The Top Events, Festivals & Exhibitions in Greater Philadelphia in April 2023

March 21 – April 9, 2023 (select dates)

Henry the VIII’s former wives — all six of ’em — step out of his shadow and onto the stage in this electric Broadway production that channels 500 years of heartbreak into 21st-century empowerment. Before the show, be sure to pop into the on-site Volvér for the Queen’s Sting , a special, brandy-based cocktail created just for the show.

April 1, 9 & 11, 2023

The Fly Guys wind down the season with a string of spring home games . Remaining home matchups include tilts against the Buffalo Sabres (April 1, 2023), Boston Bruins (April 9, 2023) and Columbus Blue Jackets (April 11, 2023).

April 4 & 6, 2023

The streaking Sixers — looking to make a deep run in the NBA postseason — jockey for playoff positioning this April in front of raucous crowds at the Wells Fargo Center. The month sees two big-time matchups at home against the Boston Celtics (April 4, 2023) and Miami Heat (April 6, 2023).

The colors and aromas of spring greet you like an old friend during Longwood Gardens ’ annual Spring Blooms event, offering opportunities to take in the world-renowned attraction’s fragrant fields of tulips, wisteria and more. Plus, beginning April 22, many of the botanical gardens’ famed fountain spring to life for the season, adding a refreshing and peaceful soundtrack to your visit. (Just picturing it feels good, doesn’t it?)

No need to check your watch: It’s wine o’clock all day long at this festival . The 21-plus event features live music, unlimited tastings of nearly 50 wines and pay-as-you go artisanal food. Find a new favorite variety? Purchase a bottle to take home inside Victory Beer Hall.

Organized by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the twice-a-year Dine Latino Restaurant Week aims to boost business at the region’s Latino-owned restaurants. The dining deal is straightforward: Buy two dinner entrées from a participating restaurant and receive a free appetizer or dessert. Participating restaurants for 2023 include the seafood-forward Alma del Mar in the Italian Market, James Beard Award-winning chef Christina Martínez’s Casa Mexico and street food spot El Merkury.

The Broadway stars of this Tony Award-winning production swing through Philly for a highly anticipated April run at the Miller Theater. Featuring music from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, the Broadway smash combines storylines from several well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tales as characters like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood search for their own happily ever after.

April 7 – September 28, 2023 (select dates)

’Tis the season for bedlam at the Bank as the Fightin’ Phils return to the field after an unbelievable 2022 season that resulted in a Red October to remember. The 2023 home opener sees the Cincinnati Reds come to town on April 7 — the first of 81 home games at Citizens Bank Park. With the addition of speedy slugger Trea Turner to an already stacked lineup, the Phils are sure to be a hot ticket all season long. A few special promotions in April to mark on your calendar include:

• The 2022 National League Championship Ring Ceremony vs. the Cincinnati Reds (April 9, 2023)
• Hatfield Phillies Franks Dollar Dog Nights vs. the Miami Marlins (April 11, 2023) and Seattle Mariners (April 25, 2023)
• a Salute to Jackie Robinson vs. the Colorado Rockies (April 20, 2023), and
• the Citizens Phillie Phanatic Birthday Celebration vs. the Colorado Rockies (April 23, 2023).

Celebrating its 65th year, this California-based jazz festival hits the road with an April stop in Philadelphia . Taking the stage at the Kimmel Center: Tony and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling and acclaimed saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.

This beloved long-running Easter strut celebrates its well-dressed 90th anniversary. Kids and grown-ups alike come dressed in their Sunday best for a promenade down South Street, complete with live music, treats and a visit from the Easter Bunny, who judges the best-dressed contests.

The tunes are out there. This far-reaching program combines two cosmic compositions: Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra (introduced to many modern audiences by Stanley Kubrick’s space epic 2001: A Space Odyssey) and jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite, a 12-section masterpiece dedicated to renowned musicians born under each astrological sign.

Throw it all the way back as a number of hip-hop legends, including TI, Jeezy, Gucci Mane and Cam’ron visit North Broad Street for an evening of throwback jams and hip-hop anthems . Cue the DJ air horn noise.

There are few things quite as hardcore as heavy metal and beer — and Decibel Magazine’s annual festival promises plenty of both. Over the course of two days, attendees take in sets from Suicidal Tendencies, The Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts, Incantation and more while knocking back brews and other adult beverages from 3 Floyds, Broken Goblet Brewing , Brimming Horn Meadery and many others.

When the cherry blossoms bloom in Fairmount Park , spring has arrived. To mark the glorious moment, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia hosts a two-day celebration complete with musical performances, cultural activities, workshops, dancing and more. A return to pre-pandemic form, the expanded festival features a beer garden, food court, marketplace and Japanese cultural activity center. New for this year: As part of the 2023 festival, catch seven film screenings of classic movies starring acclaimed Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune at the Lightbox Film Center on select dates from April 7 to 29, 2023. Each screening is presented on 35 mm film in Japanese with English subtitles.

The Kimmel Center stage buzzes with frenetic and energetic performances from the dancers of Philadanco! during this spring program, featuring a number of newly choreographed pieces highlighting stamina, speed and grace.

It’s a weekend of springtime family fun at Peddler’s Village , with sidewalk sales, live entertainment, and plenty of food and drink. At 11 a.m. each day, costumed characters lead a half-mile kazoo walk through the village — a noisy and leisurely stroll featuring a number of selfie stops and culminating in a free carousel ride at Giggleberry Fair. Note: Registration is required for each walk. It’s also the final weekend of the ultra-cute PEEPS in the Village display, a celebration of the Pennsylvania-made marshmallow treats that features more than 90 wall art creations, dioramas and sculptures made by local residents and organizations.

More than 50 food trucks and neighborhood restaurants line Manayunk’s Main Street during this foodie event , doling out dishes highlighting a classic spring ingredient: strawberries. Also on site: a farm stand, vendors and live music.

Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish communities unite for an evening celebrating 75 years of Jewish musical tradition . Cantor David F. Tilman leads 175 singers from nine local congregations through a program of beloved songs, including the 1979 Eurovision -winning Hallelujah .

Eat good. Feel good. Every year, Dining Out for Life returns to cities across the globe, including Philadelphia, to help raise funds for local HIV/AIDS services. This year’s Philly event features dozens of the most popular eateries in the city, including a.kitchen + bar, Fork, LMNO, Parc, The Love and more. Participating restaurants donate a portion of the day’s proceeds to the cause.

At the nation’s oldest and largest collegiate track meet, high school, college and professional runners compete at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Franklin Field . The three-day event features morning, afternoon and evening race sessions.

Visitors come from afar for this four-day event that emphasizes the strength and resilience of Philly’s community of LGBTQ people of color. A host of citywide events — including various nightlife activities — aims to focus on community building. Stay tuned to the official website for more info.

Step right up. Step Afrika! — the first professional dance company dedicated to the stepping tradition made famous by historically Black fraternities and sororities — takes the stage at Miller Theater for an evening of precision dance moves, storytelling, humor and a dash of audience participation.

One of the nation’s leading art and design fairs returns to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the second time in its 60-plus years. Staged on the museum’s East Terrace, the show features over 40 U.S. exhibitors specializing in fine art, collectible design and antiques.

April 28 – May 7, 2023 (select dates)

This bold reimagining of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece — from Opera Philadelphia and innovative director Yuval Sharon — tells the sorrowful bohemian story in reverse. The result? Audiences leave the usually heartbreaking production on a refreshingly optimistic note.

It’s an afternoon of meals on four wheels as more than a dozen local food trucks pull up to Linvilla Orchards for this spring foodie festival , which also features live music and ticketed activities like hayrides, straw bale mazes and apple chuckin’.

The forecast for this springtime beer festival is hazy with a 100% chance of hops. Warwick Farm Brewing is joined by Evergrain Brewing Company and New Trail Brewing to serve up several hazy brews. Also on tap: musical performances from singer-songwriter Matt Freedman and others.

Broad Street transforms into a runner’s paradise for the Blue Cross Broad Street Run . During the 40-plus-year-old 10-mile race, participants run from the Logan neighborhood in North Philly all the way down to The Navy Yard in South Philly — with spectators hooting, hollering and hoisting fun signs all along the way.

Showcasing the culinary offerings of East Passyunk Avenue, Flavors on the Avenue is a food-lover’s delight. Neighborhood restaurants — ranging from barbecue to dim sum — dole out special dishes, while boutiques bring their goods to the curb for sidewalk sales. Stay tuned for more info.

Through Sunday, August 27, 2023

The House of Mouse celebrates a century of dazzling audiences with a brand-new exhibition, making its world premiere in Philadelphia. Disney100: The Exhibition opens the vaults for behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creation of the company’s most popular characters, films, shows and attractions, offering 10 themed galleries with interactive installations covering everything from Snow White to Star Wars. Pro tip: Score complimentary tix to the exhibition when you book the Visit Philly Overnight Package for stays between February 18 and August 20, 2023.

Through Saturday, October 7, 2023

Doop! Following an unforgettable (and ultimately heartbreaking) run to the 2022 MLS Cup, a refocused Union squad embarks on another quest for glory in front of their staunch supporters at Subaru Park. Some April matchups to keep an eye on include home matches against Sporting KC (April 1, 2023) and Toronto FC (April 22, 2023).

Through Sunday, November 26, 2023

This brand-new exhibition charts the life of James Forten, a free man of African descent who fought in the war for American independence in 1781, then returned to Philadelphia to become a successful businessman, philanthropist and stalwart abolitionist. Chronicle Forten’s life and follow his family’s 100-year story from the American Revolution through the lead up to the Civil War and women’s suffrage movement. Weekends in April are dubbed “ Sail into Spring Weekends ,” with special Saturday and Sunday neighborhood walking tours and craft-making activities that highlight life at sea in Colonial America.

“Is the sun rising or setting on the experiment of American democracy?” Nearly two dozen artists interpret that question into new artworks in this collaborative exhibition at both the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and The African American Museum in Philadelphia.

This musical — featuring original songs alongside your favorite Buffet ballads — follows the charming Tully and his love affair with that frozen concoction and a tourist who steals his heart.