First Friday and Labor Day fun | Things to Do

Hi yall!

Summer is cooling down but at least we’re getting a three-day weekend. Unfortunately mine will be spent at home getting over Covid (the recent surge is real, folks!) but I hope you all have a ton of fun — staying safe — for me.

This weekend, party at a DJ night, see the amazing stonework of William Edmondson, find a good knitting shop, catch a new installation at Cherry Street Pier, and make those reservations for Center City District Restaurant Week.

— Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

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Three days of relaxing and partying sounds like a perfect way to close out the season. We’ve got a roundup of cool events to check out this weekend. There’s a DJ night, an outdoor hip-hop concert party, and a tribute show to one of my favorite albums, The Clash’s London Calling. Choose your own adventure.

🏛️ Lost and found: A sculpture by Outsider artist William Edmondson was thought lost for 50 years before it was found on a porch in Chestnut Hill. The incredible Miss Louisa is now on display at the Barnes Foundation.

🌹 Root for the local contestant: The Golden Bachelor — the new dating show for older couples — announced its cast and there’s one woman from Delco in the running.

🎾 Newcomers on the court: The game you can’t stop hearing about is taking over Philly, too. Center City is opening pop-up pickleball courts that you can rent starting Sept. 7.

🍽️ Make those reservations: Center City District Restaurant Week kicks off Sept. 10 with more than 100 restaurants offering three-course dinners for $45, including Amada, Buddakan, Rex at the Royal, and so many more delicious spots.

🎤 New dates dropped: Travis Scott’s Utopia tour will come to Philly’s Wells Fargo Center in December.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Skyline views at Bok Bar, bratwurst at the Labor Day Volksfest, and an end of summer boat party.

A new art installation at Cherry Street Pier hangs swaths of fabric from the ceiling to recreate a forest canopy. Local artist Amie Potsic, renowned for her fabric art and photography, opens the charming climate change-inspired “Forest Light & Twilight” on Sept. 1 and the work will be on view through Oct. 1.

Plus, it’s First Friday tomorrow! Get out and visit a local gallery in Fishtown, Fairmount, Old City, and elsewhere for their monthly open houses.

💀 A Gritty makeover: Meet the artist who creates weird, imaginative, and creepy heavy metal hellscapes on prints and t-shirts using Gritty, the Phanatic, and other Philly references.

🧶 Get crafty: Love knitting, crocheting, or sewing? We rounded up the best knitting and fiber arts stores in Philly, where you can find everything you need to make DIY warm clothes as the weather gets cooler.

🎥 Spotlighting the overlooked organizer: The upcoming biopic Rustin centers on the West Chester-raised activist Bayard Rustin, who put together the March on Washington 60 years ago. West Philly native Colman Domingo stars as the Black queer organizer who is now getting his flowers after the movement sidelined him.

🎸 Postponement blues: Bruce Springsteen has officially made the announcement — the girls in their summer clothes and everyone else will have to wait until August 2024 for him to return to Philly for the two shows he postponed earlier this month.

A new mural unveiled in Scranton, Pa. this week is dedicated to which TV show?

A) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

B) The Office

C) Schitt’s Creek

D) The Goldbergs

📮 To let me know which of the above is correct, write me back.

This week, I’ve been listening to Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti to send off my fave season. What are you bumping these days?