Philadelphia Museum of Art

www.philamuseum.org
The Philadelphia Museum of Art features one of the best art collections in the world, with more than 300,000 works including pieces by Picasso, Monet, Alexander Calder, Mary Cassatt, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. The Philadelphia Museum of Art isn't just famous for its collection, though — the museum's steps were immortalized by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. Today a statue of Rocky Balboa sits at the bottom of the steps.

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First Fridays in Old City

www.oldcityarts.org
Free food, free art, and free people watching. These are the hallmarks of First Fridays in Old City. Between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., on the first Friday of every month, people from all areas of the city descend on the district's 40-plus galleries to see the new art openings. From contemporary to classical art, plus dance and other performances, First Fridays are a fantastic and free way to become part of Philadelphia's arts community.

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Mummers Parade

www.phillymummers.com
Picture this: On December 31, you stay up late to watch the ball drop and celebrate the new year. January 1, you pull yourself out of bed to the sound of banjo music. Outside your window, there are hundreds of men dressed as female opera singers with musical instruments, wearing thousands of dollars of feathers and sequins, and followed down the street by elaborate floats. These are the Mummers, and for over 200 years they've been ringing in the new year with ridiculous revelry. In 1901, the city of Philadelphia officially recognized the event and offered $1,725 of prize money. Today over $395,000 in prizes is offered, and the clubs practice year-round for their moment in the spotlight. The Mummers Parade is nothing short of ridiculous. Be there.

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Philadelphia Film Festival

www.phillyfests.com
Whether you're looking to see experimental animation, solid documentaries, or the next big indie hit, don't miss the Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF). For two weeks every year the PFF takes over theatres in the city, showing films ranging from amazing to weird, ornate to underfunded. A few of the films always end up hitting theatres, but the majority can only be seen at film festivals. Maybe that's why so many of the screenings sell out.

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Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe

www.phillyfringe.org
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe is more than just a celebration of theatre, dance, performance art, music, poetry, and visual arts. It's an experience. During the 16-day festival, held every September, you're equally as likely to find a big-budget, fancy theatre production as you are to see a puppet show in the back of a U-Haul. And these U-Haul puppet shows are a big deal: the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe attract more than 40,000 spectators and 1,300 artists and company members to 700 performances each year.

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Philadelphia Zoo

www.philadelphiazoo.org
Philadelphia is home to many of America's famous "firsts," including the beloved Philadelphia Zoo, the nation's first zoo. The Philadelphia Zoo opened its gates on July 1, 1874 to great fanfare and more than 3,000 guests. Today, the Zoo houses more than 1,300 rare and exotic animals on 42 acres. From the big cat habitat to the "Reptile Exercise Yard" (no, there are no lizard treadmills), there are always plenty of critters to visit with.

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Spiral Q Puppet Theater

www.spiralq.org
A major puppet theatre in Philadelphia, Spiral Q focuses on puppets as instruments of art, protest, and civic theatre. Besides housing the Living Loft Puppet Museum and running numerous puppet-based educational programs, Spiral Q also runs PeopleHood, an annual puppet parade and pageant in West Philadelphia involving hundreds of children and community volunteers. Visit Spiral Q's MySpace.

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Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

www.kimmelcenter.org
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is comprised of a number of performing spaces, including the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall and the 650-seat Perelman Theater. In total, there are seven resident companies who perform in the Kimmel Center, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and American Theater Arts For Youth, Inc. The center also hosts free concerts in its Commonwealth Plaza, a public space located under the center's gorgeous barrel-vaulted glass roof.

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The Trocadero

www.thetroc.com
The Trocadero, or "The Troc" as Philadelphians call it, hosts some of the most diverse touring acts in the city, including punk, metal, hip-hop, and indie rock bands, as well as occasional comedy acts. Recent shows include TV on the Radio, comedian Jamie Kennedy, Jedi Mind Tricks, and Boy Sets Fire.

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Academy of Music

www.academyofmusic.org
With its brownstone facade and flickering gas lamps, Philadelphia's Academy of Music cuts a striking figure on South Broad Street. Opened in 1857, the Academy is the oldest grand opera house in the United States, as well as one of the busiest — performers have included Marian Anderson, Enrico Caruso, Anna Pavlova, and Igor Stravinsky. These days, eager theatergoers can see performances by the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet.

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Wilma Theater

www.wilmatheater.org
The Wilma Theater prides itself on being a "theater company that combines the boldness of a space explorer with the precision of a master craftsman." Established in 1973, the Wilma has brought renowned avant-garde theatre artists to Philadelphia, as well as the work of well-known playwrights like Tom Stoppard, Eugene Ionesco, and Bertolt Brecht. In 1996, the Wilma opened its new 296-seat theatre on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts.

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Arts and Entertainment