summer in the city

The 4th of July only comes around once a year, so why spend it inside? Get outside and get to one of Philadelphia's many rooftop bars that overlook the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (perfect for watching fireworks), and others put you above the city's busiest streets (perfect for feeling like you've escaped the city for a little while).

If your ideal Independence Day includes a drink in your hand and a skyline in front of you, these rooftops need a spot on your itinerary.

The fireworks might be the main event, but really – no one wants to spend all day standing around waiting for 9:30 p.m.

The best Fourth of July plans are built around the fireworks, not entirely about them. Imagine rooftop cocktails before sunset, waterfront beers, a great dinner, maybe one more stop afterward, and then ending the night under one of the biggest fireworks displays of the year...pretty good, right?

Here's how to make the most of Independence Day in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia isn't winding down just because the weekend is coming to an end. In fact, some of the city's best events are happening today, we’ve got live jazz, karaoke, paint-and-sips, and waterfront day parties that make Monday feel very far away.

Friends coming to Philadelphia for the World Cup are going to ask what they should do between matches.

You could send them to the Liberty Bell and call it a day. Technically, that works. But if you actually like these people and want them to leave thinking that Philadelphia was way more fun than they expected, you need a better plan.

A busy weekend is upon us! The city is packed with World Cup festivities, Juneteenth celebrations, street festivals, outdoor parties, live music, rooftop drinks, neighborhood events, and clearly enough excuses to leave your apartment that doing none of the above is simply not an option. Here are 25 things worth checking out this weekend: 

There are several different avenues you can take when considering how you will watch the next World Cup match. You can watch it from your couch, where the snacks are close. You can also always squeeze into a bar like any other weekend. Or you can head to the FIFA Fan Festival Lemon Hill, where Philadelphia has turned a patch of Fairmount Park into an unrecognizable soccer hangout with incredible skyline views, big screens, food, drinks, and music (yeah, this option is our favorite).

All great World Cup watch parties do not necessarily need to happen inside a traditional sports bar. Across Philadelphia, breweries are transforming taprooms into match day destinations complete with everything you need to have a smashing good time. We’re talking giant projectors, drink specials, giveaways, and food features.

If you're looking to trade sticky bar floors for fresh beer and a little more breathing room, these breweries are making a strong case for becoming your World Cup headquarters.

Philadelphia is a growing soccer city, and with FIFA fever taking over, there’s no shortage of places to catch a match. Which is quite lucky, because this isn’t a plop-down-on-the-couch event. No, no, it's a stand-up-when-someone-hits-the-post event. A spill-your-drink-after-a-90th-minute-goal event. A lose-your-voice-because-your-team-survived-extra-time event.

And, thank God for soccer fans, Philadelphia knows how to watch a tournament.

The city has spent years building a soccer culture that stretches far beyond Subaru Park. If you're looking for somewhere to celebrate, commiserate, or scream at a referee, these are some of the best soccer bars to do so in Philadelphia.

During Pride Weekend, brunch goes way beyond just eggs and mimosas. It is the warmup, it’s the outfit check. It’s the first round and the place where your group gets organized.

And this weekend, Philadelphia has plenty of great options to start the celebration before the march, festival, parties, and nighttime plans take over all your extra brain space.

Pride Weekend in Philadelphia never really stays in one lane, which is always the best part. It starts as a march, segues into a festival, spills into the bars, pulls drag performers onto stages, fills sidewalks with glitter, flags, music, friends, strangers, and consistently becomes one of the loudest, warmest, most alive weekends of the summer.

This year's Pride Weekend is shaping up to be one of the biggest in recent memory, with events stretching from the Delaware Waterfront to the Parkway and everywhere in between.