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Visit The Oval, a transformed surface parking lot on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, this week for free movies, classes and daily fun. (Photos by M. Fischetti for GPTMC)
Philadelphia’s pop-up park on the Parkway, The Oval, continues to host a full calendar of free events, making it a daily destination for summer fun.
The expansive public space on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., through August 18, and invites one and all to enoy daily eaducational programming, tons of free live entertainment, a daily lineup of food trucks and a weekly beer garden.
Each day, the agenda revolves around a theme: Tuesdays are all about wellness, Wednesdays focus on arts and culture, Thursdays center on the environment, Fridays are for food and flicks, Saturdays bring a live music series and Sunday is for family fun.
For a complete schedule of the multitude of daily events, check the online calendar here and the daily food truck roundup here.
Read on for our top picks of not-to-miss happenings at The Oval this week.
Learn to Ride: Tuesday, August 6, 1-3 p.m. Bring out kiddos who haven’t yet learned how to ride a bicycle to take part in cycling lessons at The Oval. The two-hour, bring-your-own-bike classes are led by the experts from the Bicycle Coalition, and begin at Lloyd Hall on Kelly Drive. From there participants head to The Oval. Interested? Register here.
School of the Future’s Jazz Combo and Glenn Bryan and Friends: Wednesday, August 7, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Come out this week to catch students from The School District of Philadelphia and Microsoft’s joint venture, the School of the Future, play a bit of jazz music. Then, stick around for jazz and R&B tunes from pianist Glenn Bryan.
Beer Garden: Thursday, August 8, 5-9 p.m. The Oval’s weekly beer garden brings music by DJ DeeJay, games like corn toss and bocce, plus frisbee golf education classes. Sip a craft brew from Great Lakes Brewery or Sixpoint Brewery, or grab a good ol' Yuengling, Coors Light or Blue Moon. Food trucks to roll in this Thursday include Vernalicious, the Farm Truck, Guerilla Ultima and Cupcake Carnivale.
Ghostbusters Outdoor Film Screening: Friday, August 9, 7-11 p.m. In yet another alfresco film screening this summer, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy team up to show the classic film Ghostbusters on the big outdoor screen. Movies begin around sunset, generally around 8:30 p.m. Who ya gonna call?
The Trocadero presents Under Fire: Saturday, August 10, 6-8 p.m. Saturday night, the Troc curates free live music for The Oval. Warm up with a DJ starting at 4 p.m., then stay tuned for the live band.
The Techmobile: Sunday, August 11, noon-2 p.m. The Free Library of Philadelphia rolls its Techmobile into The Oval on Sunday afternoon. The mobile computer lab features wireless internet, laptops, iPads, a printer and more, and offers up free tech lessons. Sunday is also family fun day, so look for food trucks like the Tot Cart, Mac Mart, Street Food Philly, Local 215, Innovative Catering and the Lil' Pop Shop from noon to 4 p.m.
The Oval
When: Through August 18, Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Where: Eakins Oval, 2601 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: Free
More info: www.phila.gov