Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

When it comes to celebrating America’s birthday, nobody rocks it like Philadelphia, America’s birthplace, and 2013—the country’s 237^th birthday—will be no exception thanks to festive happenings before, during and after the Fourth of July. From July 1-7, Wawa Welcome America! hosts a week-long celebration filled with festive events, including the largest free concert in America starring Philly hometown heroes and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots. Add to that two major fireworks shows, more concerts, movie screenings and food-focused events—all of which are free—for a Fourth of July weekend that’s sure to go down in history.

Philadelphians love their festivals. Whether it’s local artisans and craftspeople sharing their wares on Penn’s Landing, a celebration of the fall season in Midtown Village, a traditional Yoruba-style street fair on South Street or a craft beer party on East Passyunk Avenue, there’s always a reason to celebrate in neighborhoods in and around Center City. The following are some mark-the-calendar happenings for 2013:

CENTER CITY

Benjamin Franklin Parkway:

• For the third year running, the Philadelphia Science Festival will unleash 10 days of exploratory exhibitions, lectures, debates and hands-on activities on campuses, museums and other venues around the city, culminating

After receiving a perfect score on the Human Right Campaign’s first-ever Municipality Index, Philadelphia continues to prove that it’s still one of the best destinations for LGBT travelers looking to get their history straight and nightlife gay.

“The heart of Philly’s Gayborhood may be centered on 13th and Locust Streets, but there are plenty of LGBT-friendly reasons to visit throughout the region,” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), which in 2013 will commemorate the 10th anniversary of its groundbreaking LGBT advertising campaign with the memorable tagline Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight And Your

Romantics looking to propose to their loved one in a big way have a chance to do just that thanks to the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s (GPTMC) With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® contest that includes: a personalized proposal love letter on a Philadelphia Trolley Works trolley, a $5,000 Hearts on Fire Acclaim engagement ring from Bernie Robbins Jewelers, an engagement-day photo shoot and an overnight stay at the Hotel Monaco Philadelphia. Beginning on January 24, 2013, those interested in popping the question on Valentine’s Day can submit their Philly-centric love story and photo at visitphilly.com/propose. The contest closes on

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 mystique with strange and wonderful annual events held every month of the year. Here’s a look at the city’s quirky side:

January:

• Setting the standard for quirky events, the Mummers Parade kicks off every New Year with more than 15,000 men, women and children spending thousands of dollars on

New Year’s Day is about celebrating, and there’s no better place to fete than at the Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade, a 113-year-old tradition in which 10,000 men and women dressed in colorfully lavish costumes twirl, sashay, pirouette and strut up one of the city’s main streets. An unforgettably wild ritual, the parade and subsequent performances are all family friendly, yet exciting enough to entertain everybody. While a carnival-like atmosphere welcomes anyone who decides to stop by at the last minute, a little advance preparation guarantees a clear view. Better still, spending the night in the city ensures an early start to

Art lovers, garden enthusiasts, film connoisseurs and sports fans keep coming back year after year for festivals, athletic events, art shows, parades and cultural events in Philadelphia. Here’s what’s going on in the region in 2013*.

January:

• Thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching up Broad Street in the festive day-long Mummers Parade that ends with the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. January 1, 2013. phillymummers.com
• The region gets revved up in the 2013, thanks to the Philadelphia Auto Show. The Pennsylvania Convention Center transforms into a car lover’s dream, with 700

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 mystique with strange and wonderful annual events held every month of the year. Here’s a look at the city’s quirky side:

January:

• Setting the standard for quirky events, the Mummers Parade kicks off every New Year with more than 15,000 men, women and children spending thousands of dollars on

Experienced cooks and novices looking to create an Easter meal or Passover Seder can head to Philly Homegrown™’s visitphilly.com/food for information on where to buy the freshest local ingredients and recipes on how to use them. Here’s a look at what’s cooking in April on visitphilly.com/food:

For Passover, foodies will find:

• Bakeries selling locally baked matzo
• Restaurants offering Seder catering options
• How Chef Michael Solomonov of acclaimed Israeli restaurant Zahav does Passover, along with his Charoset recipe using local apples and honey

For Easter, the site features:

• A round-up of local bakeries (think South Philly legends Termini Bros.

Shoppers making their lists and checking them twice can give the gift of Philly this holiday season thanks to new lines offering Philadelphia-inspired goods. From retro tees and soft pretzel-adorned onsies to authentic sports gear and Liberty Bell-emblazoned chocolates, the gifts are perfect for Philly fans of all ages and persuasions. Here’s how gift givers can show some Philly love this holiday season:

• Retrophilly.com: This newly launched online boutique pays homage to Philadelphia neighborhoods, schools, nightclubs, restaurants and more from the 1950s through 90s—think The Black Banana nightclub, St. Maria Goretti High School, Electric Factory and The Arena for

Experienced cooks and Turkey Day novices eager to give their Thanksgiving dinner extra yum appeal can head straight to Philly Homegrown™’s visitphilly.com/food to score recipes for all aspects of their mammoth meal, which they’re encouraged to use local ingredients to prepare. Submitted by top local chefs, the recipes—from a classically prepared turkey to a not-so-typical oyster hash—will satisfy seafood lovers, vegetarians and others partaking in the annual dining feast. Here’s a look at what’s cooking in the Now in Season section of visitphilly.com/food:

• Appetizers: Oyster hash recipe courtesy of Mike Stollenwerk, chef/owner of Fish and Fathom Seafood House; blended

IgoUgo travel blog, a partner of Travelocity, named Philadelphia one of  “10 US Cities with Tourism Sites to See” this month. The trip planning Web site called gophila.com, Greater Philadelphia’s official tourism Web site, “undeniably fresh” and “full of multimedia options” and went on to say, “But besides being up-to-date, informative, and easy to use … it’s just plain fun.”

To mark the 100^th anniversary of Mother’s Day, started by Philadelphia resident and West Virginia native Anna Jarvis to honor her mother Anna Marie, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and the Office of the City Representative are organizing the City of Motherly Love" celebration on Saturday, May 10, 2008. The open-to-the-public event will take place at 12:00 noon at the Wanamaker Building, where the first Mother’s Day celebration took place in 1908 thanks to Philadelphia entrepreneur John Wanamaker. (Another Mother’s Day commemoration took place simultaneously in West Virginia.) The building is located at 13th and Market Streets

Couples seeking to sweeten up their sweeties with chocolate this Valentine’s Day have many delectable choices in Philadelphia and The Countryside. For starters, every weekend in February, Chaddsford Winery is inviting couples to sample sweet wines paired with chocolate from nearby Eclat Chocolate. And, when it comes to wine, chocolate and love, there’s little reason not to indulge in further temptations:

Sensual Snacking:

• With a name like Naked Chocolate Café, it’s no surprise locals are buzzing about the city’s newest confectionary shop. Already known for its frozen hot chocolate and Aztec drinking chocolate, Naked Chocolate cultivates the sensual

Real shoppers know museums are more than repositories of cultural exhibitions: museums, they know, make for excellent retail, and Philadelphia’s museums are no exception. With its amazingly dense array of distinguished, distinctive cultural centers, the Philadelphia area offers, by extension, seriously great shopping. In Philly, holiday shoppers can find Latin American folk furniture for sale near Old Masters. In Philly, nature ornaments inspire retail stampedes just steps from a trifecta of Wyeths. And only in Philly are slimy stocking stuffers up for the grabs just a few meters from the country’s most historic collection of medical oddities.
 

• Anatomical Stocking