It's time to share our July destinations with YOU!

Welcome back to BSR in the Wild, our monthly subscribers-only tips on where our team is headed on the Philly scene this month. There's so much going on, including the return of our popular HELP US HELP YOU webinar all about PR for indie artists and small cultural organizations. It's the OG Philly arts PR class, and it's coming up on July 22. More details below! And keep an eye out, because we'll be sharing a special discount code for this year's Fringe artists.

A fundraising update: If we can raise $3,600 by June 30, we will meet our goal to fund all of our summer coverage! You can make a gift of any size here. Help keep our writers working! Looking ahead, we'll have some news soon about how you can support our 2026 Fringe Festival coverage.

Let's see what's coming up for us.

Independence After Hours brings Founding Fathers to life at Indepedence Hall.

FIND ALAINA:

The Independence After Hours experience

WHERE: Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
WHEN: Saturday nights through August 29, 2026
WHY: I'm planning to shelter in place over Fourth of July weekend (I don't like the heat, big crowds, or loud noises) and take some positive political action, like writing to my reps (it's our patriotic duty to pester them). But I do want to take in some kind of historic activity for the 250th, and this new experience from Historic Philadelphia, Inc fits the bill. In small groups of 30 guests, you go inside Independence Hall with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, and hear them duke it out over the Declaration. The evening finishes at the new Garden at City Tavern.

PrismaPhonik by William Simard and Antony Gagnon Boisvert comes to the Delaware River Waterfront on June 26. (Photo credit Quartier Des Spectacles International)

PrismaPhonik
WHERE: Spruce Street Harbor Park, 301 S Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia
WHEN: Opening on Friday, June 26 (6-10pm) and on view through the summer
WHY: This piece of Where Freedom Flows: A Public Art Series caught my eye when it was announced in the spring. It's "a glowing labyrinth of 12 light-and-sound prisms that respond to movement," translating music to color in real time. It features exclusive, site-specific music from Philly band SNACKTIME and Philly composer Joshua Stamper. It's free and open to the public.

The Knight Journalism Advisory Committee
WHERE: Kicking off in Boulder, CO
WHEN: 2026 and 2027
WHY: I'm proud to be joining 11 other media leaders from around the country on a committee to help the Knight Foundation understand what it's like on the ground for journalists today, helping Knight shape its future investments and partnerships. I'll be joining a convening next month on audience engagement. I'm excited for this chance to meet other journalists and media leaders, including members from Miami, St. Paul, San Jose, Detroit, Macon, and more, and let folks know what's happening on the Philly media scene.

FIND OUR FRIENDS AT BLUE STOOP:

Summer Masterclasses with Blue Stoop
WHERE: Online
WHEN: July-August, 2026
WHY: Dive into the art of fiction and poetry this summer! You'll learn from the experts: Danez Smith (Homie, Don’t Call Us Dead), N. K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Great Cities Duology), Chen Chen (Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency, When I Grow Up I Want to be a List of Further Possibilities), Mecca Jamilah Sullivan (Big Girl, Blue Talk & Love), and Philly’s own Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Cry Perfume). Save $5 on general admission with promo code: SUMMER26BSR.

Blue Stoop offers Broad Street Review readers a discount on summer masterclasses.

FIND NEIL:

Cape May Point 4th of July Bike Parade
WHERE: Around Cape May Point, NJ
WHEN: Saturday, July 4, 2026 at 9:00am
WHY: It's become a tradition for some of my family members to trot and roll around Cape May Point on the morning of the Fourth. Everybody in the area, it seems, joins in the fun for festive outfits and reuniting over the holiday.

Big Boy No. 4014 whistle-stops and display events
WHERE: Various, including Reading, Pottstown, King of Prussia, Philadelphia Navy Yard
WHEN: Through Jul 29, 2026
WHY: Have I not discussed my childhood interest in Union Pacific trains in a BSR In The Wild yet? Well, now’s the time. I greatly enjoyed model trains as a kid in the 90s and that morphed into an appreciation for trains more generally, particularly heritage lines and stock that operate for tourists. The world’s largest steam locomotive is touring the East Coast this summer as part of semiquin celebrations. While I’m tempted to pop down to the Navy Yard for a peek, I’m also saving the Reading date on my calendar as a possibility because I somehow haven’t hit the Reading & Northern’s Outer Station ever before.

Francis J. Carey Bear Country at The Philadelphia Zoo
WHERE: The Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia
WHEN: Ongoing
WHY: A major project at the Zoo has opened finally. Two Andean bears and a sloth bear, with more to come, have taken up residence with high levels of care and innovative ways for visitors to see the bears, including in the Zoo360 trail.

The steam locomotive known as Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 has been touring the United States in summer 2026.

FIND US:

HELP US HELP YOU 2026: The PR webinar for artists with the editors at BSR
WHERE: Online
WHEN: July 22, 2026 6:30-8pm
WHY: It’s back! For the fourth year, we’re offering HELP US HELP YOU: A PR Webinar for Artists from Broad Street Review. And for the first time, we’re holding this 90-minute virtual class in July, so artists getting ready for the Fringe Festival and/or the 2026-2027 season can get timely tips for pulling their promotional materials together.

Hiring a new Associate Editor
WHERE: Online
WHEN: Ongoing through July 12
WHY: We're looking for our next associate editor, and applications are open through July 12. Check out the job listing and feel free to share in your networks. Applications are already rolling in!

Neil's nod of the month

Cameron Kelsall is working up a piece about Lindsay Smiling and Amina Robinson, who are the new artistic directors of the Wilma Theater and Theatre Horizon, respectively. That will run in July.

As we bid farewell to associate editor Kyle V. Hiller, I reflect on his beautiful prose. Everything I've read from him over the years has been a gift. A summer 2020 essay about Independence Day resonates today for me.