Summer Guide 2023

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE

DELAWARE RIVER WATERFRONT CORPORATION

We aim to transform the Waterfront into a vibrant destination for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities for residents of and visitors to Philadelphia. We believe in creating public spaces that are accessible and welcoming to everyone and invite you to enjoy your summer days and nights with us.

This summer, you can have a new adventure every time you visit the Delaware River Waterfront. Whether you are looking for a family day, date night, a food and drink exploration, fitness, shopping, art, and more, use this seasonal guide to plan all your summer adventures on the Waterfront.

And while you’re here, share your photos and videos using the #MyPhillyWaterfront hashtag for a chance to be featured on our social media channels.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to design, develop, program and maintain public amenities along the central Delaware River Waterfront.

Take your adventure to Independence

Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest, your Waterfront destination for fantastic summer pastimes including roller skating, mini golf, boardwalk rides and games, and tasty eats from Chickie’s & Pete’s and James Beard Awards nominated Cantina La Martina.

Every Friday and Saturday from 7pm-10pm, don’t miss live DJs mixing the ultimate summer soundtrack.

See the Current Park Hours Here » Open 7 days a week including holidays

Continue your adventure at Spruce Street Harbor Park, Philly’s vibrant urban oasis, to kick back and relax under the canopy of colorful, glowing lights. Enjoy craft beer or a refreshing cocktail, while satisfying your taste buds with delicious local bites from Philly Tacos, Ay Burrito, French Toast Bites, Frozen Delights, Humpty’s Dumplings, and Chickie’s & Pete’s.

Check out the all-new interactive installation, Loop by Ekumen, on display now through August 14. Enhance your experience and rent a private Riverside Hammock Lounge for you and your guests.

Spruce Street Harbor Park Summer Events Schedule

Fridays, 7:30pm-10:30pm: Dance along to live music with After Work Sessions

Saturdays, 12pm-5pm: Shop craft markets from local makers

Sundays, 12pm-2pm: Enjoy free family fun activities at Family Fun Day Sunday

See the Current Park Hours Here »

Open 7 days a week including holidays

SpruceStreetHarborPark.com

Spruce Street Harbor Park

@SSHarborPark

SpruceStreetHarborPark

If arts, culture, shopping, and music is what you seek, Cherry Street Pier is the next stop on your journey with incredible exhibitions, unique markets, exciting performances, and more.

And no trip to Cherry Street Pier is complete without indulging in mouth-watering snacks from French Toast Bites or dinner and drinks in our beautiful garden restaurant showing off unbeatable views of the waterfront and Ben Franklin Bridge.

See the Current Cherry Street Pier Hours Here »

See the Current Garden Restaurant Hours Here »

CherryStreetPier.com

Cherry Street Pier

@CherryStPier

CherryStreetPier

Columbus Boulevard at Cherry Street (Just South of Race Street)

#MyPhillyWaterfront

Artists at Cherry Street Pier

Meet our ultra-talented collective of resident artists working in a multitude of mediums from mixed-media art, painting, and illustration to sculpting, photography, and classical music. Visit them at the Pier to learn more and shop their unbelievable works of art.

Acori Honzo Sculpture, Painting, African-American Dolls

Athena Scott Painting, Drawing, Mixed Media Portraits

Cassie Jones Art and Art Education

Amy Kelly (4 and 7) Watercolors, Colored Pencil, Yarn, and Education

Ana Thorne Graphic Designer, Illustrator

Bonnie MacAllister Fiber Artist

SpArc Services Multidiscipline Arts Program

Thomcat23 Illustration, Comic Book Art

Walls for Justice Mural Painting

Nyambi Royster Family Herbalist, Educator

James B. Abbott Photography

Orchestra 2001 Contemporary Classical Music

SunKissed Group Short Film, Poetry, Music, Art, Journalism

Events and Exhibitions

at Cherry Street Pier

WALK AROUND PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITION

Now Through September

This exhibition features images from the city’s edge created by artists who’ve set out to explore the city’s border on foot alongside other works inspired by walking edges and margins.

AMIE POTSIC’S FOREST LIGHT AND TWILIGHT EXHIBITION

September 1 through September 30

Experience this interactive installation that conjures the enchanted feeling of walking through the woods under the forest canopy in order to inspire environmental awareness.

LAURENCE SALZMANN: IN & OUT OF NATURE EXHIBITION

September 1 through September 30

This exhibition uses photographs from some of Salzmann’s many documentary & abstract projects that explore how nature has helped to shape his own vision as a photographer, drawing on projects from throughout the world.

20/20 PHOTO FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRY SHOW: THE NATURAL WORLD EXHIBITION

September 1 through September 30

Curated by Ryan Strand Greenberg, The Natural World is a collection of images by 24 photographers documenting today’s environment. These photographs highlight the delicate balance between living organisms and habitats from Philadelphia to India.

FIRST FRIDAY

September 1, beginning at 4pm

SPARC SERVICES “SPARC ROCKS”

September 15, Beginning at 5pm

Part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

WE ARE THE SEEDS

September 16

Part of the PECO Multicultural Series

EL MERCADO CULTURAL

September 16, 12pm–5pm

CURATOR FESTIVAL

September 23, 2pm–7pm

SUNKISSED SUNDAY

September 24, 12pm–2pm

20/20 PHOTO FESTIVAL

September 30, 12pm–7pm

TASTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

October 1, 1pm–5pm

Part of the PECO Multicultural Series

DESIGNPHILADELPHIA FESTIVAL

October 4–15

SUPER GAME DAY

October 21, 11am–6pm

AND MANY MORE EVENTS TO COME!

Stay tuned to CherryStreetPier.com for more exciting announcements. Information was accurate at press time, but is subject to change.

The Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing is perfect if you’re looking for excitement and thrills with stunning cultural events, , concerts, and Pixar Putt, a brand-new mini golf experience made up of 18 fun and interactive holes inspired by the stories, characters, and icons from some of Pixar’s most beloved films.

Events at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing

PIXAR PUTT

July 1 through October 1

Buy tickets here »

WATERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL

August 25 and 26

Featuring The Baylor Project, Jamison Ross, Snacktime, and Orchestra 2001

Jazz Ensemble

PECO Multicultural Series

PHILADELPHIA IRISH FESTIVAL

June 4, 12pm–7pm

ISLAMIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL

June 10, 2pm–8pm

CONCILIO’S HISPANIC FIESTA

June 24 and 25, 2pm–8pm

ACANA AFRICAN FESTIVAL

August 6, 2pm–8pm

FESTIVAL OF INDIA

August 19, 12pm–7pm

CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL

August 20, 12pm–8pm

BRAZILIAN DAY PHILADELPHIA

September 10, 1pm–7pm

MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY FESTIVAL

September 10, 2pm–8pm

Visit Race Street Pier for picturesque sights, a stroll, picnic, meditation, and one of the best Instagram spots in Philly.

Wellness on the Waterfront presented by Independence Blue Cross

Now through September 4, take part in free yoga and Pilates classes from Three Queens.

Fitness Schedule:

Mondays at 6pm, Thursdays at 6pm, Sundays at 10am

POCKETS OF LIGHT

Now through September 30

Beginning at Race Street Pier, experience an interactive flower installation spanning across the Waterfront at five public piers and parks. Find all of the locations and complete the activies with each for a chance to win prizes.

Travel south to explore the peaceful serenity and nature of Washington Avenue Pier. Take advantage of the Pier’s walking path allowing visitors to reach the tip of the pier, an elevated boardwalk allowing visitors to pass over wetland habitats below, and ecological enhancements.

Experience Philadelphia’s fishing hideaway, Pier 68, grab your fishing pole, a book, or perhaps pack a lunch, and take in the calm surroundings within this Waterfront gem.

DelawareRiverWaterfront.com

Delaware River Waterfront

@DelRiverWFront

DelawareRiverWaterfront

Columbus Boulevard at Pier 70 Boulevard

#MyPhillyWaterfront

The Delaware River Trail is the ultimate mode of travel for your Waterfront adventure. This scenic, multimodal trail runs over 3 miles along the Waterfront, connecting from Pier 68 in South Philadelphia to Penn Treaty Park in North Philadelphia.

The new trail makes it easier than ever to travel to all our parks by foot, bike, skateboard, or anything on wheels. Between Cherry Street Pier and Race Street Pier, don’t miss Weaver’s Knot: Sheet Bend, an astounding installation from Studio Ball Nogues and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy.

DelawareRiverWaterfront.com

Delaware River Waterfront

@DelRiverWFront

DelawareRiverWaterfront

On foot or wheels, take the trail! Columbus Boulevard between Pier 68 and Penn Treaty Park

ON THE HORIZON

Graffiti Pier

Pier 18, originally part of Philadelphia’s industrial history as a coal pier and now affectionately known as “Graffiti Pier,” has played an important part in Philadelphia’s art scene, helping put the city on the map for some of the most creative street art in the world. DRWC’s conceptual design for the pier is inspired and informed by the diverse community of artists and neighbors who have made the space what it is. The concept takes a “light touch” approach that buffers the pier from surrounding development and sea level rise, enhances waterfront access for nearby neighborhoods, and allows for the continued creation of art while still retaining the special character of pier as it is now.

Wetlands Park

The southern section of the Waterfront offers a unique opportunity to establish a “tidal wetlands park” between a series of abandoned piers to enhance water and land habitats for ecological resiliency. Over the coming decade, the Waterfront from Washington Avenue and Pier 70 Boulevard will be transformed into a wetlands park. With assistance from the Natural Lands Trust, DRWC purchased the pier and berth spaces with an eye towards improving the riparian ecology and restoring the tidal wetlands while offering unprecedented public access to a naturally reawakening river.

New Park at Penn’s Landing

Stretching from Front Street to the Delaware River and Chestnut to Walnut Streets, the new Park at Penn’s Landing will feature 11 acres of green space, play areas, dining, a performance space, introspective gardens, water features, unparalleled water views and much more. In collaboration with PennPraxis, DRWC convened meetings in neighborhoods across Philadelphia and asked residents how they want to experience this new public space, the results of which informed the Park’s design. Thanks to city, state, and philanthropic leaders, the Park at Penn’s Landing construction began in 2023.

DONATE

We wouldn’t be able to do this without you! If you’ve enjoyed roller skating at Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest, strolling through exhibitions at Cherry Street Pier, relaxing at Race Street Pier, or any of the free programs we produce throughout the year, please consider making a donation so that we can continue to transform the Waterfront for all of Philadelphia and its visitors.

It’s how Philly rolls

The Independence Blue Cross RiverRink is a prime destination for Philly fun all summer long.

Independence Blue Cross is the RiverRink’s founding sponsor. And Independence members get free skating admission when they show their member ID card.

Learn more about member perks at ibx.com/discounts.

Partners in possibility.

Being your power company means so much more than keeping the lights on and the gas flowing. It’s about helping our communities thrive. That’s why we’re proud to sponsor the PECO Multicultural Series at Penn’s Landing (DRWC).

This is our home, too. And neighbors like you inspire us to make our communities even more vibrant, every single day.

Learn more at peco.com

DelawareRiverWaterfront.com 215-922-2386

Delaware River Waterfront

@DelRiverWFront

DelawareRiverWaterfront

JOSEPH A. FORKIN

President, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

ALAN P. HOFFMANN

Chairman, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

Information was correct at press time, but is subject to change.

Photography by Jim Abbott, Neil Santos, Matt Stanley, Maria Young

Design by Roni Lagin & Co.

Public programming on the Waterfront would not be possible without the continued support of our partners: