What to do in Philly, Aug. 23-29: Keystone Comic Con, the Naked Bike Ride, and a beer fest by a castle

Don’t panic: You’ve still got two more weekends to savor before September rolls around. And this last gasp of summer (well, it officially goes till Sept. 23) has a lot going on.

After the Boathouse Row spectacle that was this year’s Dîner en Blanc, Philly’s next big event makes a hard left: It’s the Naked Bike Ride, the horde of bare-bottomed bikers who will surge through city streets tomorrow afternoon. You know who will be waiting for them? Just-married couples, hoping to take a novel wedding photo. If you’re thinking about saddling up in your skivvies, we’ve got advice on how to feel comfortable.

There’s much more, including the opening of Hamilton at the Forrest Theatre (if you play your cards right, you can score tickets for $10), the Keystone Comic Con, Horsham’s vibrant Ukrainian Folk Festival, a beer festival by Doylestown’s Fonthill Castle, a three-day country music bonanza in Chester County. — Jenn Ladd (@jrladd, jladd@inquirer.com)

This con returns for a second year, offering enthusiasts of all stripes something to nerd out over and celebrities to spot. Last year, there was a mini cast reunion for The Office. This year, Sylvester Stallone was due to come but canceled; in his stead, organizers nabbed the latest actor to pick up the Spider-Man mantle, Tom Holland. Folks behind productions of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Harry Potter (namely, the actors who played Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley) will also be there, ready for snapping photos and signing merch. (Also keep an eye out for horror-movie director John Carpenter and Gilmore Girls’ Scott Patterson, a.k.a. Luke, who also appeared in Saw movies, and is originally from Haddonfield, N.J.) Besides the stars, there will be dozens of cosplay competitors, comic-book authors and artists, plus a slew of activities. Root around the convention center during an Avengers-themed scavenger hunt, watch professional stuntmen in the wrestling arena, duel it out in a Pokemon tournament, and catch film screenings. — Grace Dickinson

Noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., $15-$155, keystonecomiccon.com

Doylestown’s own Wuthering Heights-esque estate, Fonthill Castle — a concrete behemoth that blends medieval, Gothic and Byzantine architecture, with Moravian tiles thrown in for good measure — lightens it up with a beer festival. The castle itself, built by Henry Chapman Mercer (of the Mercer Museum), will be closed, but you can spend the afternoon sipping dozens of beer samples against this impressive backdrop. Live music and light fare are included with every ticket. — G.D.

2 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Fonthill Castle, 525 E. Court St., Doylestown, $25-$100, 215-348-9461, mercermuseum.org

August (and July) in Japan means Obon, a centuries-old custom of returning to one’s ancestral hometown to honor departed loved ones and spend time with the living ones. Families string up paper lanterns to guide spirits home; when the festival ends, the lanterns are placed on little floats and set on water, sending them back to the spirit world. Join the Shofuso Japanese House for a Philly version of this Buddhist tradition, featuring folk dance, taiko drumming, tea ceremony demonstrations, watermelon smashing, and classic summer festival games. — G.D.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, Lansdowne and Horticultural Drives, free, japanphilly.org

This weekend, the crew of “Big J” fills its portside deck’s swimming pool and invites visitors in for a dip. It’s a hat-tip to Captain J. Edward Snyder Jr., who had the same idea in 1967 when the removal of anti-aircraft guns left the ship with two giant, empty tubs. Take a tour of the battleship in his honor, then jump in. — G.D.

9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Battleship New Jersey, 100 Clinton St., Camden, $19.95-$29.95, 856-966-1652, battleshipnewjersey.org

The story of Hua Mulan — familiar to many Americans via the 1998 Disney movie — dates to the 6th century. Not surprisingly, the Disney version wasn’t a wholly faithful adaptation: In the original poem, Mulan was already trained in martial arts and archery, she spent 10 years fighting, and was promoted to general. See this tale told in ballet form by one of China’s most famous ensembles, the Liaoning Ballet, in a one day-only performance. — G.D.

7 p.m., Wednesday, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., $38-$148, 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org

You’ll have to listen hard to the new Tame Impala songs to hear traces of the guitar-centric psych-rock of Innerspeaker and Lonerism, the first two albums from Australian Kevin Parker’s project. Parker is still a studio-obsessive, in love with layered sounds and effects pedals, and he seems to be moving even further down a path hinted at on 2015’s excellent Currents. The first two songs he’s released from his forthcoming fourth album, “Borderline” and “Patience,” display more debts to house-music grooves than to vintage psych-rock, and they’re very cool. Parker previews new songs and revisits and reimagines old ones at a sold-out show at the Mann on Friday. — Steve Klinge

8 p.m., Friday, the Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Ave., sold out, 800-982-2787, manncenter.org

Philly bands commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of Grace, the debut album by the golden-voiced singer-songwriter scion best known for his definitive cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Philly acts the End of America and Naaemah Maddox will do house-band duties, and Curtis Cooper, Matt Duke, and members of Ruby the Hatchet and Hardwork Movement chip in. The show opens with a screening of a documentary about Buckley, who drowned in the Mississippi River in 1997 at age 30. — Dan DeLuca

8 p.m., Friday, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., $18-$22, 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com

Chester County will be bustling with country music fans this weekend, as this twangy, rootsy, ballad-driven, three-day festival pulls into town; last year it drew more than 20,000 attendees. This year’s lineup features big-ticket names like Old Dominion, Little Big Town, Adam Doleac, Lee Brice, and Brothers Osborne. A portion of admission sales go to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. — G.D.

2 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds, 5 Nantmeal Rd., Glenmoore, $89-$339, 615-815-8925, countryspiritusa.com

In the 1980s, the Ocean Blue were an oddity: a band of Anglophile teenagers from Hershey, Pa., enamored of dreamy Brit bands like Cocteau Twins and Echo & the Bunnymen, that somehow landed a deal with legendary record man Seymour Stein and recorded in London with a producer who had also worked with The Smiths. The band built a loyal following with three gently hypnotic albums, starting with 1989’s self-titled debut and peaking with 1991’s Cerulean. After disbanding in the ’00s, the Dave Schelzel-fronted band returned in 2013 with Ultramarine. They’re back again in fine form with the new Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves. — D.D.

9 p.m., Friday, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., $17-$20, 215-627-1332, undergroundarts.org

Anyone who tuned in to last weekend’s minute-by-minute rebroadcast of the Woodstock festival on WXPN-FM (88.5) knows this: Santana smoked. But that was 50 years ago. What’s more to the point is that Africa Speaks, the new Santana album produced by Rick Rubin and featuring multilingual Spanish singer Concha Buika, is much closer to that Woodstock set in terms of raw, unpolished musical ferocity than was “Smooth,” the 1999 hit featuring Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas that is Carlos Santana’s most recognizable song. — D.D.

8 p.m., Saturday, BB&T Pavilion, One Harbour Blvd., Camden, $19-$203, 856-365-1300, livenation.com

Australian songwriter Alex Lahey made a strong first impression with her 2017 I Love You Like a Brother debut, and the 27-year-old guitarist (and saxophone player) progresses impressively on her sophomore release, The Best of Luck Club. Lahey inevitably gets associated with Courtney Barnett: She’s from Melbourne, gay, writes smart/funny lyrics, and rocks out. But Lahey comes from more of a pop-punk starting point than garage-rock, and the maturity she shows on such straightforward love (and anti-love) songs as “I Want To Live With You” and “I Need To Move On” suggest a big audience could await her. — D.D.

9 p.m., Saturday, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $15-$17, 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com

After years in kiddie-pop hell, Canadian vocalist and guitarist Shawn Mendes has found himself in adult (OK, teen) territory with this year’s steamiest mainstream hit, “Senorita,” with winning duet partner Camila Cabello. They grow up so fast, nowadays. Joining the 21-year-old Mendes is yet another Canadian, 23-year-old Alessia Cara, a pop singer still but one with a big R&B vibe, hots hits such as “Here” and “Stay,” and a funky new EP, This Summer, with a spanking-fresh single, “Rooting for You,” released earlier this month. — A.D. Amorosi

7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St., $85.50-$25.50, 215-336-3600, wellsfargocenterphilly.com

The experimental music producer born Steven Ellison, who has worked with Kendrick Lamar, finally followed up 2014’s You’re Dead! with this year’s Flamagra, which features George Clinton, North Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack, and Solange, among others. Get ready to wear silly glasses, because Thursday’s show is billed as being “in 3D.” — D.D.

8:30 p.m., Thursday, Franklin Music Hall, 421 N. 7th St., $29.50-$35, 215-627-1332, bowerypresents.com