Saturday, May 23, 2026
Spruce Street Harbor Park's Back, Five Free Museums, and Roses in Bloom
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and Philly flips the switch all at once. Spruce Street Harbor Park and the RiverRink reopen on the waterfront, five Old City museums throw their doors open for free, and Please Touch celebrates the 1876 World's Fair on the lawn of Memorial Hall. If you want quieter, Germantown's Wyck opens the oldest rose garden in America at peak bloom. Everything here is free to walk into, and most of it lands on Saturday. Heads up though: the Saturday forecast is calling for heavy rain, and three of the four are outdoors. Check each spot's Instagram before you head out, that's where they post last-minute rain dates and call-offs. If Saturday's a wash, MuseumFest is your dry plan, it's all indoors.
Big energy
Spruce Street Harbor Park + RiverRink Summerfest Opening
Friday–Monday · Opens 11 AM
Spruce Street Harbor Park · Penn's Landing · · All ages
🟡Take SEPTA or rideshare · Columbus Blvd parking fills fast on opening weekend · Open 11 AM–11 PM Fri/Sat, 11–10 Sun/Mon
The waterfront wakes up for the season this weekend. The hammock grove is back under the string lights, the boardwalk games and arcade are running, and the RiverRink reopens for roller skating (reserve skates ahead, they go fast opening weekend). New this year: pedal-powered Chiliboats, swan-boat night rides, and a floating double-decker barge. Getting in is free; food, drinks, and the rides are pay-as-you-go.
View details →Free
MuseumFest: Five Free Museums in Old City
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