Shop Penn

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2026! The new year brings with it plenty of new things to do and see all throughout University City. Find out about happenings around the district with the latest edition of the “Shop Penn Playlist,” a snapshot of the top events being offered by institutions, organizations, and venues on and around campus all month.

Mind and Mood Recharge – Penn Museum
January 7

Unwind in the galleries with an uplifting array of health-centric happenings during our popular after-hours wellness series, now in its third year. Get centered with all-levels yoga, sound bath, and meditation from local practitioners. Slow down and savor a mindful gallery exploration or spark creativity by dropping in to an artmaking session. Explore a rotating lineup of curated artisans in our wellness marketplace and enjoy light bites and botanical refreshments at our botanical bar.

Penn Basketball – The Palestra
January 10, January 24

Cheer on the Quakers as they kick off the Ivy League schedule this January. Penn will play host to Brown on Saturday, January 10, and Yale on Saturday, January 24. Penn enters the New Year with a 7-7 record. The Quakers earned non-conference wins over Big 5 rivals Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, as well as their University City neighbor Drexel, Merrimack, Lafayette, and NJIT.

Dance Theatre of Harlem – Penn Live Arts
January 16-18

Praised by The Washington Post as “a premier ballet company and global ambassador for excellence,” Dance Theatre of Harlem is a dynamic force in the dance world. Led by Philadelphia native Robert Garland, this iconic company returns to our stage bringing unprecedented relevance to classical ballet with cutting-edge new works and timeless masterpieces performed by some of the most exceptionally trained dancers around. 

Up Late With The Sphinx – Penn Museum
January 17

Calling all kids and families! Have you ever wanted to explore the museum galleries after dark? Join us during Up Late with the Sphinx for an evening filled with games and gallery activities. Drop into a hands-on workshop and make something special to take home, then finish your evening with a flashlight tour through the museum. Each ticket includes a special Penn Museum patch. This program is best suited for children ages 6-12.

Alcoléa & cie – Penn Live Arts
January 23

Live music blends with classic film in this movie-concert by France’s Alcoléa & cie. A Philadelphia debut, Right in the Eye celebrates Georges Méliès, a pioneer of the cinema and inventor of special effects, by adding an original, multi-layered score to complement and interpret 12 of his otherwise silent films. A trio of musicians play an extraordinary range of 50 instruments, from the classics to the obscure, evoking the technical wizardry and playful creativity that defined Méliès’ work.

Isaiah Collier & Keyon Harrold – Penn Live Arts
January 24

Hailed as the “future of the trumpet” by DownBeat, Keyon Harrold’s warm, expressive sound blends jazz, Afrobeat, rock, blues and hip-hop. With collaborators ranging from Beyoncé and Common to Gregory Porter and Robert Glasper, this “scorching trumpeter” and his sextet are joined for a special double bill with saxophonist and jazz prodigy Isaiah Collier. In 2024, Collier was a Chicago Tribune Jazz Artist of the Year, named to DownBeat’s “25 for the Future” and included in The New York Times’ top 10 jazz albums of the year. The “heir apparent to…the post-Coltrane sax tradition,” Collier makes his Penn Live Arts debut alongside his quartet in this unforgettable evening of jazz.

Collecting the New Irascibles: Art in the 1980s – Arthur Ross Gallery
Opens January 28

Contemporary critics described the avant-garde art of the 1980s and ’90s as Postmodernist appropriation, Neo-Expressionism, Neo-Geometric Conceptualism, and Post-Graffiti. These movements signaled a decisive break from past expectations and a full-force tilt toward the “new.” The works of art featured in Collecting the New Irascibles: Art in the 1980s embody these concerns. This landmark exhibition opens a window onto the Lower East Side art scene, where low rents and studio-ready lofts fostered a dynamic arts ecology fueled by fearless critics and intrepid dealers.

CultureFest!: Lunar New Year – Penn Museum
January 31

Ring in the Year of the Horse at Penn Museum’s 45th annual Lunar New Year celebration. Bring the whole family to experience vibrant Asian traditions during a full day of festivities, including storytelling, artmaking, live music and dance performances, and a traditional Lion Dance finale.

A World In the Making: The Shakers – Institute of Contemporary Art
Opens January 31

A World in the Making: The Shakers explores the design legacy of the Shakers, a religious group whose values of community, labor, and equality shaped their furniture, architecture, and everyday objects. Through works by contemporary artists influenced by the Shakers, alongside original Shaker-made pieces, the exhibition considers how their design principles remain relevant today. Founded in 18th-century England and later established in the U.S. across more than twenty distinct communities, from Kentucky to Maine, Shaker communities developed a distinctive visual language—marked by simplicity, innovation, and purpose. While often celebrated for their aesthetic, Shaker designs were rooted in spiritual practice and collective life.