PHILADELPHIA, May 15, 2024 –  Memorial Day weekend offers a chance to visit and explore Philadelphia at the unofficial start of summer. Not sure where to start? We have some ideas to aid in putting together any roundups or guides for things to do during the holiday weekend.

Laurel Hill Cemetery, the National Constitution Center and the Museum of the American Revolution mark the moment with a patriotic slate of events in honor of service people, past and present. 

In Old City, history comes to life with the help of a little bit of magic on The Great Philadelphia Comedy Magic Walking Tour and at the Once Upon a Nation Benches.

The open-air fun keeps going at the Devon Horse Show & Country Fair in Chester County or the Philadelphia Cup Regatta on the Delaware River Waterfront.

Heading indoors, there's an exhibit at one of the city's world-class museums. The newly opened Mary Casset exhibit is waiting for visitors at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as is a world of imagination at The Art of the Brick exhibit at The Franklin Institute.

The Visit Philly 3-Day Stay hotel package is tailor-made for long weekends. The deal is straightforward: Buy two nights and get a third night free at participating hotels in Philadelphia. Easy peasy. Or, travelers can choose to level up theirstay by booking the Visit Philly Overnight Package. Folks who book this package get free hotel parking and a choose-your-own-adventure perk, including tickets to The Art of the Brick at The Franklin Institute; the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum; or the National Constitution Center and the Museum of the American Revolution.

Below, find the best events, festivals and exhibitions in Philadelphia over Memorial Day weekend 2024.

Memorial Day Weekend Events 

Memorial Day Weekend at the National Constitution Center
May 25-27, 2024
National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street

In addition to free admission Saturday through Monday, the National Constitution Center marks the Memorial Day holiday with special programming, including daily flag ceremonies and presentations exploring some of the most famous memorials and monuments in the U.S. Learners of all ages can also look forward to family-friendly workshops and fun crafts.

Memorial Day Weekend at the Museum of the American Revolution
May 25-27, 2024
Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd Street  

In addition to the Museum of American Revolution's permanent exhibits, special programming for Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom and includes pop-up discovery carts highlighting the daily lives of Revolutionary War soldiers, sailors and privateers. In addition, kiddos can participate in hands-on activities by making memorial-themed ribbons and creating revolutionary-themed thank-you cards for members of the American Legion. Admission is free for all veterans, active military members and Blue Star Families all weekend long. 

Memorial Day Celebration at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Sunday, May 26, 2024 | Noon-2 p.m.
Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue 

The site of Philly's first Memorial Day commemoration in 1868, Laurel Hill Cemetery continues the long tradition with an afternoon program featuring wreath-laying ceremonies, patriotic music, honor guards and refreshments. The event runs from noon to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Ongoing Highlights

Philly's Seasonal Bars & Restaurants
Various locations

Warmer weather days mean good times with good friends, preferably with a breeze and a cold drink in hand. Come Memorial Day, the doors and gates of Philly's most popular outdoor bars and restaurants will be open for service again, including:

• The beloved rooftop Bok Bar in South Philly (opened April 11, 2024) 
• Waterfront destinations Liberty Point (opened April 13, 2024) and Morgan's Pier (opened April 18, 2024) 
• Lush beer gardens like the PHS Pop Up Gardens on South Street and in Manayunk (opened March 29, 2024), Independence Beer Garden in the Historic District (opened April 17, 2024) and Uptown Beer Garden in Center City (opens May 2, 2024), and 
• Parks on Tap, the traveling beer garden that pops up in public parks across the city, rolls into Clark Park for the holiday (May 22-27, 20-24).

(re)FOCUS: Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts
Through Friday, May 31, 2024
Various locations

This citywide art festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts initiative, and this year, over 40 museums, galleries and institutions host special exhibitions and workshops highlighting Black, Brown, women and non-binary artists. A few exhibitions to catch this Memorial Day weekend include:

• Sit a Spell: An Invitation. An Invocation at The Colored Girls Museum: This Germantown museum celebrates the new generation of artists of the African Diaspora in its 10th exhibition. Sit with the works of artists from as close by as New Jersey and from as far away as New Orleans and Ghana (through Friday, May 31, 2024). 
• Renee Osubu: Dear Philadelphia at TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image: British Nigerian photographer Renee Osubu hails from England. However, her exhibition at TILT, Dear Philadelphia, is a love letter to her North Philly neighborhood, Black families and Black fathers (through Saturday, June 29, 2024). 
• Artists as Cultivators at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA): The multi-media exhibition taking over the entirety of PAFA's 1876 National Historic Landmark Building examines how artists over the last 300 years have woven nature into their works as a subject, theme and medium to spark social dialogue and change. Art lovers can expect 90 drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures and digital installations pulled from PAFA's extensive archive (through Sunday, July 7, 2024).

Transformations: American Photographs from the 1970s at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Through Sunday, July 7, 2024
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway  

The '70s were a pivotal decade for both photography and activism in the United States. While traditionally trained photographers perfected the iconic black-and-white darkroom photography that exemplified the art form for a century, a new generation of shooters experimented with exciting ways of documenting daily life as well as the growing Black Arts and Feminist movements. This exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art offers guests a snapshot of the moment when these historic movements intersected. 

The Art of the Brick at The Franklin Institute
Through Monday, September 2, 2024
Where: The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th Street  

Returning to The Franklin Institute for the first time since 2015, The Art of the Brick displays more than 100 works all made completely of LEGOs — from recreations of masterworks like Van Gogh's Starry Night and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to original works of LEGO sculpture, including a 20-foot-long T. rex dinosaur skeleton. Every piece in the hugely impressive display is the handiwork of contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya, the first artist ever to create an exhibition of LEGO art. 

Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington's Tent at the Museum of the American Revolution
Through Sunday, January 5, 2025
Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd Street  

In this exhibition, rare documents, inspired works of art and historical objects paint a fuller picture of Washington's headquarters tent — the Museum of the American Revolution's signature artifact. The tent served as the battlefield sleeping and office quarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and the exhibition tells the stories of the many individuals who worked to preserve and pass down this vital symbol of America.

Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink at Dilworth Park
April 19 – June 30, 2024
Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th Street  

This spring, the Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink at Dilworth Park paints the town rainbow with colorful springtime skate sessions. Vibrant overhead art and the checkerboard rink floor bring good times and retro vibes. For more fun, there's food and drink at the Dilworth Park Café and Air Grille pop-up beer garden, as well as the Dilworth Park dancing fountain. Advance reservations for hour-long skating sessions are strongly recommended, and discounted Matinee Skate sessions are offered on Mondays and Tuesdays.

More Things to Do 

The Great Philadelphia Comedy Magic Walking Tour with Philly Magic Tours
May 17 – November 17, 2024 (select dates)
Tours depart from behind The Bourse, 111 S. Independence Mall East  

Equal parts history, comedy and magic, this walking tour takes guests around Philly's historic Old City, visiting the neighborhood's most storied monuments, landmarks, and maybe even a ghost or two. Beginning at The Bourse, the stroll lasts about an hour and a half and takes tourgoers to the site where Betsy Ross stitched the first American flag, the home of everyone's favorite Founding Father, the nation's first bank and more. 

The Second City: Comedian Rhapsody at Bristol Riverside Theatre
May 14 – June 2, 2024 (select dates)
Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol 

Second City has been the nation's leading laugh factory for over 60 years, birthing the careers of comedy greats including the region's own Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Keegan-Michael Key and more. This spring, the Windy City institution's current class of comedy legends-in-the-making takes the stage at Bristol Riverside Theatre. Combining some of the funniest sketches and songs from Second City history with the troupe's hallmark improv, this hilarious, brand-new comedy revue promises plenty of gut-wrenching laughs and a first glimpse of comedy's future. 

Once on This Island at Arden Theatre Company
May 16 – June 16, 2024 (select dates)
Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd Street 

As told by the sounds and music of the Caribbean, Once on This Island tells the tragic story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl in search of her purpose who finds herself falling deeply in love with a rich boy from the other side of the island. Over the course of 90 minutes, audience members join with the gods in rooting for young Ti Moune despite the prejudices and challenges that threaten her and her love. 

6th Annual Festival of the Peony at Styer's Peonies
May 17-31, 2024
Styer's Peonies, 4313 Creek Road, Chadds Ford 

Ah, the humble peony. This symbol of happiness, prosperity and fortune has decorated weddings, parties and gardens for centuries. There are over 30 species and hundreds of varieties of this fragrant flower. Head to the 6th Annual Festival of the Peony for peony fields of deep maroon, pastel pink, cloud white and more. (Cameras welcome, dogs not so much.) 

Mary Cassatt at Work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
May 18 – September 8, 2024
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway 

This new exhibition celebrating Pennsylvania-born impressionist artist Mary Cassatt explores gender, labor and feminine agency through over 130 prints, paintings and pastels. Also included: new findings about the advanced processes and materials Cassatt used in the early 20th century. This is the first major showing of Cassatt's life's work in over 25 years. 

Devon Horse Show & Country Fair at the Devon Horse how Grounds
May 22 – June 2, 2024
Devon Horse Show Grounds, 23 Dorset Road, Devon 

The beloved Devon Horse Show is an annual equine tradition dating back to 1896 — the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition in the nation — which features equestrian disciplines, open-air exhibitions and special events (including a dog show and Memorial Day tribute) at Chester County's famous Devon Show Grounds. Alongside is the old-fashioned Devon Country Fair, itself an institution since 1919, with a half-dozen pop-up restaurants and plenty of fair food stands, over 60 boutique shopping and souvenir vendors, an art gallery, and a Midway featuring a Ferris wheel and a carousel. 

Festive Fridays: It's a Love Story at Longwood Gardens
Friday, May 24, 2024 | 5-10 p.m.
Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square 

Free with garden admission, Longwood Gardens' kickoff to the weekend gets a Taylor Swift makeover. Swifties of all ages are invited to don their friendship bracelets and explore the garden's 100 acres to the tunes of T. Swift. Visitors can expect family-friendly activities, nature strolls and organ demos inspired by or set to the singer's Grammy Award-winning discography. Even the garden's iconic fountains get in on the action, dancing to the melody of the universal classic Shake It Off. 

Philadelphia Cup Regatta
Saturday, May 25, 2024 | 10:30 a.m.
Penn's Landing 

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Philadelphia Cup Regatta returns to the Delaware River waterfront. Hosted by the Liberty Sailing Club, the regatta — showcasing over 100 sailors from clubs from across the region — features all types of watercraft from dinghies to keelboats racing down the Delaware from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Washington Avenue Pier, with the best spectator views from Penn's Landing. 

Memorial Day Weekend at Sesame Place
May 25-26, 2024
Sesame Place Philadelphia, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne  

Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and the rest of the gang don their best red, white and blue for the unofficial start of every kid's favorite season. Families can celebrate the holiday with fireworks (and an optional sweet treat add-on experience with Elmo) on Saturday, May 25, 2024 and fun meet and greets with the loveable monsters throughout the weekend. 

Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches Return to Old City
May 25-27, 2024 | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street  

Award-winning storytellers return this weekend to offer secrets about the history of Philadelphia and our nation through three- to five-minute stories told at special benches near several historic sites in Old City. Uniformed storytellers are on hand from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday this holiday weekend. Days and hours expand as the 2024 season continues. Be sure to check the official website for the bench locations when available. 

Memorial Day Taco Fest at Chaddsford Winery
May 25-27, 2024
Chaddsford Winery, 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford 

Some of the region's favorite taco food trucks roll up to Bucks County's Chaddsford Winery to mark the holiday weekend with delicious food, tasty wine and live music. The winery's picnic area and patios are great for warm weather. Friends, families, couples or solo — everyone is welcome. 

43rd Anniversary Chester County Mustang & Ford Show at the Kimberton Fairgrounds
Sunday, May 26, 2024 | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Kimberton Fairgrounds, 61 Firehouse Lane, Phoenixville 

The 43rd annual Mustang and Ford Show returns to Chester County, inviting car enthusiasts from across the region to connect with one another and showcase their most prized possessions. Rows and rows of colorful mustangs from every era in the sports car's history — as well as Ford trucks, electric vehicles and more — go on display across the fairgrounds. 

DJ Deejay: '90s VS '00s Moshulu Boat Party on the Moshulu
Sunday, May 26, 2024 | 10 p.m.
Moshulu, 401 S, Christopher Columbus Boulevard 

This DJ mash-up on the Moshulu — a historic sailing ship permanently docked at Penn's Landing — pits throwback hits from the '90s against more modern Top 40 tracks. Tickets are required for the 21-plus-party, which lasts until 2 a.m. 

Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
May 26 – July 7, 2024
Various locations in Philadelphia (TBA) 

Film buffs and fans of Latino culture can celebrate a dozen years of cinematic grandeur from established and emerging Latino filmmakers at the annual Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival. The lineup includes feature films, shorts, animations, web series and documentaries, along with workshops and discussions such as the festival's Luz Programs (including a work-in-progress lab and filmmaker Q&A sessions), and the 10th annual LOLA Awards, which honor filmmaking achievements in the Latino and Latinx creative community. 

Discover Something New in Philly 

Wander Off the Beaten Path and Hit These Under-The Radar Attractions
Various locations   

Everyone knows and loves the “biggies” in Philadelphia: the LOVE Statue, the Rocky Steps, Reading Terminal Market. But why stop there? Go deeper into what the region offers at one of these just-off-the-beaten-trail galleries, niche museums, quiet garden treasures and more. 

Explore Philly's Lush Delaware River and Schuylkill River Trails
Delaware River Trail  

One of the greenest big cities in the U.S., Philadelphia is spoiled with thriving trails that give us the best of both worlds — urban nature oases and gorgeous waterfront views. The Delaware River Trail and Schuylkill River Trail guide joggers, cyclists, hikers, rollerbladers and casual strollers along two of the city's most recognizable waterways, through Center City and past both iconic Philly landmarks (the Philadelphia Art Museum) and hidden gems (Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education).

Essential Philly Experiences 

Check Off the Essential Philly Must-Dos
Various locations

With all the history, art and culture, it's hard to know where to start, so why not begin with the basics? This Memorial Day weekend itinerary includes 10 of the most essential things to do on a first-time visit to Philadelphia, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and, yes, the Rocky Steps.

Enjoy a Classic Philly Treat (Or Two Or Three …)
Various locations

Philly's most famous sandwich is famous for a reason. Check out our picks for the best places to find a cheesesteak in Philly. While in town, also be sure to grab other iconic Philly treats like a delectable, doughy soft pretzel and water ice, a spring and summer staple.

About Visit Philadelphia:

VISIT PHILADELPHIA® is our name and our mission. As the region's official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia's image, drive visitation and boost the economy. On Greater Philadelphia's official visitor website, visitphilly.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages.

Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the site an effective trip-planning tool. Visitors can also find loads of inspiration on Visit Philly's social media channels.

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