Spring concerts, festivals and events that shouldn't be missed

March  |  April  |  May

3/28  K-Pop Fashion Show / Art After 5
On Friday evenings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the museum’s Great Stair Hall becomes a performance space — on the first Friday of the month, it’s international music; other Fri-days offer up jazz or local DJs. This Friday, it’s a modern take on the museum’s current “Treasures from Korea” exhibit. Student designers from the Art Institute’s fashion department will showcase runway looks, K-pop (Korean pop) performers will offer their musical stylings, and there will be a dance party, naturally. It’s a fun addition to the “After 5” lineup, which really serves to offer the message that the PMA can be so much more than a place for paintings. Philadelphia Museum of Art, philamuseum.org/artafter5. —Mikala Jamison 

3/28 - 5/30  Comedysportz Blue Show
ComedySportz performs its unique variety of improvisational games-as-sport every Saturday night, but on the last Friday of every month, they do “blue” — showbiz slang for adults-only — with uncensored language and content. The 20-year-old troupe (many of whom, including Barrymore Award-winning artistic director Dave Jadico, are accomplished theater performers, too) is hilarious in its PG-rated shows, and unrated freedom just unleashes more funny. Playground at the Adrienne, comedysportzphilly.com. —Mark Cofta 

3/28  TEDx Philadelphia
While the main stage TED conferences are kind of a hit-or-miss proposition (thumbs up, disease-fighters and tech innovators; boo to you, snake oil toy salesmen), this satellite event — which will be live-streamed and archived online — looks like a winner. The lineup includes fashion designer Dom Streater, poet Sonia Sanchez, music visionary Brian McTear and tons more people doing cool things around town. You might not know their names yet but that’s OK, because you’re going to this thing to learn. Temple Performing Arts Center, tedxphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

3/29 - 4/22  Queer Media Activism Series
Social change organization Philly Queer Media will further its mission of elevating LGBTQ voices in the media by hosting events, panels, screenings and performances all over the city. The month-long series has already begun, and the next event is this Saturday, but be sure to catch aerial circus artists Tangle Movement Arts’ (hey, they’re on the cover!) gravity-defying “Timelines,” April 3-5. Then don a tux and relive high school horrors with Dumpsta Players’ annual drag show, Prom Trash, on April 16. This time around, the weirdos win. phillyqueermedia.com. —Julie Zeglen

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April

4/4  R. Buckminster Fuller Documentary / Yo La Tengo
FringeArts presents a unique “live documentary” about the life of futurist and inventor of the geodesic dome R. Buckminster Fuller. The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller follows the life of the inventor, who spent a chunk of his career at the University City Science Center. Excitingly, the documentary features live narration by filmmaker Sam Green and a live soundtrack provided by indie rock stars Yo La Tengo. That won’t be distracting. FringeArts, fringearts.com. —Maggie Grabmeier

4/4 - 4/12  Philly Tech Week 2014
Unmatched in its ubiquity by any other days-long, citywide event (except maybe for the Fringe, but we’ll leave that up to debate), Philly Tech Week returns for yet another round of science and tech discovery aimed at every type of person under the sun. The official festivities kick off with the celebrated massive Tetris game played on the face of the Cira Centre building. 2014.phillytechweek.com. —Sameer Rao

4/5  Philly Spring Cleanup
For the seventh time, the mayor’s asking us to give up one damn Saturday in the name of cleaning up after ourselves at specific sites all over town. But if guilt and self-pride aren’t enough to get you to pick up a broom or a trash bag, I suggest you do it for the anecdotes. Consider this: During Cleanup ’09, while picking up garbage along the Schuylkill River Trail, I found a hobo’s dildo. It was, you know, hauntingly gross. But also it’s an story I’ve been charming the ladies with ever since. Your hobo dildo is out there, people. Find it. philadelphiastreets.com/philly-spring-cleanup. —Patrick Rapa

4/6  Fairmount Arts Crawl
Showcasing more than 50 artists at 20 different venues throughout the picturesque Fairmount neighborhood, the crawl promises impromptu ceramics workshops, outdoor music performances and the transformation of local restaurants into temporary galleries. This tree-lined community is a fine place to celebrate spring, get meals with friends and enjoy local art. fairmountcdc.org. —Larry Miller

4/6  Mural Arts @ 30 / Mural Trolley Tour
This is the last day to catch PAFA’s “Beyond the Paint,” an educational exhibition merging physical art with geographical information and photographs of Philadelphia murals through time. Coinciding with the Mural Arts Program’s 30th anniversary, “Beyond” also features a one-day-only trolley tour with distinguished muralist Meg Saligman acting as tour guide. Mother of many Philadelphia murals, Saligman is responsible for the beloved “Philadelphia Muses” and “Common Threads.” pafa.org, muralarts.org. —Maggie Grabmeier

4/10 - 4/26  Cinedelphia Film Festival 
In its second year, the Cinedelphia Film Festival is taking its offbeat and obscure programming to new heights. Among the 38 events, there are terrifically terrible films, rare screenings, mashups and local premieres (most of them at PhilaMOCA). Some gloriously weird highlights include the first-ever Philly performance by cult icon/musician/viral video legend Jan Terri and an experimental (dare we say mind-blowing) screening of The Shining, superimposing two projections — forwards and backwards. cinedelphiafilmfestival.com. —Paulina Reso

4/11 - 4/13  Carrie the Musical
If you’ve seen the first Carrie movie, or the second, or the third — or even just read Stephen King’s 1974 novel — you’re familiar with the violent saga of an ostracized high school girl whose puberty unleashes strange powers. But did you know that a musical adaptation notoriously flopped on Broadway in 1988? Its creators — including two Oscar winners — have reworked the show, and some plucky UArts seniors are staging their efforts. Will there be pig’s blood? We’ll see. Arts Bank Theater, tickets.uarts.edu. —Mark Cofta

4/12  Indian Dance With Malavika Sarukkai
Malavika Sarukkai proves dance truly is a universal language. The acclaimed innovator of classical Indian dance spins stories about India’s sacred river, Ganga/Ganges, using flowing movements of intricate precision. Evoking narrative as well as symbolic entities, Sarukkai portrays characters as well as spirits of the water as she embarks on a richly detailed metaphysical journey. Featuring a live music ensemble, the evening concludes with an artists’ Q&A. Annenberg Center, annenberg-center.org. —Deni Kasrel

4/13 - 4/19  Philadelphia Book Festival
There’s something for every type of reader at the Free Library’s annual Book Fest, with author talks spanning genres like graphic novels, cookbooks, memoirs and poetry. Meet Philadelphia’s new poet laureate, Frank Sherlock, at his inaugural reading, or hang out at Clark Park for the inevitably adorable “Tales at the Turtle” family story time. The Space Between Your Fingers Project will also be on-site at the Central Library throughout the festival to help you with your autobiography. freelibrary.org/bookfestival. —Julie Zeglen

4/19  Record Store Day
By now, you should be putting together your shopping list of all the special releases you wanna pick up on this, the annual celebration of physically buying music at physical places. So far I’ve got my eye on stuff by Wesley Stace, Cosmetics, Life Without Buildings, Black Lips, Bardo Pond and, most of all, the red vinyl reissue of Sharpling & Wurster’s Rock, Rot and Rule. If you see one, pick me up a copy. Not kidding. recordstoreday.com. —Patrick Rapa

4/21  Extreme Midget Wrestling
Shake off your post-high-holidays lethargy with an adrenaline-loaded head shot of awe-inspiring and outrageous displays of physical prowess. The Extreme Midget Wrestling Foundation (EMWF) bills its touring showcase as “the baddest little show on Earth.” Entertaining? Exploitative? Maybe you’ll go in with one opinion and walk out with another. TLA, tlaphilly.com. —Sameer Rao

4/22  Miley Cyrus
I just heard Miley spit on a fan. Oh yeah, well, I heard Miley spent five grand on a cake on the launch for her Bangerz tour. Check it: Miley just Instagram’d herself digging up Fred Phelps’ grave. Hey, TMZ says Miley has recently gotten into church burning. She just loves burning churches. You know, these days everybody’s dragging dolphins out of the ocean and beating them with Wiffle ball bats, but don’t forget Miley did it first. Oh crap, she’s totally Beibering right now. Miley Miley Miley. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

4/25  Perfect Pussy 
(SafeSearch Mode: On.) The Syracuse quintet with the NSFW name is absolutely everything you want in a punk band: noisy, joyous, insistently young and wild, willing to sacrifice clarity and melody in the name of hot-blooded chaos. At the center is Meredith Graves, sing-shouting like the brat of the ball, like somebody didn’t take her seriously once and she’s been burning him in effigy ever since. How can you not love this band? (SafeSearch Mode: Off.) First Unitarian Church, r5productions.com. —Patrick Rapa

4/25 - 5/3  Philadelphia Science Festival
By now you know the formula for this annual family-friendly fest, but this year the calendar looks like it’s got some more events for the parental units to go along with all those get-your-hands-dirty demonstrations for the kids. As in: a study in graveyard biology, a lecture on serial killers at the Mütter, not to mention all the usual drunken nerdouts. philasciencefestival.org. —Patrick Rapa

4/26  Flavors of the Avenue
The East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District celebrates spring in South Philly under a big-top tent, serving signature dishes and drinks from 27 neighborhood restaurants, including Cantina Los Caballitos, Fuel, Ms. Goody Cupcake, Noord, Stogie Joe’s and Tre Scalini. Outside the tent, a free street festival will feature the April Showers Craft Show hosted by Crafty Balboa, vendors and live music by the Drive-Ins. VIP tickets boast an expanded bar with Pinnacle vodka and bai cocktails, plus valet parking. visiteastpassyunk.com. —Mark Cofta

4/28  Cher
The Goddess of Pop (which Wikipedia assures me is a well-established nickname by which Cher is known) has decided to call her new and possibly final go-round the “Dressed to Kill” tour. Wait a minute, we all cry out in unison, didn’t her longtime fashion guru and friend Bob Mackie abandon her on this one? Surely she won’t be able to match the oversize Mummer-esque splendor that made her costumes a sensation in concerts past! Well, we should shut up and do some Googling because all the early reviews agree that this is Cher in her feathery, glittery finest. And since she’s pushing 70, don’t complain if she pads things out with movie clips and extended backup-dancer sequences. She’s the Goddess of Pop. Who the hell are you? Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

4/30 - 5/4  Philadelphia International Children’s Festival
The Annenberg Center’s 30th annual festival of performances for children brings theater and opera companies to West Philly’s UPenn campus for five days of shows. The lineup includes traditional stories like “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Tortoise and the Hare” (told through sculpture, dance, theater and new technology by Lightwire Theater and Corbian Visual Arts and Dance) as well as a performance called We Shall Not Be Moved, a marriage of hip-hop and classical music by Opera Philadelphia and the Art Sanctuary’s Hip H’opera Project. All tickets include the outdoor Fun Zone, with hands-on activities like face painting and crafts. Annenberg Center, annenberg-center.org. —Mark Cofta

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May

5/1 - 5/4  Equality Forum
Now in its 21st iteration, the globally minded, Philadelphia-based Equality Forum celebrates the cultural and political legacy of queer, trans and bisexual communities in a series of panels, presentations and parties. In addition to awarding leadership prizes to politicians and businesses, the forum boasts the region’s largest LGBT street festival in the SundayOUT! event at the Piazza at Schmidt’s. equalityforum.com. —Larry Miller

5/1  Slint
There’s a certain kind of music fan who’s really excited that this Pythagorean math-rock band is back together: the old kind. Kidding. But, seriously, it is kinda surprising that Slint — brilliant-but-nichey indie legends with a two-album heyday in the late ’80s/early ’90s — is now getting its due here in the post-music-industry apocalypse. Their 1991 classic Spiderland, influential as all hell, is getting the reissue treatment. Study up, kids. Union Transfer, utphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/3  The Both
Separately, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo each have enough unmitigated sincerity and self-deprecation to turn any listener into a sobbing, heart-on-sleeve fanatic. They also have plenty of fans who’ll attest to the power of their hook-heavy chronicles of everyday heroes. Together, Mann’s meaning-rich and subtlety-laden vocals meet Leo’s ecstatic belting and fuzzy guitars to create sing-alongs for pop-rock fans of all ages and dispositions. The Both hits Union Transfer in support of their self-titled debut. Learn all the lyrics ahead of time; it’ll come in handy. Union Transfer, utphilly.com. —Sameer Rao

5/4  The Foreign Exchange
The hip-hop game was pretty crowded last year, so you’re forgiven if you slept on Love in Flying Colors. Also, Phonte and Nicolay are pretty much dancing away from hip-hop into more soulful and upbeat territory. Hell, sometimes, they’re doing full-on R&B — with horns and grooves and everything. This might not be what got you into the American/Dutch duo in the first place, but it’s worth a listen. Besides, they’re guaranteed to do “Daykeeper” when they come to play. World Café Live, worldcafelive.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/10 - 5/11  Art Star Craft Bazaar 
We’ll share something with you, gentle reader — this annual fête of all things creative and crafty is what persuaded my visiting mother that Philadelphia was indeed a lovely and culturally vibrant place (she was wary, “Killadelphia,” and all). It helps that the bazaar falls on Mother’s Day weekend, and several gifts had been purchased. It’s truly a treasure to see hundreds of vendor tents against the springtime sparkle of the Delaware riverfront — you could easily lose a few hours and a few hundred dollars (in the best way). An artist’s sensibility isn’t at all necessary: With vendors offering everything from handmade light-switch covers to graphic tees to opulent home goods, there’s something for all, plus music and food. Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, artstarcraftbazaar.com. —Mikala Jamison

5/14  Haim
OMG, the next Fleetwood Mac, right? If you say so. I pick up more of a coffee-shopping, head-bobbing, vaguely Black Lily-ish, totally WXPN-in-the-1990s vibe from this acoustic L.A. sister act, but what do I know? They’re catchy and kinda soulful and classic, and if the pop world’s going to suddenly agree on something, hell, let it be Haim. Tower Theater, thetowerphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/16  First Person Arts Grand Slam
We all have stories, but these people have really, really good stories, and they’re really good at telling them. The winners from FPA’s past season of StorySlams will take to the stage once again to share all-new tales of triumph, hilarity and woe with the hope of earning the title of “Best Storyteller in Philadelphia” (no pressure). The theme won’t be released until the last StorySlam of the season on April 22, but with past ones like “Ex Files,” “Busted” and “Awkward,” it’s sure to get all funny up in here. Underground Arts, firstpersonarts.org. —Julie Zeglen

5/17  Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
Should you be wondering, this is your chance to watch lurching, glittering, whirligig-bedecked machines plunge into a mud pit while people cheer. The derby, now in its eighth year, showcases human-powered vehicle floats that navigate street obstacles (like the pit) while displaying thematic design acumen. The derby’s all about wackiness, ingenuity and fun, with contest categories like “Best Costume” (ahh) and “Best Breakdown” (aww). It runs in conjunction with the music, food, crafts and art offered at the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival. Costumes, mud pits, vehicles falling apart — could Philly really be any more wonderfully weird? Trenton Avenue and Norris Street, kinetickensington.org. —Mikala Jamison

5/20  John Legend
Remember when we used to pretend John Legend was a Philly guy? Can you blame us? The dude can sing. Anyway for this, the All of Me tour, Legend is promising something “intimate, acoustic, stripped down.” Expect poignant solo stuff on piano and big, booming power ballads backed by a string quartet. Kimmel Center, kimmelcenter.org. —Patrick Rapa

5/22  Magnet Magazine Turns 21
Ripped from the hard-to-find pages of Philly’s born-again indie rock magazine is this thoroughly reliable indie rock lineup: Surfer Blood, Titus Andronicus and, of course, Guided By Voices. (Full disclosure: I write for Magnet sometimes.) The Trocadero, thetroc.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/25  Jam on the River
After a six-year hiatus, Jam on the River returns to Penn’s Landing. The one-day mini-festival on Memorial Day weekend features impressive names in electronic rock music, including locals Grimace Federation and Conspirator (side project of Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits), and the genre-crossing Lotus. Great Plaza at Penn's Landing, jamontheriver.com. —Thomas O’Malley

5/30  Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Old-school soul/funk is either hot again or still hot, and it’s thanks to the same stuff that always made it hot. The stuff Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have always done and do on their latest, Give the People What They Want: powerhouse vocals, hip-wobbling rhythms, horns out the wazoo. Doesn’t matter that she’s still singing about jilted lovers and dudes who did her wrong, or rhyming life with strife. She’s beaten cancer and the musical odds. And she sounds amazing. That is hot. Union Transfer, utphilly.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/31 Roots Picnic
Look, the big summer festival season’s going to be full of big-name grab-bag monster rosters, but why not start it off with one that’s a) in your hometown and b) actually curated by a musical genius (and not thrown together on a who’s-available basis)? This year, Questlove’s come up with another amazing, head-scratchingly eclectic lineup, including royal robot Janelle Monaé, Philly rockers War on Drugs, ass-hat MC A$AP Ferg, indie-pop violinist Emily Wells, soul singer Jhené Aiko and, of course, The Roots (solo and backing up Snoop Dogg). Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, okayplayer.com. —Patrick Rapa

5/31  The Menzingers
With 2012’s On the Impossible Past, The Menzingers showed themselves capable of capturing the urgency of young adult anxiety and existential paralysis without getting solipsistic about it. With the upcoming Rented World, the Scranton-bred dudes elevate themselves to the status of generational spokesmen. Having joined forces with Fishtown-based producer Jonathan Low (Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten) for 12 tracks of angst-ridden, fist-first anthems, the astute young men seem to be well on their way to crossover success in the vein of other Americana-tinged populist punk acts like The Gaslight Anthem. Union Transfer, utphilly.com. —Sameer Rao