Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

The Calendar of Events is organized as follows:

November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
Ongoing Activities

NOVEMBER 2009

Through November 1, 2009
HAUNTED POE. This theatrical work unites literature, history and theater with the haunted attraction genre during the 200^th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth. A 10,000-square-foot warehouse is transformed into an eerie maze of chambers featuring short vignettes of 11 of Poe’s pieces, including “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Raven” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” (215) 627-2577, hauntedpoe.com

Through November

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. The exhibition is on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) through January 3.

Here’s a look at some of the cool features found on the Barkley Hendricks page of gophila.com/philly360:

• Exhibition Details: Runs down the who, what, when and where and gives exhibition highlights and

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, faces, rhythms and spaces have always been on the cutting edge of cool. Need proof? Acclaimed artist and local son Barkley L. Hendricks is bringing his Birth of the Cool career retrospective home to his alma mater, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), through January 3, 2010—making this

As the first decade of the new millennium winds to a close, some of Philadelphia’s most venerated cultural and historical institutions are gearing up to spend the coming 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 launching revolutionized technological experiences, adding thousands of square feet to their display areas, moving their collections both around the block and miles away and showcasing blockbuster art exhibitions. Collectively, they continue to tell the story of the citizens of Philadelphia, America and the world who seek to create

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 the artist’s alma mater and browse nearly 60 interpretations of contemporary black identity. Plus, Philly’s wide range of exhibitions, performances and galleries offer fresh ideas to make it a long weekend. Visitors can book their stay at gophila.com, where they can also plan every detail of their trip. Here’s

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 arrival of the Arts of Fashion Symposium, Design Competition and Fashion Show, another first for the city. Design fans will get their fill, too, thanks to the fifth annual—and biggest yet—DesignPhiladelphia celebration, a brand new Kimpton hotel in a historic building and 11 enormous ceramic, steel and bronze works

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 Broad Street in the festive day-long Mummers Parade that ends with the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. January 1, 2010. phillymummers.com

February:

• The Pennsylvania Convention Center is the site of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor show of its kind. The annual

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 fun events and activities to choose from throughout the month.

As part of the new With Love, Philadelphia XOXO™ tourism marketing campaign—a series of 60+ love letters addressed to travelers and penned by the city itself with a bit of Philly “atty-tude”—visitors who book one of the 80 featured packages

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 The Franklin Institute Science Museum, tattoos galore at the Independence Seaport Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls, fall festivals and much more.

Fall Into A Philadelphia Hotel:
As part of the new With Love, Philadelphia XOXO™ campaign, fall-loving visitors who book one of the 80 featured packages

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, museum happy hours and free concerts. What’s more, many of the options are low-priced or free, and with 80 valuable hotel packages available on gophila.com/withlove, including the two-night Philly Overnight® Hotel Package that includes free hotel parking, visitors can spend a couple nights (or more) sampling the region’s many

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. Here’s a look at what’s going on while Galileo’s in town:

Fun Art And Culture:

• The popular three-day West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival—now in its sixth year—features all types of jazz alongside visual artists, craft vendors and more. This year’s lineup features WAR, Jeffrey Osbourne, Average

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 the Curtis Institute of Music, the hi-tech production line of Herr’s Potato Chip Factory and the always-colorful Mummers Museum.

Historical Sites:

• Snuggled behind the east wing of Independence Hall is Philosophical Hall, a brick building erected in the late 1780s that was the nation’s first museum, national library and

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 with the second annual Roots Picnic, an all-day concert that culminates with a performance by Philly’s famed hip-hop group turned Late Night with Jimmy Fallon house band, The Roots.

Black Music’s Philly Roots:
There would be no 1970s soul, no R&B, no disco, without Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

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’ early years than ever before.

Now in its third year, Philadelphia Quest for Freedom, part of a statewide initiative that brings the history of the Underground Railroad to the public’s attention, features several exhibitions that explore the breadth of the African-American experience in Philadelphia:

• Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia,

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 African American Museum in Philadelphia’s brand-new permanent exhibition to learn about the experiences of African-Americans living in 18^th-century Philadelphia; groove to the sounds of The Roots, Public Enemy and other all-star groups at the second annual Roots Picnic; and examine their thoughts about skin color at RACE: Are

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 official tourism Web site set to launch March 31. The site enables travelers to plan multiday visits in Philly, whether history-, science- or Italian-themed, from start to finish. All of the information is also available at fi.edu/galileo.

On gophila.com/galileo, visitors can:

• Get full exhibition details and find links

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. And papermag.com agreed, saying “the Philadelphia art scene is booming.” The main reason? Schools, galleries and collectives in Philadelphia are widely considered friendly and inviting, welcoming even novice buyers to take the first steps toward establishing a lifelong love of art collecting. One event in particular creating plenty of buzz

Art lovers eager to visit Philadelphia for the Cézanne and Beyond exhibition—making its exclusive world appearance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through May 31, 2009—need look no further than gophila.com/cezanne, a specially created section on the Philadelphia region’s official tourism Web site that allows visitors to plan their Parisian adventure in Philly from start to finish. Since debuting on February 1, 2009, the site has received more than 12,000 page views.

On gophila.com/cezanne, visitors can:

• Get full exhibition details and purchase tickets
• Peek inside the exhibit through an exclusive photo slideshow
• See three local artists, Thom Lessner,

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 a multi-day celebration of America’s birthday are delightful ways to stretch a budget. And with dozens of packages available at hotels throughout the region and on gophila.com, including the affordable two-night Philly Overnight® Hotel Package, visitors can enjoy maximum fun with minimum funds.

Here’s a look at what’s happening in

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, explore the boot-shaped peninsula of Italy and discover the cultural gems of Ireland and England. Here are a few Philly events that will transport visitors around the globe this year:

France:

• Including approximately 35 paintings and sculptures, Henri Matisse and Modern Art on the French Riviera at the Philadelphia