Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Starting March 21, DC-ers can use the low-cost Megabus to travel to nearby Philadelphia—and there are plenty of reasons to make a trip this spring. Once they arrive at 30^th Street Station or Historic Philadelphia, the city’s two Megabus stops, visitors can choose from a ton of big-name events

Through April 13, residents of Beantown can take advantage of Southwest Airlines’ introductory rate of $59 (one-way fare) to Philadelphia for flights booked for June 27 through August 13, 2010. And since new, only-in-Philly and must-see events pack the region’s calendar this summer, the timing is perfect. Cleopatra makes her

This June, visitors to Philadelphia and The Countryside® will find so much to do that they’ll have to stay three, four or five days. Ancient history buffs delve into the story of history’s most mysterious leader during the world-premiere Cleopatra exhibition at The Franklin Institute, and then discover the parallels

Travelers who want an international getaway without the international price tag can set their sights on Philadelphia, where a taste of all the world's cultures converge. From city boulevards that recall the elegance of the Champs-Élysées to lively Italian marketplaces to serene Japanese gardens that mimic Kyoto, Philadelphia and The

As if making an international name for itself in the 19^th and 20^th centuries with an underdog championship boxer movie character, dueling cheesesteak purveyors, the Mummers and, well, a cracked bell didn’t make Philadelphia quirky enough, it seems the 21^st century will continue to propagate that fun-loving

This spring, Philadelphia and The Countryside® continues its event-filled year with Pablo Picasso, Body Worlds 2, a Roman Empire exhibition and so much more, giving visitors plenty of reasons to spend a weekend or more in town. The Philadelphia Museum of Art examines an art master’s most dramatic years with

Philadelphia celebrates African-American history 365 days a year, but things really heat up in February when the region’s museums, arts and cultural organizations and historic sites recognize Black History Month. For the first time, the new permanent exhibition at The African American Museum in Philadelphia will be open in February.

Lights on, curtains up. It’s Philadelphia’s moment, as the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) turns a bright spotlight on the city’s arts and cultural scene. For three weeks, from April 7 through May 1, 2011, audiences will revel in an array of one-time, only-in-Philadelphia productions by some of

FESTIVAL NAME: Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA)

DATES: April 7 through May 1, 2011

OVERVIEW: The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) creates a place on the world stage for the city’s arts and cultural scene with a three-week festival featuring free and ticketed performances and activities.

The time was 1910 through 1920, the waning days of the “Belle Epoque” (or the “Beautiful Era”). The place was Paris, where a previous generation of artists had already changed the rules with their groundbreaking leap into Impressionism. The City of Lights was a magnet for artistic rebels who reshaped

In July 2009, the Kimmel Center, Inc. appointed J. Edward Cambron as executive director of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), a city-wide arts and cultural festival inspired by the Kimmel Center. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the annual festival, which will take place April

During the three-day weekend in February, travelers to the Philadelphia region can enjoy a romantic getaway or a presidential adventure—or a bit of both. Where better to celebrate the Presidents’ Day/Valentine’s Day weekend than in the birthplace of the nation and the City of Brotherly Love? After long walks in

As the second decade of the new millennium gets underway, some of Philadelphia’s most venerated cultural and historical institutions are gearing up to spend the current decade newly energized and outfitted for a tech-savvy, sophisticated new generation of visitors. Throughout Historic Philadelphia, Center City and Philadelphia’s countryside, tourist attractions are

Philadelphia is going all out for the New Year’s four-day weekend, making it the perfect destination for families who want a kid-friendly celebration and for adults ready to party into the wee hours of 2010. After New Year’s Eve kicks off with Countdown to Noon at Please Touch Museum®, “Happy

The following itinerary is available on gophila.com/barkleyhendricks.

LOCATION: Historic Philadelphia, Center City and North Philadelphia

TRANSPORTATION: On foot, by taxi or car

DURATION: Two nights and two days

Note: Locations picked by Barkley and friends are indicated as such. Other places are suggestions of the tourism office.

Philly’s flavors,

Barkley Hendricks’ fans coming to Philadelphia for the hometown art legend’s first major career retrospective, Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool, can plan their trip at gophila.com/philly360, where they’ll find exhibition details, a Barkley and Friends tour of Philadelphia, a photo slideshow, videos, hotel package offers and more.

From his iconic life-sized portraits to compelling Jamaican landscapes, native son Barkley L. Hendricks’ works come to Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) for an exclusive fall engagement. Birth of the Cool is Hendricks’ first career retrospective, and from October 17 to January 3, art aficionados can visit

Art lovers, garden enthusiasts, film connoisseurs and sports fans keep coming back year after year for festivals, sporting events, art shows, parades and cultural events in Philadelphia. Here’s what’s going on in the region in 2010*:

January:

• Thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching up

Philadelphia is making a statement this fall with top-notch style and design events the aesthetically inclined won’t want to miss. For fashionistas, there’s the first-ever Philadelphia Fashion Week, two exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Perelman Building featuring the work of a who’s who of fashion greats and the

A major art exhibition, a Puerto Rican parade and grassroots community events are all in the works for Philadelphia’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, taking place from September 15 to October 15, 2009. Those wishing to experience the culture and charisma of the city’s large Latino community will find plenty of

As summer’s high temperatures subside and leaves turn red, orange and yellow, Philadelphia and The Countryside® welcomes autumn with special exhibitions, Halloween haunts and all-ages annual events. Princess Diana, Jim Henson, Henri Matisse, George Washington Carver and Barkley L. Hendricks lead the lineup, which also includes Body Worlds 2 at

There’s always a ton of fun and fabulous things to do on any given night in Philadelphia—hip bars, luxurious lounges, indie rock haunts and electric clubs. But visitors looking for more variety in the nightlife scene have plenty of choices as well, such as dance lessons, drag shows, movie showings,

After exploring the Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy exhibition, appearing only in Philadelphia, only in 2009 (April 4 through September 7, 2009 at The Franklin Institute Science Museum), visitors are encouraged to spend a night or two and enjoy other exhibitions and events in the region.

When it comes to visiting Philadelphia, some of the best things to see and do are free—or close to it. For families and budget travelers eager to explore the region, that’s great news. Check out the city’s many low-cost or no-cost attractions, including historic Independence Hall, free student recitals at

This summer’s Philadelphia Quest for Freedom will feature new programs, tours and exhibitions—including the brand-new permanent exhibition at The African American Museum in Philadelphia, Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia, 1776-1876—to give visitors a more exciting and in-depth view of African-American history in Philadelphia and in the United States’

This June, Philadelphia will celebrate Black Music Month with events and shows featuring many genres of music, including jazz, hip hop, rap and more. Started in 1979 with the help of the city’s famed songwriter and record producer Kenny Gamble, Black Music Month in Philly kicks off on June 6

Travelers heading to Philadelphia this spring or summer will have a chance to immerse themselves in the region’s rich African-American history and culture thanks to an assortment of special events and exhibitions taking place in the city and beyond. During the course of both seasons, they can check out The

History buffs, science enthusiasts, art lovers and Galileo fans eager to visit Philadelphia for the Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy exhibition—making its exclusive stop at The Franklin Institute Science Museum, April 4-September 7, 2009—need look no further than gophila.com/galileo, a specially created section on the Philadelphia’s

The Philadelphia region is quickly gaining a national reputation for being an ideal place to buy art of all kinds and in all price ranges. The New York Times Style Magazine once called Philly’s art scene “more accessible and certainly more fun” than that of New York and Los Angeles.

Summer 2009 in Philadelphia is gearing up to be festive, affordable and full of family-friendly fun. New exhibitions and attractions indoors and out let visitors explore the stars, walk along the treetops, frolic in cooling waters and come face-to-face with historic figures. Free activities, including mural tours, historic storytelling and

Those not planning an expensive trip across the Atlantic this year can spend a few days in Philadelphia—for a fraction of the cost but all of the fun. They can soak up art exhibitions and performances that will have them thinking they’re strolling along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris,

Hispanic heritage thrives in Philadelphia, home to the second-largest Hispanic population in the Northeast. Because this market is the fastest growing ethnic group in the Philadelphia region, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, many new arts and cultural opportunities are emerging that celebrate Hispanic traditions. Those who wish to experience

Gay and lesbian travelers eager to get their “history straight” and “nightlife gay” will find an eclectic mix of fun and fabulous happenings in Philadelphia and The Countryside® throughout the year. Dance parties, drag shows, pride parades and cultural events are among the offerings for gay travelers in 2009. Here’s

Philadelphia celebrates African-American history 365 days a year, but things really heat up in February when the region’s museums, arts and cultural organizations and historic sites recognize Black History Month. One of the highlights of the city’s 2009 celebration is sure to be America I AM: The African American Imprint,

Now Playing:
Survival Of The Fittest
The bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin prompted Philadelphia to name April 2008 through May 2009 the Year of Evolution. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology leads the pack in honoring the scientist’s birthday with its innovative exhibition Surviving:

Thanks to its “City of Brotherly Love” and “Place That Loves You Back” monikers and the iconic Love sculpture that anchors Center City’s Love Park, Philadelphia has long been identified with that most euphoric of emotions. It should come as no surprise that hundreds of singles-friendly attractions across the region

Just days before literary great Edgar Allan Poe’s 200^th birthday on January 19, 2009, Philadelphia can finally claim Poe as its own. After a friendly two-year feud, Poe scholars from Philadelphia (Ed Pettit), Baltimore (Jeff Jerome) and Boston (Paul Lewis) debated this subject last evening at the Free Library

Cézanne is one of the countless reasons to Love Philadelphia. From February 26 through May 31, 2009, fans of the artist can see Cézanne and Beyond, appearing only at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, only in 2009.

Ever since the first posthumous exhibition of Cézanne’s works in 1907, artists have

Travelers heading to Philadelphia this winter or spring will have a chance to immerse themselves in the region’s rich African-American history and culture thanks to an assortment of special events and exhibitions taking place in the city and beyond. During the course of both seasons, they can celebrate nearly 500

The following itinerary is available on gophila.com/holidays.

LOCATION: Center City, Penn’s Landing and the Brandywine Valley

TRANSPORTATION: Foot, taxi and car

DURATION: Two days and two nights

Crisp starry skies…cozy firelight dinners…colorful twinkling lights. The holidays are here, and all around Philadelphia, romance is in the air. Time for

2009 is going to be a blockbuster year in Philly thanks to nine big-name events and exhibitions focusing on leaders in art, history, literature, science and beer. Two only-in-Philadelphia exhibitions—Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy at The Franklin Institute Science Museum and Cézanne and Beyond at the

Art lovers, garden enthusiasts, film connoisseurs and sports fans keep coming back year after year for festivals, sporting events, art shows, parades and cultural events in Philadelphia. Here’s what’s going on in the region in 2009:

January 2009:

• Thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching

Now Playing:
New $88 Million Children’s Museum
Taking kids to the Please Touch Museum® is a completely different experience since the museum moved to its new home in Fairmount Park in October 2008. Located in Memorial Hall—a National Historic Landmark built in 1876 for the Centennial Exhibition—the

Museum fans are gearing up for the arrival of two major exhibitions making their exclusive appearances in Philadelphia. Cézanne and Beyond will be on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from February 26 through May 31, 2009, and Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy will be on

The Calendar of Events is organized as follows:

March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
March 2011
Ongoing Activities

MARCH 2010

Through March 7, 2010
THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY. The Walnut Street Theatre presents this story

A major art exhibition, a Puerto Rican parade and grassroots community events are all in the works for Philadelphia’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, taking place from September 15 to October 15, 2008. Those wishing to experience the culture and charisma of the city’s lively Latino community will find plenty of

More than 3,000 years after his death, ancient Egyptian boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun is about to rule once again: this time his empire consists of Philadelphia and The Countryside™, and his reign will last not a decade, but seven months, from February 3 through September 30, 2007. The landmark exhibition,

Fall 2008:
25^th Annual Feria Del Barrio
The annual Feria del Barrio is one of Philadelphia’s largest celebrations of Latino music and culture, bringing together thousands of residents to celebrate 25 years of arts, education and community. The free, family-friendly day, held this year on September 7, 2008,

Tickets for the final venue on the current U.S. tour of “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” at The Franklin Institute will become available for public purchase beginning at 10 a.m. EST today, Wednesday, Nov. 8. The exhibition marks the first time artifacts from King Tut's tomb will

Due to popular demand, Disney Theatrical Productions and Kimmel Center Presents Cadillac Broadway at the Academy have extended the Philadelphia engagement of Disney’s THE LION KING through the summer of 2006 at the Academy of Music. Tickets for performances August 15 through September 10, 2006 will go on sale Sunday,

In celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will display Fit for a Princess: Grace Kelly’s Wedding Dress, featuring the bride’s dress, shoes, headpiece, veil and prayer book, April 1 through May 21, 2006. The installation of

It’s the first time in 15 years that a major exhibition of Frida Kahlo’s art has toured the U.S., and from February 20 through May 18, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only East Coast museum where art lovers can view her groundbreaking paintings. Those who would like to

To spread the buzz about Philadelphia’s newly emerging contemporary art movement, uwishunu®, a tourism initiative created by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and funded by the City of Philadelphia, is connecting with the Big Kids/Little Kids traveling exhibition, chronicling the first eight years of this emerging art scene

On any night of the week, there are countless things to do after dark in Philadelphia. From an upscale happy hour at a renowned museum to movies with a side of beer to cabarets with a little of everything, nights in Philly fit any mood. Here is a sample of

Openings:

• Please Touch Museum and Centennial District – When it opens on October 18, 2008, the children’s museum’s new location in Fairmount Park’s Memorial Hall—a National Historic Landmark built in 1876 for the Centennial Exhibition—will boast three times more space for exhibitions and programs. Just outside the museum,

Music loversand gardening fans will find lots to groove to when "Jazz it Up," this year’s edition of the Philadelphia Flower Show, rolls into the Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 2-9, 2008. And after strolling through floral displays that re-create familiar New Orleans scenes and enjoying live jazz performances taking

With Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination making its final East Coast stop at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute Science Museum, February 9 through May 4, 2008, fans of the wildly popular series will have a chance to see how the fantasy world created in the movies may one day become a

Summer in Philadelphia has long been the ideal time to celebrate our nation’s independence. This year, visitors can also learn about the tales of real pirates, gaze at contemporary American artwork, watch potential Olympic gymnasts in action, take the Presidential Oath of Office and experience other annual events that make