Here’s a roundup of some events scheduled to take place in West and Southwest Philadelphia as part of the annual Juneteenth celebration. The annual Juneteenth Parade, which starts in West Fairmount Park and concludes at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine), will take place on Sunday, June 22. Here are more details about this and other events where you can celebrate and commemorate this historic holiday.

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom – Free Community Festival

Penn Museum (3260 South St)

Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Penn Museum is inviting all to a festival filled with joyful performance, live DJ sets, captivating storytelling, and hands-on activities for all ages. Guests can support Black-owned businesses at a community marketplace or grab a bite from local food trucks. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and free registration, go here.

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UPDATE (6/11/25): The fire at the former Admiral Court Apartments has been ruled an arson and the case is currently under investigation, according to reports. The blaze was caused by an unknown incendiary device, according to the results of an earlier investigation by the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday afternoon.

The structure was heavily damaged in the fire and is considered in an imminent danger of collapse, according to the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Several fire trucks were back on the scene near 48th and Locust on Monday:

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Architect renderings of the project (PZS Architects) on the 4700 block of Spruce Street.

Demolition work has begun to make way for a 13-story apartment building with ground floor retail space on the 4700 block of Spruce Street, across from the Henry Lea School. The building will include 170 mostly studio and one-bedroom apartments and 28 underground parking spaces.

Zoned CMX-3, which allows residential and commercial uses without zoning variances, the project drew criticism during a May 2022 community meeting but developers were not required to implement design changes because of the zoning designation. The project has been on hold while an addition was being completed to the adjacent Garden Court Plaza complex.

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A beloved summer neighborhood tradition lives on! Cedar Park Friday Night Jazz, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, is returning this week. The free shows run at 49th and Baltimore every Friday, from 6-8 p.m., in June and July (in fair weather only) and feature Philadelphia’s finest jazz musicians and bands.

The popular jazz series kicks off this Friday with a performance by a well-known West Philly musician, Gretchen Elise.

Please see the attached flyer for the full 2025 schedule.

Guests are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and picnics.

The event is organized by Cedar Park Neighbors with the help from neighborhood businesses. This year’s sponsors are PFCU, Mariposa, VIX, Hellcat Studio, Carbon Copy, and Cleo’s Bagels. If you’d like to support Cedar Park Jazz, please go here.

For updates, visit CPN’s Facebook page.

The June 2025 Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll map featuring the participating businesses, activities and specials.

The first 2025 Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is set to return on Thursday, June 5. As usual, you can stroll up and down Baltimore Avenue (between 40th and 51st Streets) and enjoy $1, $3, and $5 deals from dozens of local businesses and neighborhood vendors. The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.

In addition to the deals, there will be live music and entertainment all along Baltimore Ave. Check out a jazz performance by Gretchen Elise at Trolley Portal Gardens (40th and Baltimore), an activity zone at the HMS School parking lot (44th and Baltimore), the All Love Block Party at 48th Street near Calvary Church featuring DJs, interactive activities, and food and merchandise from community vendors, plus Double Dutch at 50th and Baltimore.

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Beginning Monday, June 2, The Woodlands will be closed to visitors until 4 p.m. through June 5 due to tree maintenance. The closure is necessary to keep visitors and workers safe as high-risk trees are removed from high-traffic areas.

Due to this critical work, the Woodlands gates will open at 4 p.m. daily and close at dusk from Monday, June 2 through Thursday, June 5.

Storms and insects, such as the emerald ash borer, have taken their toll on many Woodlands’ trees in recent years. To mitigate risk to visitors and make room for replacement plantings, 20 high-risk trees will be removed next week, and three more will be pruned and preserved as wildlife snags.

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The annual West Philly Community Yard Sale event, which debuted last year, is returning on Sunday, June 1!

Over 120 yard sales are expected to take place in the area, mostly between 43rd St. and 52nd St. and Woodland Ave. to Market St., with some sales taking place outside of that area as well, according to the event organizer Max Lovitz-Wolfson. It is a free event, with no fees for vendors, “organized simply for the love of yard sales and the community.”

Here is the link to the interactive map with all the sales: https://tinyurl.com/545va425 and here you can download the list of sales with their descriptions.

Anyone interested is invited to join the “West Philly VIRTUAL Yard Sales” group on Facebook for updates and more details about the event.

The West Philly Community Yard Sale will be held on Sunday, June 1, the day after the annual West Philly Porchfest. The rain date is Saturday, June 7.

West Philly Porchfest, the annual DIY music festival, is returning this Saturday, May 31. Dozens of free shows featuring a variety of music genres will take place from Noon-6 p.m. The festival keeps growing and adding new porches every year since it started in 2016.

You can check out the interactive map and list of the performers here and follow @westphillyporchfest on Instagram for updates.

Original paper cutting artwork by Sue Gettlin (Courtesy of The Woodlands).

The Woodlands Annual Benefit will be held on Thursday, June 12 and will be dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of the Grave Gardeners program. The benefit will feature food and drinks from local vendors and a silent auction, with the cemetery’s late spring beauty as the backdrop.

Often seen tending the “cradle graves” at The Woodlands, the Grave Gardeners are dedicated contributors to the historic cemetery and green space. Ten years ago, The Woodlands put out a call to help them garden some untended graves, and they were flooded with volunteers. The group became The Woodlands Grave Gardeners. Today, the program has grown to 160 volunteers gardening 250 adopted cradle graves, adding life and color to the grounds. The program has inspired historic cemeteries around the world.

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Home prices, rents, commercial construction and salaries in the neighborhoods that comprise the University City District (UCD) continue to outpace the rest of the city, according to the annual “State of University City” report issued late last week amid increased concerns about federal policies that could slow down the growth of “Eds and Meds.”

Median home prices in the neighborhoods (including Cedar Park, Spruce Hill, Powelton Village and Walnut Hill), were down slightly in 2024, settling at about $375,000, but the number of home sales was up slightly. Median home prices in Cedar Park jumped about 35 percent compared to 2023 and Spruce Hill continued to have the highest home value at about $550,000.

The median home sale price in Philadelphia was about $200,000 last year.

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Film still from Rashaad Newsome’s Assembly, the Closing Night feature film of Under the Stars 2025. Courtesy of The Film Collaborative.

UPDATE: The opening night has been postponed to Saturday, May 24 and changed location. It will take place indoors at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (801 S. 48th St), beginning at 6:30 p.m. Follow cinéSPEAK on Instagram for updates.

The 5th annual independent film festival, Under the Stars at Clark Park, is returning to 43rd and Chester this Friday, May 23. Every Friday through June 13, cinéSPEAK will present city premieres of independent films from around the world, live music from local artists, viral food pop-ups (including Manna Bakery and Darnel’s Cakes), and more.

This year’s program includes six Philadelphia premieres and a special repertory screening of legendary Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven, which makes one of its first U.S. appearances since its festival tour in 2019, and live musical performances in honor of West Philly Porchfest 2025. This year’s themes include Palestinian cultural preservation, Indigeneity and environmental stewardship, and Black and queer liberatory futures.

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Pennsylvania’s primary election is Tuesday, Мay 20 and here are some resources to help you before you head to the polls.

The most publicized race in this year’s citywide primary is for District Attorney. Incumbent Larry Krasner is running against Municipal Court Judge Pat Dugan. The non-partisan Committee of Seventy has put together a voting guide on the race that includes candidate positions on a variety of issues. There is no candidate on the Republican side.

Incumbent Christy Brady is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for City Controller. Ari Patrinos, a stockbroker and Harvard grad, is running on the Republican side.

Several judicial races are also on the ballot, including:

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UPDATE (5/20/25): The restaurant began dine-in lunch service on Tuesday, May 20, and now offers takeout and dine-in lunch on Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

(5/16/25): Corio, a neighborhood restaurant and takeaway serving pizzas, homemade pastas, curated wines, craft cocktails, and more in an Italian Modernism-inspired space, will open this spring in uCity Square at 3675 Market St., next door to Liberty Kitchen and Two Locals Brewing Company.

The new restaurant is a collaboration between three Vernick Food & Drink alumni: Chef David Feola (former Chef and Partner of Ember & Ash), General Manager and Beverage Director James Smith, and Ryan Mulholland, who is also currently the Director of Operations at CookNSolo.

Corio’s menu features creative twists on Italian cuisine with regional American specialties. It will include a variety of small plates, salads, pizzas, and pastas. Lunch will have an addition of sandwiches and dinner will have several entrees. A seasonal and classic cocktail menu will include flavors that complement the food menu with inspirations from Italy, and the wine menu will include selections from well-known staples to unique varietals.

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