CLEO + LESLIE’S WEEKLY GUIDE PHILLY RADAROctober 2–8, 2026 / No. 001 |
CLEO + LESLIE’S WEEKLY GUIDE City nights. Small-town afternoons. A wider kind of week.From jazz in Philadelphia to soul in Glenside, a wander through Newtown and books across the river. Good things around the region, selected for us. |
If we only do three things…Saturday / Choose your wander.
Newtown’s Market Day for a Bucks County afternoon of art, crafts and music. Sunday / Take the scenic route.
Longwood’s gardens and harvest displays. An unhurried Chester County day. Wednesday / Make room for soul.
Gladys Knight at the Keswick. Glenside gets the midweek spotlight. |
On Our RadarThe weekend starts here. |
STRONG PICK Diaspora DiariesAkua Allrich & The Tribe North Broad Street · Philadelphia
SOUTH Jazz Kitchen
Fri–Sun · Oct 2–4 · Ticketed A Pan-African jazz journey through music, storytelling and the African diaspora. Settle in, make an evening of it, and let the weekend find its rhythm. Jazz + Black culture + dinner. Our lead date-night candidate. Event details & tickets |
STRONG PICK Meet you in Chinatown.Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival Chinatown · Philadelphia
Philadelphia Chinatown
Sat · Oct 3 · Noon–8 PM · Free Lion dancing, Chinese opera, martial arts, food and mooncakes: a neighborhood celebration made for an unhurried afternoon. Make a day of it: festival → wander → dinner → movie. Festival listing · Visit Philadelphia |
STRONG PICK A little soul in Glenside.Gladys Knight Glenside · Montgomery County
Keswick Theatre
Wed · Oct 7 · 8 PM · Ticketed An evening with Gladys Knight gives the week a very good reason to run past Sunday. This is the regional music pick to build a night around. Soul, a theater evening and an outing in Montgomery County. Event details & tickets |
FILM PICK Real film. Big feelings.REEL October Center City · Philadelphia
Philadelphia Film Society
35mm program · Oct 1–14 · Ticketed A series built around the pleasure of watching movies on actual 35mm. Seek out the classics, international films and discoveries. PFS lists the 35mm program through October 14. Choose individual non-horror screenings after checking the program. REEL October & festival information |
Movie BoardFor the love of the big screen. |
DATE-NIGHT MOVIE Coyote vs. AcmeThe fun-movie candidate Old City · Philadelphia
Film Society Bourse
Showtimes via the cinema calendar · Check pricing Pair this pick with Chinatown or an Old City dinner for an easy movie night. A city-center movie option for the weeks you feel like heading downtown. Film details & showtimes |
WILDCARD Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!A little outside the ordinary Showtimes via the cinema calendar · Check pricing Comedy. Drama. Romance. And, somehow, science fiction. That combination gets it onto the watchlist. For a movie night with a little more curiosity. PFS screening calendar |
WORTH A LOOK DiggerPower, ego & consequences Showtimes via the cinema calendar · Check pricing An Iñárritu film about a powerful man trying to save humanity from a disaster of his own making. One for the cinema conversation afterward. PFS screening calendar & current showtimes |
Black PhillyCulture. Community. Connection. |
WORTH A LOOK Norf Philly DayThe Family Reunion North Philadelphia · Philadelphia
Chalmers Park
Sat · Oct 3 · Noon–7 PM · Free Music, vendors, games, small businesses and community organizations come together to celebrate North Philadelphia. A neighborhood gathering with community at its center. Event listing · Visit Philadelphia |
Food + DrinkCome hungry. Leave curious. |
DATE-NIGHT POTENTIAL Dine Latino Restaurant WeekMake dinner the destination Participating restaurants across the region · Greater Philadelphia
Across Greater Philadelphia
Oct 4–10 · Check menus A week to explore Latino-owned restaurants. Our next step is finding participating kitchens with plant-based dishes worth going out for. Leslie’s plate deserves a real entrée. Restaurant Week details & participating restaurants |
WEEKEND WANDER A very good reason to wander.Southeast Asian Market South Philadelphia · Philadelphia
FDR Park
Weekends · Vendor pricing Cambodian, Vietnamese, Lao, Indonesian and other Southeast Asian food traditions make this an inviting afternoon food adventure. Confirm vendors and ask about fish sauce, broth and other animal ingredients. Official market hours & visitor information |
Arts + CultureA little room for wonder. |
WORTH A LOOK Delaware County Arts WeekFollow your curiosity Across Delco · Delaware County
Throughout Delco
Oct 3–11 · Varies by event Visual art, music and performances across the county. Follow the calendar to find an exhibition or performance that catches your eye. A festival to explore selectively, with room for a worthwhile drive. Delco Arts calendar · individual events |
WEEKEND WANDER Longwood in fallTake the scenic route Kennett Square · Chester County
Longwood Gardens
Harvest displays · Oct 2–Nov 1 · Check admission A beautiful-day idea for gardens, fall color and seasonal displays. Leave room to slow down. Make this the unhurried Sunday option: gardens, harvest displays and a scenic drive. Harvest displays · dates & admission |
WEEKEND WANDER Six blocks. Plenty of stories.Collingswood Book Festival Collingswood · Camden County · South Jersey
Haddon Avenue
Sat · Oct 3 · 10 AM–4 PM · Free Authors, booksellers, poetry, workshops and performers turn downtown Collingswood into an outdoor celebration of reading. A good excuse to cross the river and spend the afternoon on foot. Pair the festival with a stroll along Haddon Avenue. Festival program & author lineup |
Off the Beaten PathThe smaller things are often the good things. |
WEEKEND WANDER Take the long way through town.Newtown Historic Market Day Newtown · Bucks County
Historic Newtown Borough
Sat · Oct 3 · 10 AM–4 PM · Free admission Fine artists, craftspeople, food artisans and live music fill the historic borough streets. Pick a few stalls, enjoy the demonstrations and leave time to wander. Rain date: Sunday, October 4. Some activities charge a small fee. Market Day details & activities |
Well… That’s DifferentOnly in Philadelphia. |
WILDCARD Parallel parking.
Competitive, apparently.Philadelphia Parallel Parking Championship Headhouse Square · Philadelphia
Headhouse Plaza
Sat · Oct 3 · 1–4 PM · Event details below We are making no recommendation whatsoever. We are merely making sure that if Philadelphia holds a competitive parallel-parking event, you know about it. Rain date: October 10, 1–4 PM. Check the event page before heading over. Championship details & rain date |
Book AheadSomething to look forward to. |
BOOK AHEAD Philadelphia Film FestivalMake room for a few discoveries PFS venues · Philadelphia
Philadelphia Film Society
Oct 15–25 · Check passes International films, local voices, special screenings and conversations. Build a personal, horror-free shortlist before choosing tickets. The festival lists October 15–25. Choose individual non-horror films and check ticket availability. Festival program & passes |
BOOK AHEAD Star Trek 60th CelebrationThis obviously belongs on the Radar. Center City · Philadelphia
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown
Nov 14–15 · Check tickets Two days of fandom, guests, programming and the possibility of finding your people. Two days of fandom, with the official program and tickets below. Official convention details & tickets |
BOOK AHEAD Keep Jenkintown in the picture.The Social Reckoning at Hiway Jenkintown · Montgomery County
Hiway Theater
Opens Fri · Oct 9 · Ticketed Hiway lists Aaron Sorkin’s return to the world of Facebook for October 9. Put a neighborhood arthouse movie night on next week’s calendar. 212 Old York Road. A Montgomery County alternative to a downtown movie trip. Hiway program & tickets |
Our kind of October Costumes, pumpkins and non-horror seasonal fun welcome. Horror screenings and haunted attractions excluded. The region is doing something interesting.
The trick is knowing about it before Monday. Prepared for Cleo + Leslie. |