July 19-21: Laurel Hill lunar stroll | The Oval’s first weekend | Lancaster Ave Jazz Fest | Big Green Block debut | Parents who cycle meet-up | Barnes Foundation panel discussion | Architecture tours

Hey Streeters! Here’s our weekly roundup of events to keep you busy all weekend long. Remember to stay hydrated. 

EXPLORE Lunar Stroll: Photographing Laurel Hill After Hours

Friday, July 19th, 8pm-10pm, Laurel Hill Cemetery Gatehouse, 3822 Ridge Avenue. Photo enthusiasts, grab your cameras, tripods and flashlights, and capture the ethereal wonders of Laurel Hill Cemetery after the sun goes down. During this guided stroll through the site’s picturesque landscape, participants will visit some of its most photogenic spots and evocative statuary, while learning to paint with light using only a flashlight and ambient iridescence. Lunar Strolls occur on the third Friday of every month from May through August Cost: $15

RELAX Ferris Bueller’s Day Off featuring the English Beat

Friday, July 19. 6:30pm – 11pm. Eakins Oval, Philadelphia, PA. Kicking off the opening weekend of The Oval, Awesome Fest presents English Beat, the band who created the soundtrack for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, at 7pm followed by an outdoor screening of the movie at sunset. The beer garden will also be in operation Friday from 5pm – 9 pm. For a full line up of attractions at The Oval now through August 18, visit The Oval Calendar. Free.

LISTEN 7th Annual Lancaster Ave Jazz & Arts Festival

Saturday, July 20. 12pm – 7pm. Saunders Park at 39th and Powelton, West Philadelphia. Perhaps the city’s most anticipated jazz festival this summer, the Lancaster Ave Jazz and Arts fest returns for its seventh year and features artists including Tim Warfield, Charles Washington, David Stevens, the Philadelphia Clef Club Youth Ensemble and many more. Other entertainment includes the West Powelton Steppers, youth activities, vendors, food trucks and art gallery and studio tours. Free.

CELEBRATE Big Green Block Ribbon Cutting

Saturday, July 20. 11am – noon. Shissler Recreation Center, 1800 Blair Street. Join New Kensington CDC and its partners for a ribbon cutting of the Big Green Block, a series of green education and storm water management art and infrastructure projects that New Kensington CDC, Sustainable 19125, the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Horticultural Society and others have built in the stretch from the Shissler Rec Center at 1800 Blair Street down to Palmer Street. If you’re looking for a place to cool off, one of the Big Green Block’s latest additions is a shiny, new sprayground. Free. 

MEET Parents who cycle meet-up

Saturday, July 20. 10 a.m. – noon. Schuylkill Banks, under the Walnut Street Bridge. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is hosting a meet-up for parents who ride with their children and new or expecting parents who want to start. Experienced riders will share info about picking the right bike, gear and routes and answer other questions. RSVP to attend. Free. 

LEARN Art on the Wall, Art as the Wall: A Panel DIscussion at the Barnes

Sunday, July 21st, 2-3:30pm, The Barnes Museum, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia. Much art relies on being distinct from its containing structure. Ellsworth Kelly’s Sculpture for a Large Wall, extending 65 feet, is a structure in and of itself. This panel will look at relationships between walls and art, the space in between, and ideas of permanence and the politics of space and structure. Free; advanced reservations required.

TOUR The Preservation Alliance Walking Tours

City Hall to City Hall: Saturday, July 20th, 10am, Meet at NE corner of 5th & Chestnut Sts. Stroll from Independence National Historic Park in front of the Old City Hall to Philadelphia’s current City Hall. In between participants will learn about the astounding variety of Philadelphia’s 19th century and 20th century commercial architecture. 

Ben Franklin’s Philadelphia: Sunday, July 21st, 2pm, Meet at entrance to Franklin Court, 312-22 Market St. Celebrate the 300th birthday of our boy Ben Franklin. You’ll follow his footsteps through colonial Philadelphia, beginning at the site of his home and print shop and explore other significant sites of the birthplace of our nation and its architecture.

Happy weekend!