🌸 Spring festival season is here | Things to do

It feels like summer. No, seriously.

With temperatures reaching record-setting highs this week, a beach day doesn’t sound so distant. Our latest field trip franchise highlights how to have the perfect off-season stay in Wildwood, and this might just be the weekend to do it.

If a short-drive to the outer edges of the region isn’t on your cards, there’s still plenty of ways to spend your weekend being out and about in the city. Weather notwithstanding, it is spring after all. And that means the big return of markets and festivals. This weekend, the lineup includes the Philadelphia Film Society’s SpringFest, Manayunk’s StrEAT Food Festival, and 12,000-pound monster trucks clashing at Lincoln Financial Field for Monster Jam.

Read below to carve out your weekend plans.

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

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It wouldn’t be spring in Philly without the annual circuit of seasonal markets and festivals.

From booze to ballet — and everything in between — this year’s lineup celebrates the best the region has to offer following the winter thaw. Now’s your chance to hear wonderful jazz, taste new foods, find artisan crafts, and climb greased poles across the city. We’ve got your essential guide to Philly’s spring markets and street fests.

🎥 The return of SpringFest: The Philadelphia Film Society’s SpringFest kicks off this Friday for seven days of dynamic storytelling from new, bold voices in cinema. The lineup features film premieres, filmmaker conversations, and community-focused events through April 23.

🥐 A new Creole Jewish bakery: Queen village has no shortage of quality pastry shops, but the newly-opened Rougarou Baking offers a unique blend of Creole and Jewish American treats. The menu includes jambalaya-stuffed hand pies, king cake, chocolate babka, and other items that celebrate the two cultures.

🎬 A Black liberation history lesson: Michèle Stephenson’s documentary, True North, is a record of the 1969 student protests in Montreal, where Haitian students protested against Concordia University’s racist ways. The film plays at the Scribe Video Center on Friday.

🌇 Sunset Social is back, baby: Outdoor movie screenings and one of the best views of the city skyline is back. Sunset Social, part of University City’s rooftop park Cira Green, is back for pay-as-you-go bites, drinks, and weekly events.

🏀 A heated playoff matchup: After beating the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers are taking on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The hotly-contested matchup kicks off this Sunday at Boston’s TD Garden arena, but 76ers fans will be glued to their TV screens to watch these conference rivals battle it out.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Point Breeze Market Festival, Spring Fest at Bartram’s Garden, and Panda Fest at Dilworth Park.

On Sunday, Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival makes its return, with a lineup filled music and savory bites all throughout Main Street.

Food vendors include 2 Street Sammies, Albie’s Burger Truck, Bake’n Bacon, Hangry Joes Food Truck, WokWorks, and Manayunk eateries such as Chloe’s Corner, Kismet Bagels, Main Street Pho, and others.

New this year will be a family friendly area at Lock Street, with additional tables, food trucks, a kids bounce house, and face painting.

There will also be six different musical acts performing on two different stages from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit manayunk.com.

🚘 Monster Jam at the Linc: Stop by the Linc to watch drivers of 12,000-pound four-wheelers put their skills to the test during Monster Jam. Legendary trucks like Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Megalodon, Sparkle Smash, and others will hit the dirt this Saturday.

🇺🇸 A revolutionary production: Nearly 50 years before Hamilton, another telling of the nation’s fight for independence delighted theater audiences. I’m talking about the 1969 classic, 1776: The Musical, a production filled with nail-biting tension, laughs, and romance. It’s playing at Walnut Street Theatre through May 31.

🏞️ Stop by the riverside oasis: Starting Thursday, Morgan’s Pier returns for another season of breezy cocktails, live music, trivia nights, and the same illustrious view of the iconic waterfront.

🎨 An exhibition on freedom: In more than 50 workshops, Mural Arts posed one question to the public: “What does freedom require today?” The answers are at the center of a new exhibition, "Printmaking by the People: Posters for a Reimagined Declaration of Independence." The exhibition, located at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central Library, is on view through August.

Pop music critic Dan DeLuca lists the top concerts this weekend.

🎸 Thursday: Pub rock super group Fantastic Cat, comprised of indie artists Don DiLego, Anthony D’Amato, Mike Montali, and Brian Dunne, will perform at Ardmore Music Hall.

🎤 Friday: British pop songwriter Lily Allen, whose latest album West End Girl sparked renewed popularity, is scheduled to headline shows at the Met Philly on Friday. She returns for another show at Xfinity Mobile Arena in September.

🎤 Saturday: Demi Lovato, fresh off 2025’s It’s Not That Deep, which deviated from her rock-oriented sound to offer dance-pop synth, is taking the stage at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday.

🎤 Sunday: British pop star Raye, whose proven to a be nuevo retro R&B singer with flair, will take center stage at the Met Philly.

Take advantage of this summer weather while you can – whether it’s on a beach chair at Cape May, or atop Cira Green for a view of the Philly skyline.

- Earl Hopkins