PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This weekend in Philly: Take action and join the climate conversation. Earth Day is Friday, and events in and near Philly will get you thinking about your environmental footprint. While you’re outside, go roller skating at Dilworth Park, or check out the street food festivals along East Passyunk Avenue in South Philly and Main Street in Manayunk.
EVENT: Earth Day Open House and Tree Planting
DATE/TIME: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
WHERE: Riverbend Environmental Education Center, 1950 Spring Mill Rd., Gladwyne
DETAILS: After a pandemic hiatus, Riverbend Environmental Education Center has reopened their aquaponics greenhouse. Get a tour, enjoy refreshments, visit the animal ambassadors and plant a tree with your family this Earth Day.
PRICE: $25 per family
EVENT: Earth Day Festival
DATE/TIME: Friday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Logan Square
DETAILS: Honor the earth with Academy scientists and local sustainability experts, who will tell you how to get more involved with the environment. There will be locally sourced treats and craft beer as well as the chance to explore the stories of rare Academy specimens.
PRICE: Pay-as-you-wish ($3, $5 or $12 donations)
EVENT: Naturepalooza
DATE/TIME: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd., Roxborough
DETAILS: The Schuylkill Center’s signature Earth Day event returns with nature hikes, food trucks, live music and more, all centered around its Year of Restoration.
PRICE: Free to attend
EVENT: Earth Day weekend at the Philadelphia Zoo
DATE/TIME: Begins Friday
WHERE: Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave., West Philadelphia
DETAILS: The Philadelphia Zoo launches NatureBlazer, a digital scavenger hunt, on Earth Day. The app leads you through 10 locations around the zoo, revealing secrets about hidden areas along the way. Mommy, a Galapagos tortoise, is also celebrating 90 years of living at the zoo. She’s the zoo’s oldest resident and almost 100 years old.
PRICE: Included with zoo admission
EVENT: A Sustainable Marketplace
DATE/TIME: Saturday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Cherry Street Pier, 121 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Penn’s Landing
DETAILS: Feminist Flea and Grant Blvd present A Sustainable Marketplace, which features more than 40 vendors who engage in sustainable practices. The suggested donation entry goes toward Urban Creators, a platform that uses “food, art and education as tools to nurture resilience and self-determination,” in North Philadelphia.
PRICE: $5 suggested donation
EVENT: Laurel Hill’s Spring Blooms Arboretum Tour
DATE/TIME: Sunday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave., East Falls
DETAILS: Join a master arborist and the arboretum manger for a tour of Laurel Hill Cemetery’s flowering trees and shrubs. You may see some azaleas, cherries and dogwoods.
PRICE: $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, $7.50 for kids
EVENT: The Rink returns to Dilworth Park
DATE/TIME: First skate session is 12:15 p.m. on Friday
WHERE: 1 S. 15th St., Center City
DETAILS: With the ice has melted, the time to roller skate is now. Come out for an opening-night celebration on Friday for a DJ and the chance to watch and learn from members of local skate troupe Great on Skates,
PRICE: $15 for adults with skate rental, $13 for kids with skate rental
EVENT: Spring Punk Rock Flea Market
DATE/TIME: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: 23rd Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd St., Center City
DETAILS: Spring cleaning is upon us — out with the old. Where better to find some new items that spark joy than the Punk Rock Flea Market? There will be clothing, art, records and more.
PRICE: $10, $5 after 1 p.m. (on Sunday)
EVENT: Flavors on the Avenue
DATE/TIME: Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Businesses along East Passyunk Avenue, South Philadelphia
DETAILS: Flavors on the Avenue is back with five blocks of sidewalk sales, street food, live music and family fun. Over 30 different businesses are set to participate.
PRICE: Pay as you go
EVENT: Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival
DATE/TIME: Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Along Main Street in Manayunk
DETAILS: More than 50 of Philly’s finest food trucks and food vendors will be in attendance for you to sample everything from BBQ to french toast. Specific vendors will be highlighting a special spring ingredient: strawberries.
PRICE: Pay as you go