Memorial Day Weekend
May 21, 2019
Breath in that warm air (hopefully here to stay!) because Memorial Day Weekend, and the unofficial start of summer, is finally here!
If you'd prefer to not sit in traffic on the AC Expressway, you're in luck. Because there is so much going on in and around the Philadelphia Region.
Just steps away from Center City Philadelphia is our Destination of the Week, the Delaware River Waterfront. There is so much going on at the Waterfront this weekend! There's River Alive! a new 4,000-square foot permanent exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum, focused on the Delaware River and how millions of people use it for water, food and recreation (and guess what - it's a Perk)! Spruce Street Harbor Park not only is open for business with dining, a beer garden, hammocks, a boardwalk, and entertainment, but it's also hosting both the Art Star Pop-Up Market (which will showcase arts and craft vendors every weekend until September), as well as UNIVESTival, a three-day festival in honor of Memorial Day featuring live music, crafts, giveaways, and a big fireworks show on Saturday.
Speaking of fireworks, Penn’s Landing hosts their Memorial Day Fireworks and Full Spectrum Concert on Saturday, 5/25. Full Spectrum is an 8-piece, electrifying, high energy “pop & hip-hop” band out of the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, made up of 3 vocalists, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and an audio engineer. The concert begins at 8p, the fireworks show begin at 9:30p. To get front row seats, just take the Market-Frankford Line to 2nd Street or hop Bus Routes 12, 17, 21, 25, 33, 42, or 48.
Head to the Mann where the Philly POPS celebrate those who serve our country during the fourth annual Comcast NBCUniversal Memorial Salute at the Mann on Saturday, 5/25. The show is FREE, and guests can expect to hear patriotic anthems as well as popular show tunes and hits from the Great American Songbook. To get there, hop the SEPTA Mann Loop, SEPTA’s easy, one-seat trip to the show, that stops at major locations in Center City, and accepts cash, tokens, Travel Wallet, transfers & passes including the One Day Independence Pass.
The Chinese Lantern Festival is now open for your viewing pleasure. Come see the square at 6th and Race streets come alive with 15,000 LED lights shining on 29 different lantern displays, including a 200-foot-long Chinese dragon. Also on tap: awe-inspiring acrobatics and folk dance performances, the Dragon Beer Garden, classic Asian food and more. To get here on SEPTA, ride the Market-Frankford Line to 5th Street/Independence Hall or ride Bus Routes 47 or 47M.
On Saturday, 5/25, the Philadelphia Union take on Portland at Talen Energy Stadium. Start time is 7:30p. To get here on SEPTA, take the Wilmington/Newark Regional Rail Line to the Chester Transportation Center. From there, grab Route 113 to the stadium.
Want to get out of Philly, but the shore isn’t calling your name? Head to Devon for the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, the country’s oldest and largest event of its kind, features more than a dozen horse races in addition to hunters, jumpers, Saddlebreds, four-in-hand coaching, plus exhibitions, and an old-fashioned Country Fair at the Devon Show Grounds. This annual 11-day event begins Thursday, 5/23 and runs until Sunday, 6/2. The grounds are directly across the street from the Devon Station on the Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail Line, making this easy SEPTA access.
While the Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street Line always run 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturday nights, we’re sweetening the deal and extending that through Memorial Day Weekend! That’s right. If you plan to burn the midnight oil on Sunday (and sleep in on Monday) then take note – the Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street will run overnight – for all 24 hours of Sunday (into Monday) as well.
If you're planing to leave town entirely, remember that connecting to Amtrak is a breeze at 30th Street Station. And if you've got a date to fly the friendly skies, the Philadelphia Airport is only a train ride away! Our Airport Line stops at all major Philadelphia International Airport terminals, and is just a 25 minute ride from Center City, with one intermediate stop. The Airport Line runs every 30 minutes from 5am to midnight daily. The Airport is also served by two bus routes - Route 37 and Route 108. Find the answers to all of your Airport Line questions here.
Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend!
