Pop-up park The Oval returns with all-ages entertainment

The Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation bring back their sweet summer pop-up treat: The Oval (2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway). Returning on Thursday, July 16, the park has six weeks' worth — through Sunday Aug. 23 — of activities for families and beer garden-goers alike.

There's more than enough fun to go around at the park on the Parkway this summer.

The vibe

This year's artistic aesthetic is dubbed "Summer Kaleidoscope," a psychedelic, colorful, 25,000-square-foot, mosaic-like installation created by Baltimore-based artist team Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn.

Like any good seasonal attraction, The Oval will be fully equipped with a tree-lined beer garden and visiting food trucks Wednesday through Saturday. The beer garden will be outfitted with recycled metal bulb plates from Gale Nurseries Inc. and colorful seating and tables to go along with the "Summer Kaleidoscope" motif. 

Other recreational features include sandboxes, ping-pong tables, oversize chess and checkers, and a new Frisbee golf course.

What to do

There's something going on every day of The Oval's season. No joke.

It all starts on Thursday, July 16 with opening day, when food trucks Delicias, Sum Pig, The Tot Cart, Butter Food Truck, and Lil Pop Shop will satiate your hunger; quirky face painting and Mural Arts crafts will make things a bit colorful; and DJ Ed Christof and Brian Cassidy will bring the tunes from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Every Wednesday following, from Wednesday, July 22 through Wednesday, Aug. 19, is dedicated to fitness. It all starts with a relaxed yoga class for new moms and their babies. Each week two classes are offered: one starting at 11 a.m. and the other at noon. For more yoga, come at 7 p.m. for an hourlong all-levels yoga class at 6 p.m. Finally, the Bicycle Coalition presents an adult learn-to-ride class from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Art and culture are highlighted on Thursdays from Thursday, July 16 through Thursday, Aug. 20. Between story time at 11 a.m., crafts with Mural Arts, Fleisher Color Wheel and other local arts organizations, and 7 p.m. bluegrass concerts, there's a wealth of multisensory enjoyment to take in.

Fridays kick off with a visit from a mobile farm from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a stretch of music from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., including local DJs and bands, followed by a movie screening at 9 p.m. with a different roster of food trucks each week. Movies include Pee-wee's Big Adventure (Friday, July 17), Night at the Museum (Friday, July 24), Elf (Friday, July 31), My Cousin Vinnie (Friday, Aug. 7), Cool Runnings (Friday, Aug. 14), and Back to the Future II (Friday, Aug. 21).

Food trucks, youth soccer (12:30 p.m.), Greensgrow food truck farmers market (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and quizzo (4 p.m. in the beer garden) are on the entertainment docket for Saturdays running Saturday, July 18 through Saturday, Aug. 22.

Bring the whole brood on Sundays when face painters, the Free Library's mobile library, kid-friendly karaoke, a mobile classroom, hula-hoop dancing and music classes will take over the space from noon to 4 p.m. from Sunday, July 19 through Sunday, Aug. 23.

When to go

The Oval is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m. on weekends. Beer garden hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

For more Things to Do, check out our calendar for the most up-to-date happenings.