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

Spruce Hill and Powelton Village residents have a chance this Sunday, Dec. 18 to show their Christmas carol singing prowess and help light and decorate community trees.

Friends of Clark Park will be hosting the annual Christmas Caroling in the park. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the Community Christmas Tree atop the maintenance house, near 45th and Regent Streets. This wonderful, longstanding event draws many neighbors each year as a hushed winter night falls. Everyone is welcome to come sing traditional Christmas favorites by candlelight with your neighbors, and then enjoy hot cider and cookies.

Also on Sunday, a tree lighting celebration will take place in Powelton, at 3750 Lancaster Avenue (United Bank building). Neighbors are invited to help light the tree and make decorations and memories together. This event will take place from 5 – 7:30 p.m.

Community members are invited to St. Francis de Sales Church (47th and Springfield) for a candlelight Christmas concert under the dome this Wednesday (Dec. 14). The church’s choir will preview pieces from their annual Midnight Mass carol service, and their lineup this year will showcase pieces by Vaughan-Williams, Victoria, Franck, Garau and others, as well as feature a carol sing-along.

The concert is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged. All proceeds go toward restoration projects in the church building, which dates to 1907.

“Since the departure of the old pastor, there are a number of cultural and community events that SFDS is looking to relaunch,” writes SFDS sexton Michael Nevadomski. “Most of them are pretty Catholic, but we’re looking to start doing more regular concerts, the first of which is a candlelight Christmas concert by our very talented choir and organist on December 14.”  Continue Reading

The winter holidays are almost here and if you’re decorating your house or apartment, check out these great opportunities to purchase beautiful, handmade wreaths and centerpieces in the area or sign up for one of the wreath-making workshops happening this weekend.

• On Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Bartram’s Garden (5400 Lindbergh Blvd.) is hosting its annual Holiday Greens Sale. The sale features a beautiful selection of decorated and undecorated wreaths, centerpieces, fresh evergreens, and more. Visitors can also purchase ornamental greens and roping to create your own decorations for the holiday season. Also, enjoy seasonal music, stocking stuffers, and refreshments. For more information, go here.  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

Every year, the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) and residents organize a Halloween Parade and Party when our little neighbors can showcase their cute/scary/funny costumes. This year is no exception. The parade will be held on Monday, Oct. 31, beginning at 4:30 p.m. (gathering starts after 4 p.m. at 45th and Baltimore).

The parade will proceed to the 4200 block of Osage Ave. (Little Osage) where the annual Halloween Party will be held until 7 p.m. Neighbors and local businesses will be treating the tots to cider and baked goods.

The parade has taken place over the past eighteen years and has grown each year.

For more information, visit the SHCA website. Also, check this Facebook event page for latest information.