🍦 Try Philly’s buzziest new ice cream shop | Things to Do

Spring weather lingers this week even if the unofficial start to summer kicks off this weekend — but at least it looks like we’ll have sunny days throughout Memorial Day. It’s a great time to get to the beach (even if that water remains frigid) or day drink outside. And of course there‘s a bunch to do and see here in the city even if you can’t get away.

This week’s lineup:

— Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at [email protected])

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Malai is a beloved South Asian scoop shop in Washington, D.C. and New York that just opened a location in Center City. Founder Pooja Bavishi offered a Tastycake-inspired cinnamon honeybun ice cream specifically for Philly, along with other delightful creations like passionfruit cilantro and masala chai flavors. See why people are lining up outside.

🎖️ Memorial Day: Philadelphia will honor fallen military service members in various events throughout the three-day weekend that you can find at National Constitution Center, the Museum of the American Revolution, and elsewhere.

🎭 Broadway bangers: Musical theater fans will be happy to hear that two major award-winning classics just opened in Philly over the past week. Catch the irresistibly heartbreaking Rent at the Arden Theatre and don’t miss the Tony-winning genderqueer revival of Some Like It Hot at the Forrest Theatre.

🍗 Break out medieval costumes: Head to the annual Philadelphia Renaissance Faire at Fort Mifflin for mead, turkey legs, impressive cosplay, magical scavenger hunts, board games, and even a human-powered snow cone machine. Just watch out for the sword swinging.

🪩 Dance in the sunshine: The roving Latin queer party Sazón pops up in West Philly on Saturday with a free outdoor event including artist vendors, food, and drinks at Pentridge Station Beer Garden. I attended the last Sazón party and had a blast.

🤿 Dive deep: Before she wrote the devastatingly good film Past Lives, Celine Song penned Endlings, a play about elderly sea divers in South Korea and an immigrant writer’s attempts to write from her own experiences. It’s worth getting lost in the seaweed.

🎥 Big brother: The docuseries Spy High digs into the thorny controversy surrounding Lower Merion’s 2010 Webcamgate scandal, when school-issued laptops secretly photographed dozens of teens. It’s a chilling look at the dangers of school surveillance.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Parks on Tap at Clark Park, Devon Horse Show & County Fair, Celebration of the Roses

This week’s recommendation comes from my colleague Henry Savage:

The streets of Northern Liberties will come to life on Wednesday (5/28) during the spring night market, a family and dog-friendly event with dozens of food trucks, local brews and cocktails, retail shopping, and activities for the kids.

🏖️ Hit the sand: If you’re heading to the Jersey Shore this weekend or in the future, don’t miss our handy Shore Guide, where we break down the biggest concerts, fun places to shop, and the best places to eat all summer long.

🎻 Summer sounds: The Philadelphia Orchestra is back at the Mann Center with a star-studded lineup of outdoor concerts, from Cynthia Erivo to Star Wars and even an Eagles theme night.

💿 New recordings: Bruce Springsteen has been making headlines during his European tour criticizing President Donald Trump. Those comments are part of his newly released six-track EP, Land of Hope and Dreams.

🖼️ Grand opening: The long-awaited Calder Gardens — a museum and sculpture park dedicated to sculptor Alexander Calder located on the Parkway — finally announced its opening date in September. Here‘s what we know so far.

🍕 Replacing an iconic destination: Ocean City’s historic 94-year-old Wonderland Pier closed last fall and, just in time for Memorial Day, the owner will reopen the site for a pizza shop and arcade. It’s not the most popular plan.

🏳️‍🌈 Time for Pride: The Gayborhood has a new nightlife spot with Little Gay Pub, which opened its doors this week. Take a look inside the art, florals, and antiques-filled bar.

Pop music critic Dan DeLuca breaks down the best upcoming shows:

🎤 Thursday: The Live and Local series, booked by indie promoters 4333 Collective at Spruce Street Harbor Park, is Thursday with New York band Frog and Philly outfit Wescansin. The free series will continue on Thursday through the summer, and some Mondays.

🪕 Friday: Bob Dylan turns 84 on Friday, and for 25 of those years, his birthday has been celebrated by Philadelphia bands in an event cohosted by local songsmiths Jon Houlon and Kenn Kweder. This year, the Bob Dylan Birthday Bash celebrates its silver anniversary on Tuesday at Ardmore Music Hall, with 40 Philly acts doing one Dylan song each over the course of a four-hour evening.

🎸 Friday and Sunday: Memorial Day weekend is Metallica weekend. The storied and quintessential metal band is bringing its M72 Tour — named for its 2023 album 72 Seasons — to Lincoln Financial Field on Friday and Sunday. The Linc show will follow the No Repeat Weekend format, with no songs performed twice. (Yes, that includes “Enter Sandman.”) Friday’s openers are Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills. Sunday is Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera.

🎸 Saturday: Not only that: There are all kinds of Metallica events going on in the Philadelphia area. Rock and Roll Playhouse does a Music of Metallica & More concert for kids at noon on Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl Philly, followed at 2 p.m. with a Rock & Bowl event with the band’s crew and WMMR-FM (93.3) personalities.

🎤 Also Saturday: At the Wells Fargo Center, Barry Manilow is playing what is being billed as “The Last Philadelphia Concert.” What could be more metal than a guy who has a signature song called “I Write the Songs” he didn’t actually write? Manilow has a long Philly history dating to the early 1970s when he was a regular at the Bijou Cafe. The 81-year-old “Mandy” and “Copacabana (At the Copa)” singer is on, what he says is, his final tour. After this, you’ll have to go to Vegas to see him.

Read more music picks.

An inside joke on the set of Parks and Recreation, Philly Justice was a fake courtroom comedy that the cast and crew developed while they were working on their (real) sitcom. Turns out there‘s actually a script and trailer for Philly Justice and this week Amy Poehler dropped the footage on her podcast, Good Hang. She’s joined by castmates Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, and other Parks and Rec creators who explain all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans. Should it become a real show? Tell me what you think.

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This week I started catching up on Andor, a Star Wars spinoff show that’s actually worth the hype. What’s on your watch list? Let me know!