The Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Philadelphia Orchestra celebrate the kickoff of Philadelphia’s robust arts and cultural season with Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest, a day of FREE festival-style performances and the chance to interact with more than 50 arts organizations from across the region!
This annual event brings thousands of arts and entertainment lovers together under the soaring vaulted glass roof of the Kimmel Center and shines a spotlight on the rich and diverse arts and culture scene across the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love.
The day culminates in a FREE concert from The GRAMMY-winning Philadelphia Orchestra at 3:30 p.m. in Verizon Hall led by Assistant Conductor Austin Chanu. This program includes works by Leonard Bernstein, Florence Price, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Associate Principal Bassist Gabriel Polinsky will also perform as a soloist with the Orchestra for the first time in selections from Sergei Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto. Admission for the Orchestra performance is free, but tickets are required for entry and can be reserved starting Tuesday, August 29 at 10 a.m. here or at https://www.kimmelculturalcampus.org/events-and-tickets/2023-24/the-philadelphia-orchestra/verizon-hall/free-philadelphia-fall-arts-fest-concert/ .
All other events throughout Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest will not require a ticket and are free and open to the public, and additional programming details will be announced in September. Sign up for email alerts at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
“There really is no other event on our calendar quite like Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Philadelphia’s thriving arts scene.”
Taking place Saturday, September 23, from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., attendees are invited inside the largest Kimmel Cultural Campus building – the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts at 300 S. Broad Street. Arts organizations from across the region will participate in the festivities – either by performing or presenting information about their upcoming programming, as well as by recruiting staff and volunteers.
Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest guests are welcome to explore activities and demonstrations highlighting genres ranging from tap dance to jazz, Broadway to classical, opera to ballet. Performances will be held on the Plaza stage under the 150 ft. high glass dome and within Perelman Theater, featuring PHILADANCO! and Philadelphia Ballet, the No Name Pops and Opera Philadelphia, and selections from Broadway favorites like Wicked. Plaza activities include a paint activation inspired by the upcoming Broadway musical Mean Girls and costume displays from the upcoming presentation of Cirque Dreams Holidaze; plus, a pop-up experience and panel discussion with Opera Philadelphia, Marian Anderson Historical Society, and Harriet’s Bookshop. Littlest arts lovers will enjoy a ‘Keep Music Alive’ instrument petting zoo. There is something for everyone (including giveaways)!
Select participating organizations include BalletX, Esperanza Arts Center, Jazz Philadelphia, Koresh Dance Company, The Lady Hoofers Tap Ensemble, Musicopia, Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, and many more. Kimmel Cultural Campus Resident Companies will participate, including Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet, PHILADANCO! and The Curtis Institute of Music.
Plus, Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest marks the first public viewing of the innovative, ergonomically designed Maene-Viñoly Concert Grand Piano. In a fitting homage to the late musician-architect Rafael Viñoly, the piano will be on display for the public to enjoy in the very building that he designed, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. In partnership with Rafael Viñoly Architects, the special exhibition marks the piano’s first appearance in the United States.
The café, Garces Trading Company at Kimmel, will be open with an assortment of sandwiches, salads, and coffee. Extra special treats are planned just for Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest, like a designated candy cart and items like snow cones. Guests can also shop for refreshments at concessions.
Attendees will be treated to a special in-person flash sale offer: $25 and $35 tickets to 25 shows across the upcoming 2023-24 season. Flash sale offerings include Broadway musicals Mean Girls, Wicked, Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, and Mrs. Doubtfire; family-favorites like Coco Live-to-Film Concert, Bluey’s Big Play, and Music of Superheroes; holiday happenings including The Glorious Sound of Christmas, Messiah, A Very Philly Christmas, and Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday; dance favorites like PHILADANCO! and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; concerts including Rumours of Fleetwood Mac and Brit Floyd; and presentations from Your Philadelphia Orchestra, including, Audra McDonald, Trifonov Plays Gershwin, Yannick Conducts Rachmaninoff, Mirga Conducts Bruckner, Mahler’s Symphony No.1, and Yannick and Helen Grimaud Reunite, among others. Sales will be conducted at the Kimmel Center building box office (300 S. Broad Street, located downstairs on the lower level).
Support for Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest is supported in part by Lead Community Engagement Sponsor Independence Blue Cross.
Click here to check out the performances planned thus far, or visit https://www.kimmelculturalcampus.org/events-and-tickets/2023-24/free/philadelphia-fall-arts-fest/.
Philadelphia RowHome Magazine's Blog 