🏳️‍🌈 Your guide to Philly Pride | Things to Do

It’s about to be Pride Month! There are so many ways to experience and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture and communities in Philly. (And finally, the weekend weather looks like it’s going to be bright and sunny the entire time.) How are you showing your pride this year? Let me know!

This weekend, head to the Mann Center for The Roots Picnic, see astonishing feats at a circus festival, hear works from renowned composer and flutist Valerie Coleman, and explore the Latino Arts & Film Festival.

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

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The 2024 Philly Pride march and festival returns to the Gayborhood on Sunday, June 2, with speeches, fanfare, and a 400-foot-long rainbow flag. There will be DJs like Sway Philly and BOS Philly, vendors including Queer Candle Co. and Drag Syndicate, and a ton of performances from local drag stars, including Sapphira Cristál, the opera queen who just competed in the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Here’s everything you need to know.

🎤 Know your Roots: What are the must-see acts at The Roots picnic this weekend? (Aside from Jill Scott and The Roots, of course). Catch Nas, Shaboozey, André 3000, and so many more killer performers.

🎻 Contemporary sounds: Composer and flutist Valerie Coleman has a deep relationship with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2019, when the orchestra performed a classical composition by her, it was the first time they ever performed the work of a living female African American composer. Her latest composition, Concerto for Orchestra (“Renaissance”), premieres this weekend at Verizon Hall.

🥨 Salty goodness: Pennsylvania is the nation’s pretzel capital. But what makes a Philly pretzel? And where can you find the best ones? Catch up with our quick guide.

🩰 Dance under the stars: The Philadelphia Ballet hosts their 5th annual Spring Festival this weekend at Red Rose Farm in Villanova, with a sunset performance on a lake Friday night and a Family Style Picnic Event on Saturday. The company will perform a New Orleans-inspired piece and another work to the rock music of Electric Light Orchestra. Find out more.

🎭 On stage: Head to the historic Sedgwick Theater to see Quintessence Theatre’s production of Father Comes Home From the Wars, a Civil War play from Pulitzer-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks that centers on Hero, an enslaved man who can be freed, but only after he fights for the Confederacy. The show runs through June 23, so it’s perfect viewing for any Juneteenth plans.

🎪 Look up: This weekend is the Hand to Hand circus festival at FringeArts, presented by Mt. Airy’s Circadium School of Contemporary Circus, with several eye-popping performances between May 31-June 2. See cutting-edge talent as Circadium students showcase their skills from juggling to acrobatics to clowning.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Devon Horse Show & County Fair, Parks on Tap at Penn Treaty Park, Black Restaurant Week

The Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival kicked off earlier this week and will run through July 7, with a slate of film screenings and live performances across the city to celebrate and showcase Latinx culture and storytelling. The lineup includes more than 140 films — including 16 world premieres — as well as live music, dance, poetry, and spoken word. There’s a dystopian feature about a climate migrant under constant surveillance (Itu Ninu (Where the Corn Fields Are)); a short documentary about the recovering coffee industry in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria (Mi Puerto Rico, El Cafe); and a film showcasing oral histories of Latina lesbians in conversation with poet Denice Frohman (Esto No Tiene Nombre). The festival will host events at University of the Arts, the Barnes Foundation, Cherry Street Pier, and elsewhere. Explore the full lineup.

🎨 New and noteworthy: A 100,000 square-foot arts campus is coming to West Kensington over the next two years, thanks to the Forman Arts Initiative. Though still in development, the multipurpose space will include a performing arts venue, a garden, and a gallery that will showcase the illustrious collection of Michael Forman and Jennifer Rice, the couple who runs FAI. Take a look at the block on American Street where they plan to restore and renovate old industrial buildings.

🍔 No forks necessary: It’s the best season to eat a cheeseburger (or is that all-year-round?) and if you’re looking for the best burgers in Philly, we’ve got you covered. Here are 20 of our current favorites.

🛞 Local laughs: Comedian Shane Gillis, who grew up in Mechanicsburg, has a new Netflix show set at a Valley Forge auto shop called Tires. Here are all the Philly-area references.

🥪 When you’re really hungry: If you’re hanging out in Delco and want a good cheesesteak, here are the six best spots.

🍜 Shopping scene: A new bi-level store in Chinatown sells all sorts of goodies, from ramen noodles and Asian snacks to skin care and beauty products.

On this topic, I think we can all agree: Don’t come for the Kelces. It won’t end well! Over Memorial Day weekend, a drunk woman in Margate banged on the Kelces’ car door in the parking lot of Steve & Cookies to demand a photo with them. When they said no, the woman began shouting at Kyle, saying, “You’ll never be allowed in this town again!” Whew, the drama. Of course, a video of the moment went viral and now Margate’s mayor has apologized for the altercation, and others have come to the couple’s defense. And Kylie has earned herself even more fans for refusing to back down.

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This week, I’ve been reading sci-fi writing legend (and Philadelphia resident!) Samuel R. Delany’s epic novel Dhalgren — and yes, I know I’m 40 years late. What’s your summer read? Let me know!