Center City District Restaurant Week
Join us Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 and Oct. 7-12 for Center City District Restaurant Week, presented by TD Bank. Participating restaurants offer three-course dinners for only $35 per person. In addition, many of the participating restaurants will also be offering a three-course lunch for $20. Center City District Restaurant Week occurs every winter and fall. Keep up on Center City District Restaurant Week events on Twitter @PhilaRestWeek.
Restaurants throughout Center City
Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 and Oct. 7-12
Cost: dinner for $35, lunch for $20
www.centercityphila.org
OutFest 2012 In The Gayborhood
OutFest is the largest National Coming Out Day event in the world. The idea for NCOD grew from the second march on Washington for gay and lesbian equality on Oct. 11, 1987. The idea quickly took hold in the LGBT community, spawning celebrations in numerous cities around the country. Philadelphia and Philly Pride was one of the first cities to organize around NCOD on a large scale by creating a block party to showcase the many facets of the community in 1990. The event quickly grew into what the greater Philadelphia region now uniquely celebrates as “OutFest.” Held the Sunday before Columbus Day every October, OutFest attracts nearly 40,000 people.
OutFest is hugely popular for a number of reasons. It has the feel of an old-fashioned block party; it’s free; it’s in the Gayborhood; all local bars, restaurants and businesses do something outside; entertainment showcases local talent; all community organizations participate; there are carnival attractions and a massive flea market; there is always something new and unique; and everybody is there!
The Gayborhood — main stage located at 13th and Locust streets
Sunday, Oct. 7
Admission: free
www.phillypride.org
The eighth annual DesignPhiladelphia Festival
The 8th annual DesignPhiladelphia Festival, in partnership with The University of the Arts, unites the region’s dynamic creative community by bringing together individuals and organizations from across the design spectrum, placing a spotlight on Philadelphia’s rich design history and creative industries at work.
Festival events — a diverse mix of exhibitions, lectures, public forums, runway shows, book signings, parties, workshops and open studios — cross design disciplines from architecture and urban planning to industrial and fashion design, multimedia and graphic design, and product and interior design. Set in boutiques, galleries, museums, universities, warehouses, public spaces and city streets, DesignPhiladelphia transforms the city into a stage for ideas and designs of the present and future, highlighting the impact design plays in our everyday lives.
Throughout the city
Wednesday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 14
Pay as you go
www.designphiladelphia.org
Frank Furness’ Factory for Art at PAFA
In 2012, institutions across Philadelphia are celebrating the architectural acheivements of the heroic life of Frank Furness (1839-1912). After service in the cavalry in the Civil War, for which he won the Medal of Honor, Furness designed nearly 1,000 projects for the Philadelphia engineers and industrialists who together transformed the United States. For this clientele, Furness created a new architecture that incorporated the materials and expressed the energy of the Iron Age. Just as Barcelona’s Antonio Gaudi symbolized his city in the 20th century, Furness embodied the values of Philadelphia in the Industrial Age.
118-128 N. Broad St.
Now through Dec. 30
Admission: adults $15, seniors and students $10, youth $10
www.pafa.org
Morris Arboretum Annual Fall Festival
Don’t miss this afternoon of autumn fun that has become an annual tradition for many families. Come and enjoy the gardens, stroll the Scarecrow Walk, paint a pumpkin, and sample different varieties of apples. Make your own scarecrow too! Do you have your scarecrow frame from last year? Bring your own and the cost of making a scarecrow is $15, which includes straw, clothing, burlap, string and other materials. If the frame you used last year is nowhere to be found, don’t fret — for $20 we’ll provide you with a frame and all the other materials!
100 Northwestern Ave.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Admission: $7-16
www.morrisarboretum.org