Beautiful spring weather means Parks & Rec’s sites are bursting with great activities. Celebrate your neighborhood park by participating in Love Your Park Week. It runs from May 11 to May 19. More than 100 Philly parks need your help. Come plant flowers, tend trees, and collect leaves for compost.  

Besides some great outdoor events, Mother’s Day is coming up. Celebrate by attending FOW’s Backyard Bash, a performance or participating in an art workshop.  

See the list below for a sampling of the events hosted by our staff and partners this month. 

Please note: events may be canceled or postponed due to bad weather. Be sure to check the links below to confirm date, time, and location.

Upcoming events

Sketching and painting in the Wissahickon 

May 22, 2024
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Meet at Harper’s Meadow—located between Northwestern Avenue, Germantown Avenue, and Forbidden Drive.   

Organized by the Friends of the Wissahickon. Bring a chair or a blanket, as well as a sketchbook, portable easel, and/or materials for painting. There will be no formal art instruction. No previous painting or sketching experience is necessary. Register for this free event on FOW’s website.  

Star Players presents “Anything Goes”  

May 31 to June 2, 2024
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center—1 Rector Street, 19127.  

The S. S. American is sailing between New York and England with a comically colorful assemblage of passengers. Reno Sweeney is a popular nightclub singer and former evangelist. Billy Crocker is a lovelorn Wall Street broker. He wants to win the favor of Hope Harcourt. There is only one problem. She is engaged to another passenger, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh. See more details.  

Reoccurring events in May 

Yoga in the Park 

May 5, 12, and 19, 2024
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Lemon Hill Mansion—1 Lemon Hill Drive, 19130.  

Find your peaceful place in Fairmount Park. Come meet new people on the lawn in front of Lemon Hill Mansion. Buy tickets. 

Past events

No-sew Pillow and Screen-Printing Workshop 

May 2, 2024
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Glen Foerd—5001 Grant Avenue, 19114.  

Come create no-sew pillows and try your hands at screen printing. All materials will be provided. Come get creative. Register on Glen Foerd’s website.  

Friends of Rittenhouse Square presents The Philadelphia Ballet 

May 2, 2024
5:45 p.m.
7:15 p.m.
Rittenhouse Square—1800 Walnut Street, 19103. 

Friends of Rittenhouse will host two free public performances with the Philadelphia Ballet. Performances will be held at 5:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Rate date is May 3, 2024. Learn more on Facebook. 

Community Park Sale 

May 4, 2024
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bardascino Park —1000 S. 10th Street, 19147.

Organized by Friends of Bardascino Park. Spring cleaning? Sell your stuff at the community park sale. Spots are $15. The $15 benefits the Friends of Bardascino Park. Register today.

Spring Blooms 

May 4, 2024
12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Harrowgate Park—3455 Kensington Avenue, 10134. 

Celebrate spring. Enjoy food and drinks, music, and get a free garden seed starter kit. Organized by Friends of Harrowgate Park. See details on Facebook.  

Drawing from the Water: Inspiration from the Delaware River 

May 5, 2024
12 to 2 p.m.
Lardner’s Point Park— 5202 Levick Street, 19135.  

Organized by The Tacony LAB Community Center. Get outside and make some art. Barb Baur will lead a landscape drawing class. Register for this free class on Eventbrite.  

Free Fishing  

May 8, 2024
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Bartram’s Garden—5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, 19143.

Reel in the fun! Come fish for free. No experience is necessary. Free rods, tackle, bait, and basic instruction. Catch and release only. No fishing license or registration required. Learn more on their website.

Backyard Bash 100th Anniversary Celebration 

May 10, 2024
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Valley Green Inn—Valley Green Road at Wissahickon, 19134. 

Organized by Friends of Wissahickon. Enjoy catfish and waffles, live music, family-friendly activities, and more. Buy tickets and register now.  

Spring Rittenhouse Square Fine Craft Show

May 10-12, 2024
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sunday)
Rittenhouse Square —1800 Walnut Street, 19103. 

Organized by the Friends of Rittenhouse Square. Meet and shop from more than 130 artisans at Rittenhouse Square. See more details. 

Love Your Park Signature Event

May 11, 2024
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Stinger Square—3200 Dickinson Street, 19146.

Organized by Parks & Rec, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Friends of Stinger Square Park. More than a hundred Park Friends Groups across the city are hosting volunteer cleanups. Come help Parks & Rec plant trees and pick up litter. Enjoy family-friendly activities, free food, free T-shirts, music and more. After the volunteer activities, there will be a speaking program followed by lunch. All tools and materials, including gloves, will be provided. Register for this free event. 

Comic Book Day 

May 11, 2024
11 a.m.—1 p.m.
East Passyunk Community Center—1025 Mifflin Street, 19148. 

Get ready for a super-powered day. Enjoy a fun-filled day of comics and superheroes. Meet Captain America. The first one hundred children will receive a free comic book. Don’t forget to come dressed up as your favorite character. See more details on Facebook.  

Sierra Club “Sense-ational Stroll”

May 11, 2024
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
FDR Park—1500 Pattison Avenue, 19145.

Organized by Sierra Club and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Integrative Health team. Enjoy a sensory stroll around FDR Park. Use your eyes, nose, ears, and hands to explore nature. This outing is part of Prescribe Outside. Integrative Health will provide yoga activities, mini massages, and reiki energy therapy. Register for this free event on Sierra Club’s website. 

Nature Tots: Love Your Park

May 14, 2024.
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Pennypack Environmental Center—8600A Verree Road, 19115.

Celebrate Love Your Park week by planting flowers at the center, and then take some home. See more details here. 

Science for Seniors: Love Your Park 

May 15, 2024
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Pennypack Environmental Center —8600A Verree Road, 19115. 

Come celebrate LYP Week by planting flowers at the center and some to take home. Register for this free event.  

Mifflin Square Love Your Park Clean Up

May 18, 2024
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Mifflin Square—500 Wolf Street, 19148.

Show your neighborhood park some love. Help friends and neighbors lay mulch and paint benches. Tools, gloves, water and snacks will be provided. Register for this free event today. 

Celebrate Garden Court Community Garden

May 18, 2024
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Garden Court Community Garden—4700 Spruce Street, 19139.

Organized by the Garden Court Community Association (GCCA). Come celebrate your neighborhood park at this community fun day. Read with a therapy dog from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Philly Hoops will teach kids Hula-Hoop tricks. From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Philly Girls Jump will demonstrate their Double Dutch skills and give lessons. There will also be face painting, outdoor games, a native plant swap, a pollinator workshop, and tours of the community garden. Learn more about the Garden Court Community Association. 

Canoe and Conservation  

May 18, 2024
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Discovery Center—3401 Reservoir Drive, 19121. 

Come search for flora and fauna while you paddle in the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir. Visit their website for more information. 

Penn Treaty Love Your Park Clean Up

May 19, 2024
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Penn Treaty Park—Columbia Avenue and Beach Street, 19125. 

Help clean and green this beautiful community space. Come make a difference in your neighborhood. Tools and other materials will be provided. Sign up to volunteer. 

Open Boating Day 

May 19, 2024
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Glen Foerd—5001 Grant Avenue, 19114. 

Take out a canoe, rowboat, or kayak. Come explore parts of the Poquessing Creek and Delaware River. Meet behind the carriage house. Learn more on Glen Foerd’s website.