Philadelphia’s Arts Scene Performs This Fall: Alexander Calder’s Work Sings & Theater Season Begins Fringe Festival

PHILADELPHIA, September 5, 2025 – Philadelphia’s arts and culture scene is ramping up as the city debuts Calder Gardens, the immersive art gallery and garden honoring the works of Philadelphia-born Alexander Calder. This self-described “oasis for personal introspection” opens on Sept. 21 along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 

September also marks the start of the official 2025 Theater Season, highlighted by a limited run of the Tony Award-winning musical Six at the Academy of Music; Opera Philadelphia’s historic 50th anniversary; and Fringe Festival’s 29th year of awesomely weird programming. Theater fans can score same-day discounted tickets at Philadelphia’s TKTS booth located at the Independence Visitors Center, which opened last year and offers up to 50% off shows via walk-up sales.

Read on for a more detailed look at all the buzzworthy events and marquee attractions shaping the city’s $4.1 billion arts and culture industry* this fall. 

* Via Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

On Stage: Playwrights and Playlists

EnsembleArts: Academy of Music
Where: 240 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia
When: Multiple Dates

The six stifled wives of Henry VIII grab the microphone and remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak during the infamous English ruler’s reign of terror. Six: The Musical  puts a modern-day feminist spin on this age-old tale, relying on fiercely female pop stars to set a defiant mood in this Tony Award-winning musical (September 30-October 5, 2025). 

What if your teenage self could time travel to meet your parents on the day they met? Marty McFly finds out in this musical version of the popular ’80s movie. Will Doc Brown help Marty make it back to Hill Valley before he changes his family’s history forever? Cue up Huey Lewis an find out this fall at Back to the Future: The Musical (November 18-30, 2025). 

Philly Fringe Festival
Where: 140 N. Columbus Blvd.
When: September 4-September 28, 2025

The Philly Fringe Festival returns in 2025 for their 29th year with almost 350 independently produced productions at venues and unusual spaces across the city. Curated by FringeArts, this program builds on their mission to foster connections and opportunities for artistic cross-pollination between out-of-town artists and local talent. As always, the event is free to attend for festival artists. 

Highlights for this year’s month-long festival include: Weathering by Faye Driscoll; Beautiful Human Lies: Chapter 4 by Rennie Harris; asses.masses by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim; The Goldberg Variations by Clayton Lee; La Otra by Tanaquil Marquez and Eliana Fabiyi; Dambudzo by Nora Chipaumire; Around the World in 80 Toys by Thaddeus McWhinnie Phillips; and The Private Theater’s Spiritual Experience. Check the festival’s official website for updates. 

In Tune: Musicians and Maestros

Opera Philadelphia
Where: 240 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA (Academy of Music)
When: Multiple Dates

The Wanamaker Organ – the largest operating pipe organ in the world – will be reawakened during a festive kickoff concert titled Meet Me at the Eagle featuring live performances from BalletX, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and FringeArts. The event, presented by Opera Philadelphia, will take place inside the shuttered Wanamaker Building as part of their pioneering Pipe Up! concert series which seeks to reactivate the seven-story Grand Court and National Historic Landmark. (September 7, 2025). 

The full schedule has yet to be announced, although organizers have teased a special night with Nathalie Joachim, the Grammy-nominated Haitian composer and singer. In addition, Opera Philadelphia will celebrate its 50th anniversary by hosting Vox Ex Machina. The golden anniversary gala will feature live performances from five famed opera singers: Stephanie Blythe, Nicole Heaston, Will Liverman, Daniela Mack and Anthony Roth Costanzo. (September 13, 2025). 

On Canvas: Painting and Palettes

The Barnes Foundation
Where: 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
When: October 19, 2025-February 22, 2026

Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets is a limited-run exhibit that fuses rare international works from two private collectors: French art dealer Paul Guillaume and Philadelphia connoisseur Dr. Albert C. Barnes. Featuring 60 works by the French post-Impressionist painter – 18 are permanently housed at the Barnes, with 11 on loan from the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris, plus others from the Museum of Modern Art in New York – this is the largest collection of Rousseau paintings ever put on display at once since 2006. 

It also marks the first time in history that three Rousseau masterpieces will appear in the same gallery: The Sleeping Gypsy (1897, MoMA), Unpleasant Surprise (1899–1901, the Barnes) and The Snake Charmer (1907, Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The comprehensive collection – reunited in a single exhibit for the first time in more than a hundred years – reveal the tensions in Rousseau’s life and emphasize the equally inconsistent qualities of his painting style. (Tickets on sale now). 

Calder Gardens
Where: 2100 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
When: September 21, 2025

Far from a typical museum experience, Calder Gardens is a cultural destination dedicated to introspection, curiosity, environmental awareness and human connection. This immersive exhibit will feature a distinctive two-story building dedicated to the work of a single artist, with half of its structure hidden underground. That artist is Alexander Calder, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a native Philadelphian – and the originator of the mobile, suspending forms that move with the flow of air. 

The sprawling museum site will feature an 18,000-square-foot reflective metal building housing a rotating selection of the artist’s masterworks — including mobiles, stabiles, sculptures and paintings — illuminated by natural light, and a tree-filled meadow-like landscape surrounding it. Deep Philly roots abound, as Calder’s grandfather crafted City Hall’s William Penn statue, and his father designed Swann Memorial Fountain.

Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images
Where: Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S 36th Street
When: Through December 7, 2025

Generating significant buzz, this exhibition marks the first major museum showcase dedicated to Jamaican-born artist Mavis Pusey (1928–2019). Featuring more than 60 works spanning her prolific five-decade career, the presentation highlights her lasting influence on modern art. Once at risk of being overlooked, Pusey’s voice is powerfully reclaimed here —most notable through her Broken Construction series (1960s–1990s), where she explores themes of destruction and renewal. Defined by bold, heavy forms —her work reflects on identity and the tensions of social upheaval.

A woman with a global perspective, Pusey lived in New York, London, and beyond before making Philadelphia her home, where she became a devoted educator. In the 1970s and 1980s, she taught at Rutgers University, the New School, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her legacy endures through her remarkable talent and the insightful, thought-provoking work she left behind.

Other can’t-miss events and happenings to check out this fall … 

Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival – Among the largest festivals of its kind, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival celebrates and showcases the stories of Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in film, performance art, music and other creative expressions during its 10-day run. The 2024 festival featured 14 feature films, 80 short films and multiple premieres from both homegrown talent and international filmmakers from as far away as Kazakhstan.

Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show – The fall edition of this twice-a-year event — the oldest outdoor fine arts show in the country — brings paintings, glassware, sketches and more to Rittenhouse Square for an outdoor gallery featuring work by over 100 talented artists and crafters. Stay tuned to the event’s official website for upcoming details about featured artists. (September 19-21, 2025)

DesignPhiladelphia Festival – Produced by the Center for Architecture and Design — and celebrating its 21st year, DesignPhiladelphia is a multi-day fest highlighting the brilliance and creativity of Philadelphia’s design community – from the youngest designers to the most seasoned – with a host of events and installations. (October 1-12, 2025)

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours – Expect free self-guided tours, live demonstrations, exhibitions and more to pop up in more than 26 neighborhoods across the city, making POST one of the largest open-studio events in the nation. (Studios east of Broad Street are open October 11 and 11, 2025, while studios west of Broad Street are open October 18 and 19, 2025).

Mural Arts Fest: Voices of Philly – Mural Arts Month kicks off at The Oval on Benjamin Franklin Parkway with an open call for local artists, organizations, brands and craftspeople to tell their stories and showcase their work. (September 13, 2025) 

Also: Mural Arts Philadelphia hosts a plethora of cultural walking tours in various neighborhoods throughout the year. The nonprofit has helped create more than 4,000 murals in the city since 1984. Check out their official website for frequent updates. 

About Visit Philadelphia:

VISIT PHILADELPHIA® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy. On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website, visitphilly.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages.

Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the site an effective trip-planning tool. Visitors can also find loads of inspiration on Visit Philly’s social media Channels.

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos and high-definition B-roll of Greater Philadelphia, visit the Photos & Video section of visitphilly.com/mediacenter.