The Oval Asks: “What’s Your Parkway, Philly?” ~ 2017 Summer Fun At Eakins Oval

 

What's Your Parkway At The Oval

What’s Your Parkway At The Oval By Jeff Belonger

‘Summer Seasonal Fun At The Oval’ 

Hello summer fun at The Oval, located across from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For the 5th year, The Oval will transform into a pop-up park and runs July 20 through August 20. This year it will be more about just a fun place to hang outside with games, yoga, beer, music and more. It will also allow visitors to give feedback, a way to tell the city how you feel!

This year’s summertime plaza, named The Oval+, because it will now include installations and activities at two other parks along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, will actually be a data collection point for feedback.

This year’s design, always showcasing a colorfully-painted lot, will include three-dimensional vertical mesh installations encouraging visitors to imagine how more fully the Parkway could be used as a public space. The theme is “What’s Your Parkway, Philly?”

These mesh installations are Philly icons from Questlove to Ben Franklin that make appearances in the decor.

Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation gives insight regarding this year’s theme.

“The Oval + is an example of what a vibrant public space the Parkway could become, from Love park to the entrance to Fairmount Park. We are eagerly considering how this beautiful 100-year-old boulevard could be energized for our times.”

To help with this quest, data will be collected by several methods. One method is that there will be a map on the ground of the Parkway where visitors are encouraged to answer the question by drawing on it. The chalk drawings will periodically be captured from overhead for later review by city officials.

A second method will use smart benches by Soofa, an MIT Media Lab spinoff, that will track foot traffic numbers and patterns throughout the summer by measuring the passage of Wi-Fi enabled devices as they pass.

The last method is simple! You can fill out a comment form and submit your ideas. Let them know what you want ~ survey

The data from all of these sources will be used to inform future plans for Eakins Oval. So tell them what you’d like to see! They want to know what will bring you out, what will make you want to bring your out-of-town visitors here, what will entice you to stroll its length and take advantage of the great attractions along its edges!

The Oval, presented by PNC, is a partnership of the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.

2017 Pop-Up Attractions & Activities

Beer Garden and Food Trucks

Visitors will be about to enjoy selections from Yards Brewing and Berks County’s Blair Vinyards, vodka-spiked slushies and Meltkraft sandwiches will be on the food menu at Eakins Tavern. There will be a rotating line-up of food trucks that includes Cow and the Curd, Foolish Waffles, Surf and Turf Truck, Cupcake Carnivale, Chewy’s and more.

Drinking Fountain

A brand new drinking fountain equipped with a bottle refilling station is front and center! There will also be a wheelchair accessible nozzle, a dog bowl station and free water bottles provided thanks to PNC as the sponsor.

Movies, Music, Yoga, Dance and Arts & Culture

The event calendar will be filled with many various activities for both kids and adults. Enjoy Wellness Wednesdays, arts and culture such as hip-hop fundamentals and dancing with DJ’s every Thursday, free movie screenings on Friday nights, a dance party for the kids every Saturday and Sunday and so much more. Head to nearby Aviator Park (by the Franklin Institute) for live Jazz every Thursday, storytelling on Saturday mornings and improvisational theatre on Sunday mornings that will involved kids. Calendar of Events At The Oval

Other Activities & Games at The Oval

Visitors can enjoy 9-hole mini golf, bean bag toss, Legos, Connect Four, Ping Pong, a sandbox, and chess and checkers.

Years of Previous Themes At The Oval

2016 ~ “Rhythm and Hues”

2015 ~ “Summer Kaleidoscope”

2014 ~ “The Magic Carpet”

2013 ~ “Beach Fun”

Location

The Oval aka Eakins Oval (In front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Museum)
2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Dates

July 20 – August 20, 2017

Times

Wednesday – Sunday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm

Wednesdays (Wellness): 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Enjoy FREE fitness classes: (Power Yoga, Yoga Habit; Philly Dance Fitness; CKO Kickboxing; Dance Boot Camp; CoreFitness Boot Camp)
Thursdays (Arts & Culture):  7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Fridays (Food & Flicks): Starts at 9:00 pm – enjoy food trucks and movies
Saturdays (Game Day): 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, kids music; 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Quizzo
Sundays (Family Fun): 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm ~  featuring a weekly family dance party called Let’s Rock Recess

The Oval Summer 2017 Beer Garden Hours:
Wednesdays – Fridays: 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 2:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Cost

FREE to the public  |  Pay-As-You-Go for food & beer

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