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The Oval seasonal pop-up festival and beer garden opens Friday with live performances

The Oval pop-up festival at Eakins Oval begins July 7 with musical performances by Snacktime.

Participants relax and catch their breath after a yoga class hosted by Yoga Habit in Fairmount, led by instructor Jen Wendowski, takes place at the Oval in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening, July 13, 2022.
Participants relax and catch their breath after a yoga class hosted by Yoga Habit in Fairmount, led by instructor Jen Wendowski, takes place at the Oval in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening, July 13, 2022.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect Hannibal Buress is no longer part of the performance lineup at The Oval.

Parkway Presents Concerts
Family-focused Fun
Festival marketplace days with local vendors
Free movie nights
Quizzo Sundays
Themed dance parties

The Eakins Oval pop-up beer garden and festival is fun for all ages with a community-led approach this year and plenty of opportunities to dance, drink and be merry.

For the past 10 years, Parks and Recreation has reimagined the asphalt lot in the middle of Eakins Oval as a seven-weekend family-fun party called “The Oval.” With it comes the repainting of the lot with glorious street murals outfitted with tables, chairs and rotating food trucks and craft beers to celebrate summer in one of the most idyllic parts of Philadelphia.

This year, families can enjoy specials events like Hip-Hop in the Park with TAMEARTZ, one of the creators behind Sunflower Philly community art garden, live performances by the locally renowned seven-piece brass band Snacktime alongside Philly DJ Killsing and Rachel Andie, plus movie nights including The Super Mario Bros Movie, Encanto and Grease.

The Oval opens every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from July 7 to Aug. 20.

  1. Fridays: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

  2. Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

  3. Sundays: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Events at The Oval are weather-permitting, so check for updates on Twitter at @TheOvalPHL or on The Oval event calendar.

Parkway Presents Concerts

  1. Snacktime with Killsing, and Rachel Andie: Friday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m. — Funk, hip-hop, punk, jazz, pop and R&B.

  2. Raul y su ClaveAché: Friday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. — Authentic Cuban melodies and Afro-Cuban jazz

Family-focused Fun

  1. Let’s Rock Recess: Sunday, July 9 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Dancing, singing, face painting, caricature drawing and more.

  2. Parkway at the Oval with Fairmount Sports Association: Saturday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Fun sports activities for kids ages 3-8+.

Festival marketplace days with local vendors

  1. Now + Then Marketplace: Saturday, July 8 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 19 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Local artisans, artists, and craftspeople.

  2. Hip Hop in the Park curated by TAMEARTZ: Saturday, August 12 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary with live performers and local vendors.

Free movie nights

Movies begin at 8:30 p.m. Schedule is subject to change.

  1. July 14: The Super Mario Bros Movie

  2. July 28: Jungle Cruise

  3. Aug. 11: Encanto

  4. Aug. 18: Grease

Quizzo Sundays

Test your trivia knowledge every Sunday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in The Oval Beer Garden, hosted by Philly’s favorite Quizzo-master Johnny Goodtimes. Teams can include up to eight people with the top two teams winning prizes.

Themed dance parties

DJs from Milkboy Philadelphia, the independent recording studio and local chain of down-to-earth rock ‘n’ roll bar are throwing themed dance parties on select Fridays and Saturdays. The party begins at 8:30 p.m. with various themes on these dates:

  1. July 15: 90s/00s Night

  2. July 22: Drake Night

  3. July 29: Taylor Swift Night

  4. August 4: Grateful Dead Night

  5. August 5: Pearl Jam Night

  6. August 12: Bad Bunny & J Balvin Night