Weekend event picks: Festival of India, mojito march & more

Monday through Thursday doesn't stand a chance when it comes to the feeling you get when Friday rolls around. Don't let boredom poke its ugly head into your weekend plans.

Folkies, head out to Schwenksville for the 54th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival, providing seven stages' worth of entertainment over five days: Thursday, Aug. 13 through Monday, Aug. 17. This year's headliners include Lyle Lovett and his Large Band and Arlo Guthrie. Other than the tunes, you can expect a craft vendor area, group jam sessions, storytelling, food and more. Gates open at 10 a.m. daily at Old Pool Farm (1323 Salford Station Rd., Schwenksville).

In lieu of a sunburn, head to the Shore for a tattoo at the Wildwood Tattoo Beach Bash. Over 100 tattoo artists — including Ink Master contestants — will take to the Wildwoods Convention Center (4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood) to add some body art to your life. A wealth of vendors, swimsuit contest, sideshow performers and musicians will only add to the fun. Convention hours are noon to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 and Saturday, Aug. 15 and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16.

The community comes together on Saturday, Aug. 15 for a day full of free jazz along Cecil B. Moore Ave. from Broad St. to 17th St. for Jazz on the Ave. Performers include Jeff Bradshaw & Friends, Syleena Johnson and Elle Varner, among others. Stop by between noon and 8 p.m. for music, kids activities and food.

You deserve a mojito. Or a few. The Philly Mojito March gives participants the opportunity to sip on the cocktail from eight bars — including Ladder 15 (1528 Sansom St.), Fox & Hound (1501 Spruce St.) and Tavern on Broad (200 S. Broad St.) — on Saturday, Aug. 15. Check-in runs from noon to 3 p.m. at Valanni (1229 Spruce St.) and then you'll be on your way to march as you please.

Colorful and intricate attire, flavorful cuisine, and festive dance are all major markers of this year's Festival of India at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing (101 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.) on Saturday, Aug. 15. Presented by the Council of Indian Organizations in Philadelphia, the festival, which runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., will feature dance groups, vendors, art and (maybe best of all?) food.

West Philly artist Distortedd shows off her work on Saturday, Aug. 15 with free drinks, live art, animation and music. The sure-to-be eclectic evening starts at 8 p.m. at the Dreaming Building (618 N. Front St.).

After Saturday's Festival of India, the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing (101 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.) will change gears for another cultural affair on Sunday, Aug. 16. Head to the Caribbean with this noon-to-8 p.m. festival, featuring food, music and fashions from 14 islands.

Eat your Sunday dinner at Petruce et al. (1121 Walnut St.). Chefs Justin Petruce and Steven Eckerd are roasting a pig for a family-style buffet at communal tables on Sunday, Aug. 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Picks from the Inquirer's Michael Harrington

Though Dara Sisterhen might be best-known for her appearances on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows — not to mention her recurring role on Disney's inimitable "Dog With a Blog" — her truest calling may be music, based on the evidence on her new EP Boom, in which the North Carolina teen deftly blends 1960s pop and Patsy Cline-esque country stylings into a winning mix. She plays at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St.) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's spooky story "Rappaccini's Daughter," a young girl is made impervious to poisons by her scientist father — but she's deadly to everyone else. Daniel Catán's opera, in turn based on Octavio Paz's stage adaptation, is presented by Vulcan Lyric at the Prince Theater (1412 Chestnut St.) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14.

The Hidden Blues Festival makes its first appearance on the banks of the Schuylkill, with a lineup including Philly's own Tattar Tucker Moog Jackson Band, Steve Guyger and the Excellos, the Deb Callahan Band, the Lehigh Valley's James Supra Blues Band, and headliners Sugar Blue and Otis Taylor. It's at Manayunk's Venice Island (7 Lock St.) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

The Damned were the first British punk band to put out a record (the seminal single "New Rose" — go listen to it now) in 1976, beating the Sex Pistols by a few weeks, the first to release an album, and the first to tour the States. So, what happened with Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and crew since? It's a serio-comic tale of bitter feuds, break-ups, near-misses, and a deep dive into cartoony goth amid deep grudges. Wes Orshoski's documentary The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead tells the tale. The director hosts a screening at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16.

Belly dancer Olga El of the New York City company Kandake performs North African dance with percussionist Joseph Tayoun and oud/bouzouki player Bill Koutsouros at Dahlak Restaurant (4708 Baltimore Ave.) at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16.

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