Weekend event picks: Dad Vail Regatta, Wizard World & more

Spring event season is officially in full throttle. If you missed out on any of the excitement last weekend (there was a lot of it), now's your chance to hop on the fun wagon.

The weekend's crowning moment for superfandom and cosplay comes to the Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch St.). That's right, Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia makes its triumphant return from Thursday, May 7 through Sunday, May 10. You've got your A-list appearances — David Tennant (Saturday and Sunday), Allen Iverson (Saturday), Hayley Atwell (Saturday and Sunday) — your panels, exhibitors, costume contests and more. Convention hours are 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, noon to 7 p.m. Friday, May 8, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 10.

A sex-positive convention featuring TED-style talks and longer workshops exploring all facets of sexual identity including taboos, asexuality and sexual assault takes place at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) from Thursday, May 7 through Sunday, May 10. Programming begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Row, row, row, your boat swiftly down the Schuylkill. Over 100 collegiate rowing teams will compete in the two-day Dad Vail Regatta with competition beginning at 7 a.m. on both Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9. Spectators can get a good view of the action at the Grand Stand (2200 Kelly Dr.).

Beat the post-Memorial Day shore crowds by heading down to Wildwood this weekend for the Spring Boardwalk Classic Car Show. With dozens of flashy cars and trucks on display on the boardwalk in front of the Wildwood Convention Center (4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood), the vehicles are not only out for show but also in competition for top prizes. Display hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9.

There's something about the first stretch of spring weather that makes people just want to shop. A slew of outdoor markets hit picturesque areas this weekend including the Pennsylvania Guild Fine Craft Fair at Rittenhouse Square (1800 Walnut St.) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 10; the first spring date of the Franklin Flea at Headhouse Square (2nd and Lombard Streets) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 9; Philly Mart at Venice Island Recreation Park (1 Rector St.) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 and Art Star Craft Bazaar at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing (101 S. Columbus Blvd.) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10.

Over 50 locations have signed on to be a stop along the World's Largest Bar Crawl set for Saturday, May 9. Starting at noon, Ladder 15 (1528 Sansom St.), U-Bahn (1320 Chestnut St.) and many more will welcome marathon crawlers in order to break the world record for the world's largest bar crawl.

For the first time, a festival dedicated to skate, arts and music will take place in Paine's Park (N 24th St. and Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.) on Saturday, May 9. The Love on the Streets Festival welcomes skaters and music fans alike from noon to 8 p.m. for performances from Radiator Hospital, Dogs on Acid, Moon Bounce, W.C. Lindsay, Jack Deezl, Clique, and Mr. Sampson. Hang around for a skate demo, street art and a performance from the youth troupe of Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.

Three cities. Four wheels. All food. Over 50 food trucks from D.C., Baltimore and Philly convene at Xfinity Live! (1100 Pattison Ave.) to shell out tasty meals from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. Yards Brewing Company will provide the drinks. Expect bites from locals The Cow and the Curd and Surf and Turf Truck.

Food trucks of a different ethnic variety come to Franklin Square (6th and Race Streets) for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Festival on Saturday, May 9. In addition to the food, visitors can screen short films, see performances and hang in the beer garden from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Show Mom your appreciation by taking her to brunch or tasting cupcakes and wine at Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike) starting at noon on both Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10. The Mother's Day options are almost endless.

Culture and philanthropy go hand in hand at International House Philadelphia's (3701 Chestnut St.) Global Gala on Saturday, May 9. Starting with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., the entire evening consists of Korean traditions with a formal dinner, dance and music performances and an after-party starting at 9 p.m.

Picks from the Inquirer's Michael Harrington

In the exhibition "Chromography: Writing in Color," two artists take unique views of translation and symbol-based communication. In his prints, Gerard Brown uses a script of nautical signal flags in a tumbling, quilted pattern to reveal the idiosyncratic relationship between writing and speech. Melinda Steffy's watercolors transcribe works by Bach and Bartók, assigning colors to notes that change the hand-painted squares with each key signature. The show continues its run at the Rowan University Art Gallery, Westby Hall (Route 322, Glassboro, N.J.). Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 8 and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 9.

When Eastern State Penitentiary (22nd St. and Fairmount Ave.) opened in 1829, it was hailed as a model method of incarceration. By the time it closed in 1971, it had hosted the likes of Willie Sutton, Al Capone, and Charles Dickens (he was just visiting, not a resident). The annual Eastern State Penitentiary Alumni Reunion brings back former inmates and corrections officers to tell about life in the venerable edifice at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

Here's something to remember when it gets hot and humid here — it still smells (relatively) good. Back when London had to use the local rivers to get rid of, uh, waste, the Thames became so backed up with sewage that one summer went into the history books for the Great Stink of 1859. In response, the city built an elaborate system of sewers, which resulted in a different problem: hordes of Rattus norvegicus, the prolific and crafty brown rat. In his lecture The Queen's Rat-Catcher: Jack Black, London Sewers and the Victorian Cult of the Rat, Neumann English professor Gerard O'Sullivan looks at the life and lore of the rodent. The talk is at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion (200 W. Tulpehocken St.) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

Trumpeter Terell Stafford and the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia celebrate Billy Strayhorn's 100th birthday at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater (Broad and Spruce Streets) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

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