Philadelphia Children's Festival
May 4-6, 2025
The Philadelphia Children's Festival is turning 40! Established in 1985 as the first festival of its kind in the country, we are thrilled to celebrate four decades of welcoming generations of families to enjoy the best in performing arts for young audiences. This legacy continues May 4-6, 2025.
With a supercharged circus of extreme sports, a refugee's powerful memoir brought to life onstage, and a story of friendship and plucky determination told through vibrant visuals and puppetry, the Children's Festival is packed with fun for the whole family. Plus, enjoy the outdoor PLAYground with hands-on activities and entertainment by the Dirty Sock Funtime Band. The Children's Festival is rain or shine.
Weekend performances and school-day matinees available!
Performances
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360 ALLSTARS
May 4 @ 4:30 PM
May 5 @ 10 AM and 12 PM
May 6 @ 10 AM and 12 PM
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Terrapin Puppet Theatre
The Paper Escaper
May 4 @ 2:30 PM
May 5 @ 10:30 AM
May 6 @ 10:30 AM
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Literature to Life
The Latehomecomer
May 4 @ 1 PM
May 5 @ 10:30 AM
May 6 @ 10:30 AM
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Dirty Sock Funtime Band
FREE Outdoor Concert
May 4 @ 3:30 PM
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Tickets
Individual Tickets
Tickets are sold by individual performance and include all PLAYground activities.
West Philly Welcome
$15 tickets for West Philly residents, available beginning the week before.
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Groups
Discounts are available for schools and groups of 10+. For more information and to order group tickets, contact Anne-Marie Mulgrew at 215.462.7720 or
amulgrew@upenn.edu.
Children's Festival PLAYground
Visit the Children's Festival's outdoor PLAYground to enjoy free performances and hands-on activities with arts partners from across the city.
May 4:
- Face painting and balloon creations by Taffy Fun
- Entertainment by Dirty Sock Funtime Band (3:30 PM) and DJ Scott
- Hands-on activities with Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, The Clay Studio, Penn's Common Press, Penn Museum, Rebel Arts Movement, Sawubona Creativity Project and Tree House Books
- Book giveaways from BookSmiles
- Food will be available for purchase from Puyero Venezuelan Flavor
May 5:
- Face painting and balloon creations by Taffy Fun
- Entertainment by DJ Scott
- Hands-on activities with The Clay Studio, Music Theatre Philly, Rebel Arts Movement and Tree House Books
- Book giveaways from BookSmiles
May 6:
- Face painting and balloon creations by Taffy Fun
- Entertainment by DJ Scott
- Hands-on activities with Fleisher Art Memorial, Music Theatre Philly and Rebel Arts Movement
The 2025 Philadelphia Children’s Festival was made possible in part by the support of the following: the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, Aramark and the Virginia C. Mulconroy Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.
