robbie Fairchild, and Mariana Oliveira. (Available by subscription to the company’s digital platform, $15-$30/month, Nov. 18, 7 p.m., balletx.org, add to calendar)

🎤 Stand Up For Heroes with Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley (Music / virtual) The annual veteran’s benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation is a virtual gathering featuring Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa, Sheryl Crow, country singers Brad Paisley and Mickey Guyton, comedians Jon Stewart, Tiffany Haddish and Ray Romano, and in a category all his own, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. (Free. 9 p.m. Nov. 18, abc.com, add to calendar)

THURSDAY (NOV. 19)

💃 Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (Performance / virtual) The program features solos and group works — including a “world premiere surprise” from this company noted for its highly spiritual, poetic approach to movement. ($25, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. annenbergcenter.org, add to calendar)

🌟 Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show at Franklin Square (Light show / in-person / outdoors / free) Ooh and ahh at more than 100,000 twinkling lights at Franklin Square’s Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show, which returns for the holiday season on Nov. 19. The show, set to festive music recorded by the Philly POPS, starts at 5 p.m. nightly and occurs every 30 minutes. (Free, Nov. 19-Dec. 31, historicphiladelphia.org, map, add to calendar)

ONGOING

🚂 Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (Fall event / in-person / tour / day trip) It’s prime time to view Pennsylvania’s fall leaves and enjoy sweeping mountain views — through Nov. 8, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway lets leaf peepers take a guided tour of the Lehigh River, Glen Onoko and the Lehigh Gorge State Park. ($9-$20, through at least Nov. 22, lgsry.com, map, add to calendar)

🌙 Night Tours at Eastern State Penitentiary (Tour / in-person / ongoing) Arriving in time for the spookiest season of them all is the penitentiary’s brand-new Night Tours, where you can explore the cell blocks by moonlight. The audio tour is narrated by Steve Buscemi, and features large-scale projections, artist installations and more. ($19-32, through Nov. 15, easternstate.org, map, add to calendar)

🇵🇷 Raúl Romero: Onomonopoetics of a Puerto Rican Landscape (Art / in-person / ongoing) Taller Puertorriqueño presents an immersive exhibit that transports viewers to Puerto Rico through sound. Sounds of the island’s tiny coquí frog can be heard throughout Fairhill’s El Centro de Oro, emanating from sculptures that celebrate Arecibo’s famous observatory. (Free, through Jan. 10, tallerpr.org, add to calendar)

⛸️ Ice Rink at Dilworth Park (Fall event / in-person / outdoors / kid-friendly / ongoing) Dilworth Park marks the holidays with the return of its popular ice skating rink, which, in addition to skating, has super Instagrammable views of Center City and City Hall. This year, the winter park’s food-and-drink cabin becomes an open-air restaurant with a range of food and cocktails, with winter decor and toasty heat lamps. Masks, social distancing and timed tickets required. ($5-14 for skating; $10 for skate rental, through Feb. 28, centercityphila.org, map, add to calendar)

🎨The Gardens After Dark at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (Museum / in-person / kid-friendly) On Friday nights through November 20, Philly’s Magic Gardens keeps its doors open a little later for after-hours tours of the outdoor mosaic garden and the indoor galleries. ($13-$20, Nov. 13 and 20, 6-9 p.m., phillymagicgardens.org, map, add to calendar)

🧘🏿Spirits Up! Black Wellness Festival (Festival / virtual / multi-day) For three weekends this month, Spirits Up!, a local organization dedicated to Black liberation and healing, presents a virtual Black wellness festival featuring Black and indigenous music, poetry and art, along with online meditation and yoga classes. ($15-$75, Nov. 13-15, 20-22, spiritsup.life, add to calendar)

🎥 Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival (Film / virtual / multi-day) The film fest celebrates its 40th anniversary with a full slate of independent films, some fresh off of the festival circuit. This year’s all-virtual lineup includes bold new Jewish cinema, along with virtual happy hours, filmmaker spotlights, panels, and more. ($15 for a ticket; $180 for a 1-week pass, through Nov. 21, pjff.org, add to calendar)

🎥 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (Festival / virtual / multi-day) The all-virtual film festival showcases more than 80 films through November 15. Screenings include documentaries like The Donut King, about Cambodian immigrant and donut entrepreneur Ted Ngoy, and a series of shorts about determination. Beyond films, the multi-day fest promises panels, performances and more. ($10+ per film, $35-$90 for a festival pass, through Nov. 15, paaff.org, add to calendar)

Calendar contributors include music critic Dan DeLuca (music), Howard Gensler (movies), and Jane M. Von Bergen (theater).