If you’re not sure what to do for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, check out some happenings below. For more events, go here. Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront

There will be not one but two New Year’s Eve fireworks on the Delaware River waterfront. The first one is scheduled for 6 p.m. (good time for kids), and the other one will be at midnight. This is a free event. Here you can find best spots where you can watch the fireworks.

New Year’s Eve Parties/Concerts

• J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral (38th and Chestnut), 4 – 8 p.m.

Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Bach Festival of Philadelphia, led by Artistic Director Matthew Glandorf, will offer a rare performance of J.S. Bach’s complete Christmas Oratorio BWV 248. The concert will include an extended intermission, food and drink concessions. For more information and tickets ($15-$45), click here.  Continue Reading

Artwork by Laura Murdoch.

Need some holiday gifts with some Philly flavor? The annual Go West! Craft Fest holiday edition is this Sunday, Dec. 18 at The Rotunda (near 40th and Walnut) and will feature more than 100 artisan vendors selling handcrafted, locally made items.

Everything from hand-knitted winter clothing to locally made preserves to handmade toys will be available at The Rotunda. This thing has gotten so big over the years that it has now expanded into The Rotunda’s amazing Sanctuary space.

The Go West! Craft Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and here is a list of vendors.

It’s not often you get to see a play’s world premiere. Here’s your chance with the debut of Antagonyms, which opens at the Curio Theatre Company on Friday, Dec. 2.

Written by playwright, actor and Curio member Rachel Gluck, Antagonyms tells the story of four young Philadelphians.

“In Antagonyms, four twenty-somethings wrestle with their sense of self and their relationship to each other as they find themselves at each other’s throats and in each other’s beds. Contemporary millennial anxieties fuel a stylized high-stakes power game, creating a world in which old Hollywood glamour mingles with the sticky floor of a West Philly dive bar,” said Gluck.

Artwork by Elizabeth Gallagher.

An antagonym is a word with two opposite meanings, such as “bound.” One could be on the move, “bound” to Center City for example. Or “bound,” as in tied up, unable to move.

The performance is directed by Jack Tamburri, and the cast includes Alee Spadoni, Alexander Scott Rioh, Andrew Carroll and Colleen Hughes.

This production has mature content and not recommended for children and there are themes related to sexual violence.

You can catch a preview performance tonight and Thursday night. Antagonyms runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 17. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

For tickets visit the Curio Theatre Company website or call 215-525-1350.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping at the Art Star Craft Bazaar happening on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20, 10-5 p.m. at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum (6825 Norwitch Drive). Northern Liberties-based purveyors of handmade goods, Art Star, has once again selected a line-up of top art/craft vendors who will be set up among one of the world’s greatest collections of vintage race cars. The Simeone Foundation Automotive museum is a true hidden gem located in Southwest Philadelphia, and the bazaar is a great opportunity to check it out with the entire family at a discounted price!

Find something truly unique and made by hand for everyone on your holiday list.

Each vendor will be setting up shop in a 10-foot-by-10-foot space within the museum. Shoppers can expect a selection of unique, quality goods handmade from a variety of materials by some of the most talented makers from the region and beyond. Jewelry, Pottery, Furniture, Photography, Holiday Ornaments, Cards, Home Goods, Clothing, Lighting, Fine Art Prints, Original Art/Sculpture, Baby Gifts, Stationary, Tee Shirts, Bags, Macrame, Hand Knits, and More! Avoid the mall and support small business this holiday season.

The vendors will be bringing loads of great gift items that will not break the bank!

Go here for the full vendor line-up.

Continue Reading

The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-1930), a series of audio and video works that celebrate the historic journeys of African Americans to the North, are taking place this fall at libraries, rec centers and schools throughout the the city, including in West Philadelphia. The works range from profiles of local figures and institutions to experimental short films. Each screening offers a mix of local history and great film.

The films, produced by multi-media artists Julie Dash, Kevin Jerome Everson, and Tina Morton, look at the stories of Black migrants and the institutions that shaped their journey and settlement.

The screenings are presented by West Philly-based Scribe Video Center and community partners and will also feature works from Scribe’s Precious Places Community History Project, a citywide initiative to document the public spaces and landmarks that define our communities. These include short documentaries about the Belmont Plateau, the John Coltrane House, St. Paul’s Baptist Church, the Christian Street YMCA, and more.  Continue Reading

John Bartram Jawn 2016, a free concert featuring Southwest Philly artists, will take place Sunday, Oct. 16 at Bartram’s Garden.

On Sunday, Oct. 16, Bartram’s Garden will be hosting Harvest Fest, an annual free community event packed with fun activities for the whole family, such as hayrides, cider pressing, face-painting, cooking and canning workshops, games of chance and skill, yoga, boating, and much more. The Fest will take place from 12 – 3 p.m., and more details can be found on the Bartram’s Garden website.

Following the Fest, John Bartram Jawn 2016 will kick off at 3 p.m. This is a FREE family-friendly outdoor concert featuring artists with roots in Southwest Philadelphia: Lee Mazin, E–Ness, Scorp Da Boy, Reed, Beat Peace, Solis, Zai & Rico, MTM, Shyster, DJ POOH GEEZ, Cheris Wimes, Music is Soul Good, FU, Dez, Vito, Jasmine Carter, Host JR Morris, and more.  Continue Reading