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Fall festivals, National Coming Out Day, and a special Mural Arts dedication
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 2-8, 2025
Kyle V. Hiller
This week, there’s a great selection of events and happenings to celebrate fall, National Coming Out Day, and a new mural in Southwest Philly. See what happens when a living room evolves into a record store, explore a month-long fall festival along the Delaware, see WHO you are in a new comedy show at SideQuest Theater, and see a new exhibit at InLiquid that hosts six artists who look to affirm belonging.
Be safe, Philly!
I Turned My Living Room Into a Record Store
October 1-12, 2025
Center for Architecture and Design, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia
How can design center music to make space for joy, curiosity, and connection? This new exhibit explores that, with what started as intimate BYO vinyl and CD listening parties and live performances at Alexa Colas’s home now being reimagined as a public installation. This comes as part of the DesignPhiladelphia Festival.
Fall Fest on the Waterfront
October 1-31, 2025
Cherry Street Pier, 121 North Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
Spruce Street Harbor, 301 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
Fall Fest is back at Cherry Street Pier and Spruce Street Harbor, featuring events and activities throughout the month. Scary movie nights, live music, and a “Summerween Weekend” are all in store for this year’s autumnal celebration.
The Source of Self Regard
October 3-November 29, 2025
InLiquid Gallery at Crane Arts Building, 1400 North American Street, Philadelphia
This new exhibition brings six Black artists with Philadelphia roots to examine Black self in a celebration and affirmation of belonging. Artists Gianni Lee and Erlin Geffrard conjure portals across timelines. Al-baseer Holly remixes iconography to critique commodification while channeling childhood memory. Zakee Kuduro has a body of visual work centered on faith, mortality, Black identity, and spiritual quietude through oil on canvas, sculpture, and mixed media. Ron St. Clair brings over 50 years of photographs documenting decades of cultural heritage. And Mel D. Cole’s photojournalism captures the beauty and terror of our time. The opening reception is free and open to the public on Thursday, October 9, from 6-9pm.
Nazeer Sabree: The Event Phase
October 3-26, 6-8pm
Paradigm Gallery & Studio, 12 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia
The Event Phase is Nazeer Sabree’s second solo show, and promises “a pouring out of memory, gratitude, grief, and joy for the people and moments that have shaped him.” Sabree’s work is known for its examination of the pursuit of healing in manhood and boyhood, blending traditional techniques with modern elements. The opening reception is Friday, October 3, from 6-8pm.
WHO
Fridays, October 3-24, 8pm
SideQuest Theater, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia
Tongue & Groove Spontaneous Theater presents WHO, a show that improvises scenes and monologues exploring real-life experiences, both hilarious and heartbreaking, inspired by written responses to the question “Who are you?”, anonymously submitted by the audience.
Two events for Mural Arts Month
Bridging Worlds: Voices at the Intersection of Art and Immigration
Friday, October 3, 6-8:15pm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building, 2525 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia
Join Njideka Akunyili Crosby with Philly artist Michelle Angela Ortiz and the Welcoming Center CEO Anuj Gupta for an evening of dialogue on art, migration, and belonging.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby: The Beautyful Ones
Saturday, October 4, 12-4pm
5547 Chester Avenue, Philadelphia
Crosby’s new mural will be dedicated, and there will be an afternoon block party. Crosby’s work is known to combine painted depictions of people, places, and subjects from her life with photographic transfers derived from her personal image archive, Nigerian magazines, and other mass media sources, crafting visual tapestries that express the complexities of African diasporic identity.
Out and About Festival
Saturday, October 4
Various locations
The Out and About Festival comes as part of National Coming Out Day in Manayunk, featuring a 5K run, an artisan market, Drag Story Time, a comedy show, and more.
ArtsFest 2025
October 5, 1-4pm
Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia
Live music, food, arts activities, and mansion tours populate this celebration of 10 years of Glen Foerd’s artist-in-residence program.
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