Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

A major art exhibition, a Puerto Rican parade, and grassroots community events keep the party going during Philadelphia’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, taking place from September 15 to October 15, 2010. The culturally inclined can check out special exhibitions, including The African American Museum in Philadelphia’s VOICES: African American and Latina Women Share their Stories of Success and Taller Puertorriqueño’s Faces/Facades: Mirror of a Community, while sports fans get their fill at the Phillies’ Latino Family Celebration at Citizens Bank Park. And of course, visitors and residents will be dancing all month long thanks to fun fiestas such as the Mexican Independence Day party at Penn’s Landing, Salsa on the Ship! at the Battleship New Jersey and the 48^th Annual Regional Puerto Rican Day Parade.

As part of the With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® tourism marketing campaign, featuring love letters addressed to travelers and penned by the city itself, Philadelphia’s official Facebook and Twitter pages and insider blog uwishunu.com will feature special Con Cariño, Philadelphia XOXO® love letters. One letter will be posted each week throughout Hispanic Heritage Month to spread messages about Philadelphia’s rich Latino culture, including El Centro de Oro neighborhood and the vibrant dining and nightlife scenes.

Here’s a look at Philadelphia’s Hispanic Heritage Month happenings:

Festivals, Parades & Shows:

• Penn’s Landing kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month early with a Mexican Independence Day fiesta on September 12. Mexican food, folklore, crafts, dance and music pack this annual event, the finale of the popular PECO Multicultural Series. RiverStage at Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street, (215) 922-2FUN, delawareriverevents.com
• On September 25, partiers grab their dancing shoes and head to the Battleship New Jersey’s Salsa on the Ship!, where they groove to live salsa music by the talented Sonora Los Fanasticos and feast on a delicious buffet. 62 Battleship Place, Camden, (866) 877-6262, battleshipnewjersey.org
• Complete with music, dancing and fabulous floats, Philadelphia’s 48^th Annual Regional Puerto Rican Day Parade holds the designation of the oldest and largest outdoor event celebrating Puerto Rican and Latino heritage in the city. On September 26, the parade begins at 12:00 noon at 16^th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, marches north along 16^th Street to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and winds up at Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (215) 627-3100, elconcilio.net
• On October 9-10, the Creatures of Culture international series at the Philadelphia Zoo focuses on the below-the-equator America. Visitors learn about South American endangered species and what they can do to help, feast on a tasty Latin lunch and enjoy the talents of local South American performance groups. For even more animal fun, zoo guests can check out the Humboldt penguin LEGO structures in the Creatures of Habitat exhibit—they’re native to Peru. 3400 W. Girard Avenue, (215) 243-1100, philadelphiazoo.org

Artistic Celebrations:

• Taller Puertorriqueño celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as its 35^th anniversary, with two fantastic exhibitions. Gallery-goers can browse the works of Taller’s children and youth program participants in Children & Youth Create Art, on display through September 18, and take a visual journey through photographer Luz Selenia Salas’ Faces/Facades: Mirror of a Community, October 1-November 20. 2721 N. 5^th Street, (215) 426-3311, tallerpr.org
• A collection of the world’s best contemporary performing artists energize Philadelphia audiences during the annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, September 3-18. This year, two Latino performances grace the stage: Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental’s ¡EL CONQUISTADOR! at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, September 9-11, and BoánDanz Action Company’s Decadere at the Live Arts Studio, September 15-18. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad & Lombard Streets; Live Arts Studio, 919 N. 5^th Street; (215) 413-1318, livearts-fringe.org
• At The African American Museum in Philadelphia, VOICES: African American and Latina Women Share their Stories of Success delves into the inspiring stories of 50 Pennsylvania women. Through photographs and panels, visitors discover how these extraordinary women overcame challenges to achieve success in law, medicine, education, science, business, the arts and technology. Through November 13. 7^th & Arch Streets, (215) 574-3110, aampmuseum.org
• Through Heroes of Character at the National Liberty Museum, young people discover the traits of a hero, examine the state of today’s society and learn how to take action and become a hero themselves. The permanent exhibition includes accounts about Cesar Chavez and Roberto Clemente. 321 Chestnut Street, (215) 925-2800, libertymuseum.org

Food & Games:

• The Philadelphia Phillies’ Hispanic Heritage Month celebration lands a little early, but that won’t stop thousands of sports fans from enjoying the 9^th Annual Goya Latino Family Celebration at Citizens Bank Park. In addition to the great food and entertainment, attendees cheer on the 2010 Phillies & Goya Family Service award recipients. September 3. Broad Street & Pattison Avenue, phillies.com
• Foodies celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with some mouthwatering dishes during Center City District Restaurant Week, when more than 100 restaurants offer three-course lunches for $20 and three-course dinners for $35 (not including tax, tip and alcohol). From September 12-17 and 19 to 24, Latin flavors pack the Restaurant Week menu: Alma de Cuba, Amada, Chifa, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, El Vez, Lolita, Tinto and more. centercityphila.org

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Cara Schneider, (215) 599-0789