Shop Penn

There is nothing like Fall in University City! The leaves turn, the air gets chilly, and there are so many things to do and see. Whether you enjoy sports, art, or music, this is the place to be! The “Shop Penn Playlist” is a snapshot of the top events being offered by institutions, organizations, and venues throughout the district this month.

Novelty Candle Experience – Cork & Candles
All Month

The Cork & Candles Novelty Experiences invites you to transform wax into unique realistic candles inspired by favorite themes such as food, decadent sweets and desserts, refreshing beverages, seasonal nostalgia, and household décor. Each month, they introduce an exclusive new candle design, giving you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and explore advanced candle-making techniques in this unique educational and playful experience. For the month of October, they offer a Graveyard Terrarium candle. Bring a bit of haunting elegance into your home décor with this enchanting graveyard scene with a sprinkle of skulls, tombstones, bats and more.

Hung Liu: Happy and Gay – Arthur Ross Gallery (LAST CHANCE)
Closes October 26

Born in Changchun, China in 1948, Hung Liu experienced war, famine, and political turmoil before emigrating to the United States in 1984. Known for paintings based on historical Chinese and American Dust Bowl-era photographs, Liu portrayed refugees, street performers, laborers, soldiers, prisoners and displaced women and children. As a painter, she challenged the authority of archival photographs by cropping the original compositions, enlarging them from handheld objects to monumental canvases, and imbuing the images with color and texture. 

New York Stage and Film: Plays In Progress – Penn Live Arts
October 2-5

A “formidable breeding ground for new work,” including Tony Award-winners Hamilton, Hadestown, The Humans, Doubt and many more, New York Stage and Film is renowned for nurturing hundreds of artists with invaluable opportunities to develop and refine their work. In this special partnership, Philadelphia audiences can experience readings of in-progress plays by Colm Summers and C.A. Johnson, featuring talented casts of actors from across film, stage and TV. Be part of the exciting creative process and see plays before they head to Broadway, as this is what “Stage and Film does best: letting you experience new work before all its questions are answered.”

Penn Football – Franklin Field
October 4, October 10, October 31

Penn Football returns for another season at historic Franklin Field with its first home game of the season on Saturday, October 4 against Ivy League foe Dartmouth. The Quakers will also face off against Marist on October 10 and Brown on October 31. Penn is 1-1 on the season with a season-opening win over Stonehill and a loss at ninth-ranked Lehigh. The Quakers were picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League this season after going 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the conference in 2024. 

Come Move With Me! – The Rotunda
October 7, October 14

Come Move With Me! is not your average dance + movement experience. It’s an inclusive, interactive, and judgment-free space for ages 12–18 of all shapes, sizes, colors, and dance abilities. Led by Sanovia — a talented, trauma-informed artist — this live movement experience will leave you feeling refreshed and uplifted. What makes it special? You get to help create the playlist! Share your favorite clean-version songs so we can make it our very own dance party. Bring a friend — the more, the merrier! 

Jorge Luis Pacheco – Penn Live Arts
October 11

One of Cuba’s most extraordinary pianists makes his Philadelphia debut. Hailed as “a phenomenon of the piano” by Arturo O'Farrill, Jorge Luis Pacheco is a classically trained virtuoso with a creative mastery of the Afro-Cuban, modern jazz and classical traditions. This rising star and winner of the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition is “a revelation, his hands a virtual blur” in electrifying performances that are “an alternately fiery and ornate display of superior technique.” (JazzTimes) 

We The People: Sam Maitan – Penn Live Arts
Opens October 15

We the People: Sam Maitin brings together a selection of works from the celebrated artist, beloved teacher, political activist, and champion of cultural life in Philadelphia. A life-long resident of the city, and a Penn alumnus (FA’51, 1928–2004), Sam Maitin’s joyful work dominated the Philadelphia landscape for decades, on bus shelters, walls of hospitals and educational institutions, and across the city promoting various arts organizations and social causes. We the People: Sam Maitin features a diverse collection of works by the artist, including banners, studies, and prints.

Aakash Odedra Company: Songs of the Bulbul – Penn Live Arts
October 18

In a highly anticipated Philadelphia debut, international dance star Aakash Odedra performs Songs of the Bulbul, a full-length work inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul, or nightingale, held in captivity that sings a final, heartbreaking tune before perishing from despair. Serving as a haunting metaphor for the fleeting nature of dance and life itself, “Odedra perfects the art of dramatic storytelling with such sensual emotion and flowing, freespirited, balletic grace.” (Edinburgh Guide) Winner of the prestigious Best Show of the Edinburgh International Festival and celebrated with an array of five-star reviews abroad, this physically ambitious solo is rooted in the rich traditions of Sufi music, poetry and movement. “A work of exquisite beauty and sadness,” this “is the kind of theatrical moment that stays with you forever.” (The Scotsman)

Guided Tour: Monsters, Myths, and Legends – Penn Museum
October 19, October 25-26

Where in the Museum do monsters hide, with demons and guardians lurking inside? With amulet in hand, hunt creatures small and grand!

Discover vampires, werewolves, sea monsters, and other mythic beasts that tiptoe the line between fear and fascination. Alongside your seasoned guide to strange and sublime, you’ll dig deeper into the meaning of monsters: what they protected, what they punished, and what they revealed about the cultures that imagined them.

Garden Mindfulness Meetup – Penn Museum
October 22

Join Penn Museum for journaling in the garden lead by mindfulness specialist Dr. Hava Rose. Connect with the garden surroundings through a 30-minute intentional journaling exercise, then mingle and enjoy a small treat underneath the colorful fall trees.

No journaling experience required. Refreshments and journaling materials will be provided. Space is limited—advance registration required. Participants are welcome to explore the Museum after the conclusion of the program.

CultureFest!: Dia de los Muertos – Penn Museum
November 1

This full-day festival offers fun for the whole family, including an arts activity, altar competition, artisan market, dance and music performances, and an enormous traditional ofrenda (altar) installation. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a lively holiday blending of Indigenous Mexican beliefs and traditions with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. With roots in rituals dating back 3,000 years to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Día de los Muertos is observed across Latin America and in Latine communities worldwide.