PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — This week on FYI Philly, we share the best spots for FIFA World Cup watch parties, light up the night at the Chinese Lantern Festival, introduce you to award-winning chefs cooking up some comfort foods and walk in the steps of the Founding Fathers like its 1776.<\/p>\n
The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival<\/strong> is in its tenth year of shining a light on the city with a sensational setting full of giant handmade light sculptures and fun festivities.<\/p>\n Throughout Franklin Square Park, over 1,500 lanterns shimmer in 40 groupings of fantastical figures that bring to life worlds of wildlife and more.<\/p>\n Look for a replica of Independence Hall in honor of America 250, and a sports section with nods to the global sporting events taking place in Philly this summer.<\/p>\n Traditional Asian entertainment acts take to the stage, folk artists are on hand to make crafts, and food and drink are available to sip, snack, and stroll.<\/p>\n Open 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily through August 16th (closed July 4th)<\/p>\n Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/strong> FIFA World Cup<\/a> fever has taken over Philadelphia with six matches taking place in the city and watch parties popping up throughout area<\/a> over the course of the 39-day tournament.<\/p>\n We’ve rounded up a few spots where soccer fans and those looking to experience the energy can catch a game in the city.<\/p>\n The FIFA Fan Festival<\/strong> at Lemon Hill is the official viewing party of the city. The festival is free for the public, but you do need to pre-register online for a ticket to enter.<\/p>\n FIFA Fan Festival<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong> Brauhaus Schmitz<\/strong> in Center City is know for its German beer and cuisine, but they welcome all soccer fans for the World Cup.<\/p>\n They are having viewing parties for every match at the German beer hall on South Street. For five select dates, they are moving the party outside for a block party. It’s also the perfect spot to watch the championship match on July 19.<\/p>\n To enter the venue, go to the secured entry point at the corner of Kelly and Sedgely drives near Boathouse Row.<\/p>\n Brauhaus Schmitz<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong> Mamajuana Caf\u00e9<\/strong> in Fishtown is hosting World Cup watch parties with a special soccer-themed menu that includes sushi made in the national team colors of Brazil, Argentina, USA and more.<\/p>\n There are cocktails based around the event and a giant screen for viewing. The restaurant also got a special exemption from the city to stay open until 4 a.m. on select nights to keep the party rolling after the game.<\/p>\n Mamajuana Caf\u00e9 Philadelphia<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong> In the shadow of Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Union are hosting weekend watch parties at Union Yards.<\/strong><\/p>\n The indoor and outdoor venue provides a family atmosphere.<\/p>\n The food will feature the culture of the teams playing and there will be performances that highlight the nation’s involved.<\/p>\n Enjoy games for the kids, live music and lots of screens to watch all the action. The event is free, but requires a pre-registration ticket.<\/p>\n Parking is available in lots G and H.<\/p>\n Philadelphia Union Soccer Celebration<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong> Benjamin Franklin’s grave has long drawn penny-tossing tourists, but beyond the walls of Christ Church Burial Ground<\/strong> at 5th and Arch Streets, you’ll find nearly 4,000 people buried here, including five signers of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n Venture over to 2nd and Market streets to see a sixth signer, Robert Morris, considered the financier of the American Revolution, on the grounds of Christ Church.<\/p>\n The church stood at the center geographically, socially, and religiously of colonial life.<\/p>\n Inside, the sanctuary features a President’s box used by George Washington and John Adams, a chandelier that has hung since 1744, and bells cast at the same foundry as the Liberty Bell.<\/p>\n A free America 250 exhibit at the Christ Church Neighborhood House shows how deeply divided the clergy and parishioners were over the Declaration of Independence with even families split over loyalty to the British Crown or the new nation.<\/p>\n Christ Church remains an active church with tours of the church and burial grounds, a blackbox theater in the Neighborhood House, a weekly farmers market on Wednesdays from May to November, and a free patriotic concert & historical presentation on July 4th.<\/p>\n Historic Christ Church<\/a><\/strong> | Facebook<\/a><\/strong> | Instagram<\/a><\/strong> Christ Church Burial Grounds<\/a><\/strong> Christ Church Neighborhood House<\/a><\/strong> July 4th concert & historical presentation<\/a><\/strong> Valley Forge National Historical Park <\/strong>is celebrating its 50th birthday along with the nation’s 250th anniversary with a 3-day festival over July 4 weekend.<\/p>\n The event will explore the park’s important role in revolutionary history and exhibit the incredible resource it has become for Montgomery County.<\/p>\n Valley Forge Park is the only National Park to share its birthday with the country on July 4. President Gerald Ford signed the legislation in 1976, making it the 283rd unit of the National Park system.<\/p>\n The 3,500-acre property has remnants of the past with replica wooden huts scattered around the property as examples of what revolutionary soldiers would have lived in during the winter encampment there in 1777-1778.<\/p>\n George Washington’s headquarters has been preserved and monuments around the park share important stories about the time period.<\/p>\n The park is also filled with diverse meadows, incredible views and is mecca for families, weekend warriors, runners and bikers.<\/p>\n 50\/250 Celebration: Retreat to Valley Forge | July 3, 2026 – July 5, 2026<\/p>\n Valley Forge National Historical Park<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong> Montgomery County will also be celebrating July 4 weekend with its Houses of the Declaration event.<\/p>\n These will be 10-12-minute readings of the Declaration of Independence at more than 20 local businesses in the area.<\/p>\n The hope is to recreate the way people would have received the news during revolutionary times.<\/p>\n The celebration will take place at various locations around Montgomery County from July 3 to 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Houses of the Declaration<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board<\/a> | Facebook <\/a>| Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Mod Spuds<\/strong> is a new spot for comfort foods from across the globe in Center City Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Chef Ange Branca is serving up the classic UK dish, the jacket potato, with a Philly twist.<\/p>\n It’s a russet potato baked until the skin is crispy, which is how it got its name: the jacket potato.<\/p>\n Branca has created a variety of flavors to try, like her classic Mod Spud. It dates back to her college meals overseas.<\/p>\n The fluffed potato gets loaded with butter, cheese, British-style baked beans, and chili con carne.<\/p>\n To highlight her Malaysian roots, the Malaysian Spud comes with braised beef in coconut cream called rendang, and a Southeast Asian slaw topped with a Malaysian hot sauce called sambal.<\/p>\n Before opening the restaurant, Branca ran the Malaysian restaurant, Kampar, which has temporarily closed after a fire. While rebuilding, she continued to cook, hosting pop-ups around the city, and decided to sell her favorite comfort food, the jacket potato.<\/p>\n After a year of pop-ups, Mod Spuds’ official home opened on South Street in May.<\/p>\n Branca plans to experiment with global flavors and collaborate with other Philadelphia chefs in the future.<\/p>\n Mod Spuds <\/a>| Instagram <\/a>| Facebook<\/a><\/strong> “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” provides an up-close look at some iconic outfits in film history, including the Black Panther costume worn by actor Chadwick Boseman.<\/p>\n Carter won two Academy Awards for ‘Best Costume Design’ for “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”<\/p>\n In the exhibition, you really get to see the detail and the beading and the technology and how these things come together “to create a narrative.”<\/p>\n More than 70 costumes are on view.<\/p>\n Visitors can see her creations from ’80s classics, like Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” and Flyguy’s outfit from “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” up to Oscar-winning films of today.<\/p>\n The exhibition will be open during the museum’s annual Juneteenth Jubilee block party on Friday, June 19, 2026 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” is on view through September 6 at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP).<\/p>\n “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design”<\/a> | Link to Tickets at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP)<\/a> | AAMP’s Juneteenth Jubilee Block Party<\/a><\/strong> The Historical Society of Pennsylvania<\/strong> is celebrating the semi-quincentennial with a new exhibition that shows off some very rare documents that date to the founding of our nation.<\/p>\n “Paths to Independence: 1765 to 1787”<\/strong> documents America’s origin story in two parts.<\/p>\n The exhibition looks at the decade of controversies and conflicts leading up to the Declaration of Independence and then the 11 years between the signing of the Declaration and the adoption of the Constitution.<\/p>\n There are 141 pieces on view with items on display in seven cases.<\/p>\n There’s a section on rising tensions in the 1770s, which includes the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Boston Tea Party.<\/p>\n Another case includes a first draft of the Articles of Confederation.<\/p>\n There is also a first newspaper printing of the Constitution of the United States. It was someone’s personal copy, complete with notes in the margin of the newspaper.<\/p>\n “Paths to Independence: 1765 to 1787” is on view through September 18 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. This exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours, but visitors must check in at the front desk.<\/p>\n Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s library hours: Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP), 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n
Franklin Square Park, North 6th & Race streets, Philadelphia, PA 19106<\/p>\n
1 Lemon Hill Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19130<\/p>\n
718 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147<\/p>\n
1000 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125<\/p>\n
12 Reaney Street, Chester, PA 19013<\/p>\n
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19106<\/p>\n
340 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106<\/p>\n
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, Pa 19106<\/p>\n
Echoes of Independence: Bells, Organ, and Revolution, July 4, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
1400 North Outer Line Drive, King of Prussia, PA 19406<\/p>\n
1424 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146<\/p>\n
African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), 701 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19106<\/p>\n
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed Saturday – Monday<\/p>\n