West Craft Fest, featuring over 100 local crafters and artists, will return for the 15th time to The Woodlands (40th and Woodland) on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The spring edition of this popular bi-annual event is a great opportunity to shop for unique, handmade Mother’s Day gifts, such as artisan jewelry, handmade ceramics, clothing, accessories, prints, stationery, soaps, candles, children’s items, home wares and more.

Guests can also enjoy live music, food trucks, children’s activities and acrobatic performances by Tangle Movement Arts, plus learn some Philadelphia history while you stroll The Woodlands’ 54 acres of historic cemetery monuments, gardens, and flowering trees and bushes.  Continue Reading

Artists Leo Tecosky (left) and Roberto Lugo are bringing their work to the historic Hamilton Mansion at The Woodlands (40th and Woodland).

Beginning Sunday, March 31, local artists Roberto Lugo and Leo Tecosky will bring their work to the historic Hamilton Mansion at The Woodlands as part of their Graffiti & Ornament exhibit. The artists, who embrace graffiti and hip-hop culture within their artistic practice, incorporate a carved 19th century graffiti inscription in the exhibition, connecting Philadelphia’s past with the present.

In addition to the opening celebration on Sunday, from 1 – 4 p.m., the exhibition includes other special events every week throughout April:  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of The Woodlands.

Do you want to learn how to tend to planters and help beautify a historical cemetery in West Philly? The Woodlands is currently accepting applications for their 2019 Grave Gardeners program.

The Grave Gardeners are a group of volunteers who are each assigned a “cradle grave” at The Woodlands. These graves were originally designed to be planters and would have been planted and cared for by loved ones in the Victorian era. The Grave Gardeners tend to their assigned cradle grave throughout the entire growing season, from March to November. A wide variety of plant material will be provided to gardeners by The Woodlands. Group workshops, demonstrations, and planting happy hours are also scheduled throughout the season.  Continue Reading

The Fall edition of Go West! Craft Fest, featuring wares by 100 local makers, live entertainment and food, will be held this Saturday, Sept. 29, at The Woodlands (40th and Woodland). You can shop all day (11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for unique and creative stuff, including artisan jewelry, ceramics, home wares, clothing, cards, candles, soaps, scents, sweets, toys, tinctures, treasures, and works of art. The full list of vendors and their offers can be found here.

And here’s the schedule of live performances:

12:00 p.m. – The Ludlow Five
1:00 and 2:00 p.m. – Philly Con Sabor
1:15 p.m. – West Philly Foot Tappers
2:15 p.m. – The Foxy Doxies
3:00 p.m. – Tangle Movement Arts
4:00 p.m. – Vessna Scheff  Continue Reading

The Woodlands has started an online petition asking for community support for a crosswalk from the 40th Street trolley portal to the cemetery gates across Woodland Avenue.

The upcoming opening of the Trolley Portal Gardens has renewed interest in figuring out a way to make crossing Woodland Avenue safer for pedestrians. The Woodlands estimates that some 45,000 people visited the grounds last year, including about 4,000 in one day during the Go West! Craft Fest (see tweet and video below), many coming on foot across Woodland Avenue.  Continue Reading

Folks of all ages are invited to The Woodlands at 40th and Woodland to celebrate the official start of the summer. The annual Nature Nights series will kick off this Thursday (June 21) with a Firefly Night. The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. and will include some educational and fun activities.

This is a chance to spend some after-dark time inside the gates learning more about this important urban ecosystem and the creatures who call it home. Tangle Movement Arts will return to the Woodlands with their firefly inspired aerial performance. Snacks will be served by local Lil Pop Shop.

The event is free and open to all, just bring your flashlights pack a picnic and  The performance by Tangle Movement Arts will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Stay tuned for information on more Nature Nights in July and August.