PHILLY RADAR — Cleo + Leslie’s Weekly Guide October 2–8, 2026 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. THE SHORTLIST Saturday: Newtown’s Market Day for a Bucks County afternoon of art, crafts and music. Sunday: Longwood’s gardens and harvest displays. An unhurried Chester County day. Wednesday: Gladys Knight at the Keswick. Glenside gets the midweek spotlight. ON OUR RADAR Diaspora Diaries [Strong Pick] 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. https://www.southjazzkitchen.com/event/akua-allrich-the-tribe-presents-diaspora-diaries-a-pan-african-jazz-odyssey-friday-october-2-through-sunday-october-4-showtimes-vary-by-day/ Meet you in Chinatown. [Strong Pick] 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. https://www.visitphilly.com/uwishunu/things-to-do-in-philadelphia-this-week-weekend/ A little soul in Glenside. [Strong Pick] 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. https://www.keswicktheatre.com/events/detail/1431004 Real film. Big feelings. [Film Pick] 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. https://filmadelphia.org/festival/ MOVIE BOARD Coyote vs. Acme [Date-Night Movie] 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. https://filmadelphia.org/movies/coyote-vs-acme/ Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! [Wildcard] | 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. https://filmadelphia.org/showtimes-calendar-view/ Digger [Worth a Look] | 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. https://filmadelphia.org/showtimes-calendar-view/ BLACK PHILLY Norf Philly Day [Worth a Look] 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. https://www.visitphilly.com/uwishunu/things-to-do-in-philadelphia-this-week-weekend/ FOOD + DRINK Dine Latino Restaurant Week [Date-Night Potential] 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. https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/events/dine-latino-restaurant-week/ A very good reason to wander. [Weekend Wander] 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. https://www.fdrseamarket.com/market-faqs ARTS + CULTURE Delaware County Arts Week [Worth a Look] 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. https://delcoarts.org/events/month/ Longwood in fall [Weekend Wander] 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. https://longwoodgardens.org/events-performances/events/harvest-displays Six blocks. Plenty of stories. [Weekend Wander] 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. https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/ OFF THE BEATEN PATH Take the long way through town. [Weekend Wander] 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. https://newtownhistoric.org/events/market-day/ WELL… THAT’S DIFFERENT Parallel parking. Competitive, apparently. [Wildcard] 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. https://www.qvna.org/events/philadelphia-parallel-parking-association-championship BOOK AHEAD Philadelphia Film Festival [Book Ahead] 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. https://filmadelphia.org/festival/ Star Trek 60th Celebration [Book Ahead] 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. https://creationent.com/events/stphilly26/ Keep Jenkintown in the picture. [Book Ahead] 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. https://www.hiwaytheater.org/ Costumes and pumpkins welcome; horror and haunted attractions excluded. The region is doing something interesting. The trick is knowing about it before Monday.