The Rundown | April 15-22

Royal Boucherie
Royal Boucherie | Image: Lexy Pierce

From restaurant reopenings to artist meets and more, spring events are heating up in Philly. Here are some of our favorites.

Communicating the Museum During COVID-19

How do you communicate a museum in a way that is inclusive, inspiring and educational? How can arts and culture continue to serve the public in environments grappling with and recovering from COVID-19? Join Jo Tiongson-Perez, director of marketing and communications at the Penn Museum, for an inside look at how museum stories are brought to life – from strategy and launch to analytics and pivoting in our new normal. Drop by this virtual short talk followed by live conversation. Free to registered guests. April 27 at 5:30pm. penn.museum

Meet the Artist: Tom Judd

Artist Tom Judd will be at the Woodmere on Sunday, April 18, from 1-4pm to talk with visitors about the exhibition “History in Motion: Tom Judd’s Subway Mural.” The exhibition features preparatory studies and photographs of the artist’s permanent mural installation, Portal to Discovery, at the 5th Street/Independence Mall Station. Portal to Discovery presents historical figures such as the founding fathers, abolitionists, Native American leaders, and colonial military leaders who contributed to the founding of the United States. This event is in-person and free. woodmereartmuseum.org

Night Tours: Summer Twilight

Explore Eastern State Penitentiary’s historic cell blocks as the sun goes down. Admission to Night Tours: Summer Twilight includes all daytime programming – “The Voices of Eastern State” Audio Tour; award-winning exhibits; artist installations – and more. Eastern State partners with Philadelphia’s Triple Bottom Brewing Company to offer a selection of Triple Bottom beer for purchase, including the all-new Purpose Pale Ale. Night Tours: Summer Twilight runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from May 7 through Sept. 4. Tickets start at $19 and must be purchased online in advance. EasternState.org/NightTours.

Virtual Cook-A-Long with Amy von Sydow Green

Tired of your same old go-to salad ingredients? Amy will share tips and tricks to spruce up your spring salad. Follow along while she makes a fresh and green inspired salad with shaved asparagus, prosciutto chips, and a lemon shallot dressing. Presented by the American Swedish Historical Museum. April 25 at 2pm. americanswedish.org

Royal Boucherie

Old City’s lively neighborhood bistro reopened on April 8 with new Executive Chef Matt Buehler at the helm, formerly of Vetri Cucina, as well as a new seasonal menu and sidewalk seating, and its outdoor, off-street, second-floor patio in bloom. Guests can look forward to an enhanced raw bar program including lobster cocktail, shrimp cocktail, East and West Coast oysters, and towering seafood plateaus. 52 S. 2nd Street. royalboucherie.com

The Wayward, East Market’s popular French rooted American brasserie, is offering brunch on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 10am in their picturesque outdoor dining space. | Image: Courtesy of The Wayward

Get ready to have fun with these exciting events

Earth Day is coming up soon. Historical sites are reopening and expanding hours. Restaurants have new deals to check out. Don’t think there’s nothing to do these days.

Earth Day Live!

On this day, more than 1 billion people from almost 200 countries will unite to improve our planet. Join the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education for a highly interactive event to share Earth Day actions: Ask questions of Saleem Chapman, the city’s climate resilience coordinator; enjoy eco-poetry; learn our city’s special history with Earth Day; and guess the top five environmental pop songs of all time – while hearing a climate change quartet. You’ll also meet our impossibly cute Nature Preschoolers, who help unveil the new Earth Day Forest. April 22 at 7pm.  schuylkillcenter.org

STEM Education Fair

Join Philly Colleges highlighting STEM programs for the new to career or working professionals who want to advance to win, April 20 (undergraduate programs) and April 22 (graduate programs), 11am -1pm each day, all online. Registration is free, go to eventbrite.com for more information.

Betsy Ross House

The Betsy Ross House’s hours are expanding. The House will be open for self-guided and audio tours 10am to 5pm Thursdays through Mondays. Betsy will be greeting guests in the courtyard and telling her fascinating life story. Guests will continue to be admitted to the courtyard in reduced numbers to allow for social distancing. Masks are required for guests and are being worn by all staff members and performers. For contact-free admission, advance tickets may be purchased at historicphiladelphia.org

Sabrina’s Café

The locally grown group of popular breakfast, lunch and brunch restaurants is celebrating its 20th anniversary with original food menu items from 2001 with proceeds benefiting a local charity, available at all open locations on Thursday, April 22. As a celebration of two decades in business, Sabrina’s Café will offer several original menu items from 2001 for one day only on April 22 with throwback pricing for those particular dishes. Sabrina’s Café will then match that price, and all proceeds garnered will be donated to local charity Project Home, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that provides housing, opportunities for employment, education and medical care for homeless and low-income persons in Philadelphia. The event will be available at all open Sabrina’s Café’s locations for dine-in only. sabrinascafe.com

East Market restaurants

Two restaurants in East Market, Center City’s urban lifestyle destination, should be on your radar as outdoor dining destinations. In addition to serving dinner, The Wayward, East Market’s popular French rooted American brasserie, is offering brunch on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 10am in their picturesque outdoor dining space. Iron Hill Brewery is also welcoming guests to their outdoor dining space to enjoy their award-winning craft beer and handcrafted foods such as tacos, hearth baked pizzas, pan seared scallops and fish and chips from Monday through Sunday beginning at noon. Thewayward.com. eastmarket.com/businesses/iron-hill-brewery

Best Picture Showcase

The Philadelphia Film Society is celebrating the wonderful year in film during the Best Picture Showcase at the PFS Drive-In at the Navy Yard. The PFS Drive-In at the Navy Yard is the only place in the area where audiences can see nominated films on the big screen. While a few showings have already occurred, there’s still time to catch some of this year’s best films. Guests will enjoy all the films from the safety of their own cars with the Vehicle Pass ($100 per car | $90 per car PFS members), on sale now. Vehicle Pass includes admission for up to six occupants. Go to Filmadelphia.org/Best-Picture-Weekend for details.

The Father

Anthony is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the caregivers that his daughter, Anne, encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne; she can’t make daily visits anymore and Anthony’s grip on reality is unravelling. As we experience the ebb and flow of his memory, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to? How does Anne cope as she grieves the loss of her father, while he still lives and breathes before her? Thursday, April 15 | 8:15pm

Nomadland

Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, the movie features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West. Friday, April 16 | 8:15 PM

Judas and the Black Messiah

Fred Hampton was 21 years old when he was assassinated by the FBI, which coerced a petty criminal named William O’Neal to help them silence him and the Black Panther Party. But they could not kill Hampton’s legacy and, 50 years later, his words still echo…louder than ever. Saturday, April 17 | 8:15pm

Don’t forget the party

The PFS is hosting the 8th Annual Oscars® Party & Screening at Cira Green, Philadelphia’s Park in the Sky (129 South 30th Street) on Sunday, April 25. Traditionally held at the Philadelphia Film Center, this year’s change of venue allows for an outdoor experience, giving guests the opportunity to celebrate the Oscars with fellow cinephiles while practicing safe social distancing. Go to filmadelphia.org for details.

Sound of Metal

During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career – and with it his life – is over. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world. Sunday, April 18 | 8:15pm

Mank

1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles. Thursday, April 22 | 8:15pm

Andrea Bocelli

Live music is back

Live music is coming back to Wells Fargo Center with a lineup of diverse, industry-leading artists set to take Philadelphia’s main stage once again. The arena has announced a series of full-capacity concerts set for later this year and early 2022. Tickets to the upcoming shows will be available to purchase at WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com on each show’s respective on-sale date. Here’s a look at what’s ahead. 

Banda MS

Tickets for the show, scheduled for Sept. 4, are already on sale. Don’t miss your chance to hear some great Latin and Banda music. Get your tickets now.

Kane Brown 

The former Favorite Country Male Artist is scheduled to appear Jan. 13, 2022. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale April 16 at 10am, so don’t put off jumping online to reserve your seats.

Roger Waters

You can see one or both of Pink Floyd’s co-founder’s shows scheduled to take place Aug. 5 and 6. The catch is that this is a rescheduled show and the tickets sold for the previous shows are valid for these. So check the secondary markets or call a buddy who already has tickets in hand.

Andrea Bocelli

The Italian opera tenor will grace the stage in the Big House on Dec. 8. Here’s your chance to see this legend, who has sold tens of millions of albums over the years. Tickets are set to go on sale May 3 at 10am.

Eric Church

Tickets to see the country crooner, who has been named Entertainer of the Year, are scheduled to go on sale May 7 at 10am. Get them and then count down the days until his Oct. 9 gig.

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