Looking for some fun and unique things to do in the Philadelphia area this weekend? We’ve got you covered.
Ardmore Winter Beer Festival
Beer lovers, enthusiasts and those who are just looking to try some new drafts can head to the Main Line this weekend for Ardmore’s Winter Beer Festival. Located in Ardmore Music Hall, there will be more than 50 beers to try, with samples of the carefully curated craft beers available between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday. To transport their brews, those who attend will also receive a complimentary event-exclusive tasting glass. Participating breweries include Founders, Fiddlehead, Yards, Troegs, Bell’s Brewery, Broken Goblet and more. VIP ticket options are also available and include tastings of all three limited-edition Founders KBS Variants (Original, Espresso, and Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa) with a KBS Punch Card. Beer Brunch tickets on the other hand include exclusive and early access to the Founders pouring area in the Ardmore Music Hall loge, including KBS variants that can be paired with brunch. Federal Donuts will be supplying coffee and complimentary donut samples throughout the event, and live music will be performed by Pappy & JP Biondo of Cabinet.
23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, wl.seetickets.us
Philly Goat Project’s Fourth Annual Christmas Tree-Cycle
There will be two opportunities this month to check out Philly Goat Project’s Fourth Annual Christmas Tree-Cycle, with the first being this Saturday, Jan. 8. What this family-friendly farm festival does is turn what would be waste (in the form of your Christmas tree) into snacks for the goats and/or wood chips that help cover trails and gardens throughout Philadelphia (thanks to their partnership with the Philadelphia Streets Department and the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department). All the while, the event also acts as a fundraiser for Philly Goat Project’s free year-round programming including goat walks, children’s literacy events in libraries, environmental education events in city parks, youth job training program, and their monthly All Abilities RAMble, which is their inclusive animal-assisted therapy program. There is a suggested $20 donation per Christmas tree recycled, which can be paid in cash, through Venmo, CashApp, Pay Pal, or a check. PGP can provide a tax receipt for those who need them as well. There are three different locations for tree drop-off: Express curbside drop-off-and-donate (6336 Ardleigh St. entrance), the “G.O.A.T. Safari” drive through the farm to drop off (6336 Ardleigh St. entrance), and the park on Washington Lane where you bring your tree in yourself (Washington Lane entrance – look for the ambassadors to guide you). Beyond the Christmas tree drop, activities during the farm festival will include exploring the farm, a roaring fire pit, hot cocoa, and a petting area with the goats. You can join the fun even if you don’t have a tree, too, just park and walk into the farm using the Washington Lane entrance. A “Quiet Visiting Area” will also be available for special friends, and swag will be available for purchase at the event including PGP’s famous 2022 calendar, which features the goat squad at landmarks around Philadelphia.
6336 Ardleigh St., phillygoatproject.org
‘Zoo Mundo’
Fringe favorite Thaddeus Phillips is back this month with a slew of new shows, which he will stream for only 25 screens nightly starting Jan. 6, all from his home in Colombia. As the release states, theatre director, designer and performer Thaddeus Phillips (“Zoo Motel,” “17 Border Crossings,” “A Billion Nights on Earth,” “Red-Eye to Havre de Grace,” “Lost Soles”) and artist Steven Dufala (“HOME & The Object Lesson”) transport viewers across the Earth with a live cinematic play about humanity and coffee titled “Zoo Mundo.” Tracing the path along the route out of East Africa and the bones of Lucy (and the first coffee beans), the show weaves three stories that follow a line across Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map of Earth with stops in Marrakesh, Venice, on the Siberian Express to Pyongyang, across the Bering Strait and down the Pacific coast ending in Antarctica. Phillips performs all this live and over the world wide web, in and around miniature and surreal sets created by Obie Award winning Artist and Designer, Steven Dufala. “Zoo Mundo” is an exploration on what makes us human, where we have been and where we are going. Tickets cost $33 and are available at zoomundo.org. Performances are Thursday-Sunday.
First Friday at the Barnes Museum
The first Friday of every month, the Barnes Museum kicks off with a day full of artistic events and entertainment. This first Friday of the new year is no different. On Jan. 7th, Philadelphians can enjoy an evening of eclectic music performed by the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, which was was founded by bassist Warren Oree in 1979. As the release states, they play a variety of jazz styles, often incorporating African and Middle Eastern music and R&B. While there, viewers can also indulge in light fare and cocktails, browse the Barnes collection, and see the Barnes’ exhibit “Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel” before it closes on Jan. 9. Live music will take place at 6:30pm and 7:45pm, and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend the event. More details on the museum’s safety guidelines are available online.
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway., barnesfoundation.org
