Saturday, Sep 26, 2026
A Lantern Parade Through Chinatown, a Free Ferry to Camden, and Eight Blocks of South Street
Fall turned up this week, and so did the rain. Saturday is 69 with about a 50 percent chance of showers, Sunday is 67 with showers likely. Three of the four picks land on Saturday, which is the better of the two days. The Delaware River Festival ends at 4 and the Mid-Autumn Festival runs until 8, so those two stack if you want a long day of it.
Big energy
31 Years of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Still Run by Teenagers
Saturday · 12-8 PM
10th Street at the Friendship Gate · Chinatown · · All ages
🟢Free to walk in · Games and food are pay as you go · Lantern parade at 7
Asian Americans United started this in 1996 with a group of its middle schoolers, and the core leadership is still young people. More than 300 high school volunteers spend months lining up the stage, the carnival, the food and the fundraising. Eight hours of lion dances, Chinese opera, martial arts and folk arts games on a closed 10th Street, with free arts and crafts tables and the mooncake eating contest. At 7 it closes with a dragon dance, a lion dance and a lantern parade through the neighborhood.
View details →Sunday, five blocks east on Arch
Sensory-Friendly Day
National Constitution Center · Center City East · Sunday · free 9-10 AM
The museum runs one of these a month for kids with sensory-processing differences and their families: modified programming, quiet spaces with sensory objects and cool blue lighting, and workshops like watercolor and LEGO building. Admission is free from 9 to 10.
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