There is no better way to praise the arts than through the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. Every year, Philadelphia dedicates an entire month to praise the amazing works of many artists and provide Philadelphians with the opportunity to socialize with each other, as well as to give an aesthetically appealing aura to the city. For this year’s festival, the theme revolves around the quote, “if you had a time machine…”

Whether your love is for dance, theater, culinary arts or visual arts, this festival is definitely worth going to, especially if you want to spend the night doing something different than going to the King of Prussia Mall, going out to eat in the same restaurants (Applebee’s, Chili’s, Panera Bread, Molly Maguire’s, Chipotle, and many other restaurants/pubs that get redundant after a while), or going to a friend’s house for the 1000th time. So instead of staying around Lansdale on a Friday night, going to center city to watch one of the many events they have to offer might be a better way to spend your weekend.

Moreover, some of these events are very cheap, or even completely free, so money should not be a reason to keep you from going to Philly and appreciate the work from the many local and visiting artists. Among the many free events being held at the Kimmel Center are themed parties, late night Jazz, dance performances, and live music of various genres and styles. Also, many museums and galleries will be displaying various exhibitions and lectures throughout the whole month of April for those who have a passion for the visual arts.

Aside from the myriad of performances scheduled for this month, the festival will also hold a street fair on April, 27th as their big, culminating event. In the fair, there will be food vendors, exhibitors, rides like the ferris wheel and the galleon, grassy gardens, a dinosaur petting zoo, and urban koncepts jungle gyms. However, these are only a few of the many attractions that will be part of the fair, so be sure to check it out and see the many exciting, creative activities they will be having on their final event.

So if you have no plans for the weekend, be sure to check out PIFA’s website (www.pifa.org) and plan your trip down to center city for a fun night full of artistic diversity, music, and much more fun.