Arts and culture events to check out this winter in Philly

Looking for something to do? Here are some arts and culture events you have to check out this winter in Philly. 

CraftNOW’s CraftMONTH

The 9th annual CraftMONTH will feature a series of exhibitions, pop-ups and events to celebrate its message.

Throughout November, various exhibition spaces across Philadelphia will present the most honored and innovative artists working today in wood, clay fiber, metal, and glass, a release states. Each year, CraftNOW highlights exhibits in museums, galleries, and other spaces as well, showcasing Philadelphia as an urban destination for craft and making. Craft enthusiasts can look forward to new exhibitions from CraftNOW partners, including The Clay Studio, Da Vinci Art Alliance, The Fabric Workshop + Museum, The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Wayne Art Center and the Wharton Esherick Museum. A full list of CraftMONTH events is available online. 

craftnowphila.org

‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ at the Arden Theatre Co.

‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ is the cultural institution’s second stage show of the season, and it’ll be shown from the end of the month through Dec. 10 to a capped audience of 175 people at a time. 

As a release states, throughout the show, its writer Heidi Schreck reimagines how the living document (that was created in Old City) has affected her past and how it is shaping the next generations of Americans. She debates her way through topics found within the Constitution, including women’s rights, slavery, immigration, and history, while tracing the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their own lives.

The plot culminates in the character of Heidi, who will be debating a 17-year-old local high school student, played by Local Masterman High School Senior Lily Chancey and Central High School Junior Dasha Mamontova, as both actresses will be alternating performances as the student debaters. A full schedule of performances can be found online. 

40 N. 2nd St., ardentheatre.org

LumiNature at the Philadelphia Zoo

This dazzling showcase features over a million holiday lights throughout the venue, with different themed activations, food and drink options, plus new additions taking over the line-up for 2023. 

For one, Kris Kringle himself will be making appearances on Dec. 1, 8 and 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. to take selfies with guests inside the Zoo’s Treehouse. All guests have to do is purchase a $10 ticket ahead of time (unless you’re a member, then it’s free) for their own picture with Santa. 

Back for another year is a line-up of some fan favorites as well. The Penguin Prismatic features a 40-foot-tall penguin glowing with 40,000 lights surrounded by a colony of colorful penguins reflecting on the Zoo’s Bird Lake. Visitors will also be able to check out video projections that mimic the Savannah desert. And the finale “showstopper,” titled the Animale Fantasia, will feature cave-like screens situated on a field of lights choreographed to music. A full list of offerings is available online. 

3400 W Girard Ave., philadelphiazoo.org

‘Wicked’ at the Academy of Music

Here in the City of Brotherly Love in its 20th anniversary, the smash hit show will be on stage at the Kimmel Cultural Campus until the end of this month (Nov. 26). 

Also known as the untold story of the Witches of Oz, the official description for the show reads: “This Broadway sensation looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships… until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

The stage show will span hit songs like ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘Popular’, and tickets are available for purchase for remaining performances.

240 S Broad St., kimmelculturalcampus.org

Franklin Square Park

The popular destination transforms annually at this time of year into a seasonal wonderland of sorts, with the free Electrical Spectacle Light Show presented by PECO acting as its centerpiece. The show will be accompanied by some returning fan favorites, plus some new activations for this year, with opening day on Nov. 16. 

New this go-around is the addition of Franklin Square Street Curling. As a release states, curling, the Olympic team sport where players slide stones of granite toward a target on a sheet of ice, has been adapted into a format called Street Curling for anyone to play in the Square this winter. Returning this year is another friendly game, Chilly Philly Mini Golf, which will run until Jan. 26. The experience returns with both daytime and nighttime sessions available decked out with lights, seasonal music and themed decorations. And the Light Show will act as the backdrop to it all with shows every 30 minutes throughout the winter run in Franklin Square Park beginning at 5 p.m. until closing each night until Jan. 7.

There are also some specific dates that Philadelphians should look out for in Franklin Square, with ice princesses, Santa and different holiday themed celebrations peppered throughout the winter in Philly. The park will also be serving up some indulgent fare from SquareBurger and its beer garden as well.

200 N 6th St., historicphiladelphia.org