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Spooktacular festivals and more
The BSR Arts and Culture Weekly Roundup, October 26-November 1, 2022
Kyle V. Hiller
Spooky season is upon us this week, and a few have shown up to help us celebrate. Penn Museum and the Delaware Art Museum host festivities for Día de los Muertos, the Shofuso Japanese House honors the supernatural creatures all around us, and cinéSPEAK hosts an assortment of films from Coraline to the underground cult classic Ganja and Hess. Outside of the scary, Theatre Exile opens Wolf Play and the Midtown Village Fall Festival returns.
Midtown Village Fall Festival
Saturday, October 29, 12pm
Between Market Street and Spruce Street, Broad Street and 11th Street
Indie boutiques, vendors, live entertainment, children’s activities, and more populate this year’s festival.
Yokai Family Weekend
October 29-30, 11am-5pm
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, Lansdowne Drive and Horticulture Drive, Philadelphia
Head over to Shofuso for an afternoon with supernatural creatures and spirits from Japanese folklore that "live all around us." Kamishibai storytelling, scavenger hunts, and crafts will be featured for activities, and be sure to check out the Shofuso house itself while you're there.
Día de los Muertos: Desde la Raiz
Saturday, October 29, 11am-4pm
Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington
Celebrate Día de los Muertos this weekend at DelArt with a free, all-ages day of festivities and performances. Traditional arts and crafts, Indigenous food vendors, and more will be in tow, and guests can contribute pictures of loved ones to ofrendas, too.
Día de los Muertos with CultureFest!
Saturday, October 29, 10am-4pm
Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia
Meanwhile, the Penn Museum continues its tradition of celebrating the holiday as well, offering musical and dance performances, costumes, an artisan market, and more.
Halloween with cinéSPEAK
Friday, October 28, 6pm
Saturday, October 29, 6-10pm
Monday, October 31, 6pm
Pentridge Station Pop-Up, 5110 Pentridge Street, Philadelphia
On Friday, cinéSPEAK will screen Teine Sā, a film about five women who call on notorious ancient Polynesian goddesses to help them in their struggles. They also have the short film Ourika! and the media literacy show Ghouls Next Door, which takes a look at how society and culture influence the horror genre.
Then, on Saturday, cinéSPEAK hosts a pop-up Halloween night complete with a spooky story time, a costume contest, and a film screening of Coraline.
Halloween night will feature Ganja and Hess, a 1973 blaxploitation horror film cult classic from Bill Gunn.
Wolf Play
October 27-November 20, 2022
Theatre Exile, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia
Wolf Play by Hansol Jung tells the story of a woman looking to adopt a child with her wife who’s on the verge of a professional debut as a boxer. The adoption is stopped short once the original adoptive father realizes that the child would have no “dad.” Previews run through November 1, with a sold-out opening night on November 2.
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