You were out over the weekend and heard your friends talking about how completely awesome the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention was, and you were, like, “Wait?! The Tattoo Convention is so much fun! It already happened, and I just completely missed it?”
Maybe you need some help staying up to date on what’s going on at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. To make it easy for you, we did the research and narrowed it down. Now, all you have to do is mark your calendar!
Here are the coolest events happening at the Convention Center this spring:
The 2015 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show (Feb. 28 – March 8) – If you have a passion for botanicals, a love of all things beautiful or a wedding on the horizon, don’t miss the inspirational Philadelphia Flower Show! Exhibitors spend months preparing for this event, so be ready to “Celebrate the Movies” while viewing awesome exhibits inspired by some of the hottest blockbusters as of late, including Frozen, Maleficent, Into the Woods, and more! This event is the longest running, largest indoor flower show in the world, with more than 250,000 visitors expected to attend over the course of the run! Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students and $15 for children.
Be Beautiful Expo 2015 (March 13 & 14) – This event is the largest expo for women of color in the tri-state area, with over 100 vendors and small businesses attending. There will be celebrity panel discussions on a wide array of topics, from Living Single to Marriage Beyond the Vows, Human Trafficking, and Women ‘N Finance. Sponsored by Radio One Philadelphia, WRNB-FM (Old School 100.3), WPPZ-FM (Praise 103.9), and WPHI-FM (BOOM 107.9), you can expect plenty of live performances from some of the hottest local artists. The two-day lineup includes local talent like Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Total, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Vashawn Mitchell, and more! It’s $25 general admission, so grab your tickets here!
Small Business Expo (March 19) – The largest business-to-business networking event in the United States is happening here in Philadelphia! We’re bringing together thousands of small business owners for a day of networking, relationship building, and informative workshops from industry experts. There’s still time to register as an exhibitor for this event, but the networking portion of the event is free! For more information, visit their website.
JAMFest Cheer & Dance Competition (March 21) – Have you ever watched one of those awesome, high energy cheer competitions on ESPN and wondered how to gain access to watch the competition live? Look no further! The LIVE! Cheer & Dance Competition will feature top athletes from our area, and the winner will go to compete in the U.S. Finals! It’s too late to register as a contestant, but spectators are welcome!
Hot Chocolate Philadelphia (April 2 & 3) – Choose from one of these two available race dates and pick up your race day bib and goodie bag at the Convention Center. Starting at the bottom of the Art Museum stairs, the Hot Chocolate 15/5K race features four sweets stations along the way and ends with a Chocolate-y after party at Eakin’s Oval! Grab your goodie bag and stick around for plenty of music, kids games, deals on merchandise from the event’s running partners, and lots of chocolate samples! The after-party is all a part of the fun, featuring a live DJ, a Kid’s Zone complete with bounce house, and of course, plenty of hot chocolate. Registration is currently open!
Black History and Culture Showcase (April 4 & 5) – Everyone is welcome to participate in this free, engaging and interactive experience that celebrates the impact African Americans have made towards society on both a local and global scale. Expect some private exhibits, historical reenactments and theatrical performances, expert panels, workshops, crafts, poetry readings, and more! Check out the full calendar of events online.
Broad Street Run 2015 (May 1 & 2) – Presented by Einstein Healthcare Network, The Health and Wellness Expo is not just the pickup location for Broad Street runners to nab their race bibs, ChronoTrack timing devices, and T-shirts. It’s also a fun, two-day event featuring exhibits from Philly’s running community, health and wellness experts, athletic retailers, and more! What’s more, the Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization Clothes-Pin will be celebrating their 6th year with the Blue Cross Broad Street Run, and will be on site collecting all types of shoes and sneakers to be donated to people in need. Registration for runners has ended, but you are invited to attend the expo and support those participating! Spectators, click here for further details.
Philadelphia Comic Con (May 7 & 10) – Presented by Wizard World, Comic Con is a string of comic conventions that take place all over the country, bringing people together to celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, science fiction, and more. Of course, attendees are encouraged to come in costume, but it’s not required! Philly’s Comic-Con will welcome Cary Elwes of The Princess Bride *swoon*, Gotham‘s Ben McKenzie, Nathan Fillion of Castel and Firefly, Stephen Amell of Arrow, Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert (her father invented toaster strudel), and many more! To check out the entire lineup, click here.
Don’t miss any of the awesome events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, located right here in downtown Philadelphia. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter! For a full line up of their events calendar, click here.
