Rittenhouse Row Spring Fest, Kinetic Sculpture Derby, All Star Craft Beer & Wine Festival and other great events, May 18-25

More than 50,000 people descend upon Rittenhouse Square for this annual celebration of local food, fashion, and art. Culinary demonstrations, cocktail tastings, and live music are all part of the fun, as are family-friendly activities and shopping opportunities at 100 vendor booths. The festival will run across Walnut Street between Broad and 19th Streets, and on 17th and 18th Streets from Sansom to Locust. — Grace Dickinson

May 19, 18th and Walnut Streets, pay-as-you-go, rittenhouserow.org

Perhaps the city's quirkiest festival, the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby and Arts Festival features a parade full of human-powered floats that stroll through the streets of Kensington sans electricity or motors. At the end, the colorful floats must traverse a messy mud pit, one of many obstacles along the route. Beyond uniting creative engineers from across the city, the festival also draws together more than 200 local art and food vendors, and an array of food trucks roll into the festival, too. — G.D.

May 19, East Dauphin and Blair Streets, free, kensingtonkineticarts.org

From jugglers to jazz artists to magicians, performers of all sorts will take to the stage for the three-day Philadelphia Children's Festival at the Annenberg Center. The family-friendly festival also encompasses the outdoor PlazaMania, where those of all ages can engage in hands-on activities and also hang out with the Phillie Phanatic, set to make a special appearance on Saturday. — G.D.

Through May 19, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St., ticket prices vary per show, annenbergcenter.org/events

» READ MORE: Bike to Work Day

Get ready to pedal power your way into work on Friday, officially declared Bike to Work Day in Philadelphia. The annual event draws hundreds out on their bikes for a refreshing morning ride into the office. Throughout the city, Energizer Stations will offer free La Colombe lattes, bike lights, and other swag to those who participate. Locations include 33rd and South Streets, 13th and Spruce Streets, 25th and Fairmount Streets, 12th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenues, Cadence Cycling and Multisport Center at 5000 Ridge Ave. and Dilworth Park. — G.D.

May 18, all across the city, free, bicyclecoalition.org

Put on your baseball cap and head out to the All Star Craft Beer & Wine Festival, where samples of more than 300 craft beers and wines await in a setting overlooking the Philadelphia Phillies ballpark. Live music will play throughout the festival, and tickets include a return trip to the ballpark for a 2018 season Phillies game. Opportunities to walk the bases, get a professional photo in the Phillies dugout, and more are also in store. — G.D.

3 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 19, Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Way, $45 for general admission, $20 for designated drivers, ballparkfestival.com

More than 30 artists will take to the banks of the Schuylkill this weekend for a dusk-to-dawn live production of new works of art. Visitors are invited to come out and engage with the artists as they create pieces across all mediums, inspired by the river and the city that it runs through. — G.D.

May 18-20, Schuylkill River Trail from the Fairmount Water Works to South Street, free, artintheopenphila.org

Held at the official home to the Eagles, a one-day cycling and running/walking fund-raiser designed to raise money for autism-related research and programs unfolds this Saturday. The event invites you to choose from a 15-, 30-, or 50-mile ride, or participate in a 5K run/walk, all of which will start and end at the Lincoln Financial Field. — G.D.

May 19, Lincoln Financial Field, 1 Lincoln Financial Field Way, $50-$150, eaglesautismchallenge.org

Let your dog get down and dirty at the Ruff Mudder, an event where four-legged friends will take on six of the most iconic obstacles from the human version of the endurance event, the Tough Mudder. After making muddy memories a post-course washing station awaits, designed to send all furry friends home even cleaner than when they arrived. — G.D.

Noon to 3 p.m. May 19, Plantation Field, 322 Apple Grove Rd., Coatesville, $20, toughmudder.com/mudder-nation

Enjoy a night of theater over a complimentary pint of beer or a glass of wine alongside a Stargazy savory pie during Inis Nua's Pop-up Play in a Pub event. The show features the Philadelphia premiere of Charolais, a dark comedy by Noni Stapleton centered around a wife jealous of her husband's affair with another woman — his prized cow. — G.D.

May 22-24 and 29-30, Fergie's Pub, 1214 Sansom St., $20, inisnuatheatre.org

Make a good meal out of cleaning up Wissahickon Park during this Love Your Park Week event. After spending the morning clearing away invasive plants, edible alien greens like garlic mustard will be cooked up and sampled. Learn about your park, identify native and invasive plants, and find out how to cook up your own earth-friendly dishes. — Thea Applebaum Licht

10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. May 19, Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 W. Northwestern Ave. Free, register at treehousewec.eventbrite.com. 215-685-9285, https://beta.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-parks-recreation/

See the Philadelphia area's finest amateur drag kings (generally female performers, who transform themselves into their masculine alter-egos) as they vie for the crown at the annual Drag King Competition Extravaganza. Singing, dancing, makeup and costumes — these artists have it all. Profits from this event benefit this summer's Philly Dyke March (June 9). — T.A.L.

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. May 19, William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. 18+, advanced tickets from $17.89 to $33.72 for VIP and guaranteed entry, $5-$20 at the door as space remains. phillydykemarch.com

It sounds like the name of a '60s girl group, and the Claudettes do have a female singer. But the Chicago quartet actually features three men, including Johnny Iguana, keyboardist, singer, and ringleader. He's also known as Brian Berkowitz, a Philly-area product who graduated from Upper Dublin High and Penn. The title of the band's album, Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!, hints at the kind of kitschy fun percolating under this audaciously genre-defying set of Berkowitz originals. From roots to pop to punk, the musical strains span decades as well as styles, making for a mash-up delivered with deft musicianship and flair. — Nick Cristiano

With the Rectors, at 8 p.m. May 18 at Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. Second St. Tickets: $10 to $12. 215-238-0660.

Last year's Cover Stories showed the breadth of Brandi Carlile's reputation. It featured artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Pearl Jam to Adele covering songs from Carlile's beloved 2007 album The Story (as well as an endorsement from Barack Obama). Unlike 2015's rock-focused The Firewatcher's Daughter, this year's By the Way, I Forgive You ranges widely. Produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, the heartfelt and well-written By the Way includes ballads both country and power, a bit of twangy rock-and-roll, and several acoustic narratives. Another testament to Carlile's stature: Friday's show at the Merriam is sold out. — Steve Klinge

7 p.m. May 18 at the Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. Sold out. 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.

No hip-hop outfit has benefited as much from its outside connections as has Migos. Before Donald Glover name-checked "Bad & Boujee" and Migos' album Culture at the 2017 Golden Globes, the trio was a beloved, but still underground sensation and critical darling — the raw, slurry and ever-so-slightly psychedelic hip-hop toast of Gwinnett County, Georgia. After Glover, everybody who didn't know Migos wanted in. Then came Cardi B. When Migos' Offset began dating Cardi, only to propose to her at Power 99's Powerhouse in October of that same year, their personal lives became as salesworthy as their slippery raps. Since then Culture II debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 when it came out in January 2018 and we can't get enough of Migos, and Cardi and Offset are expecting a child. — A.D. Amorosi

7 p.m. May 19, at Festival Pier, Columbus Blvd & Spring Garden Street, $65-$59.50, festivalpierphilly.com

West Philly's annual 40th Street Summer Series kicks off this Saturday with a double headliner featuring the West Philadelphia Orchestra and Dan Blacksberg's Hot Klezmers. The monthly music events takes over the green space behind the Walnut Street Library at 40th and Walnut Streets, with free activities and various giveaways beginning at 6 p.m. Visitors to this month's event can score free scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to enjoy while jamming to the music. — G.D.

6 p.m. May 19, 40th and Walnut Streets, free, universitycity.org/40th-street-summer-series

The Frances Quinlan-fronted Philadelphia band Hop Along have let loose one of the strongest records of the first half of 2018 with Bark Your Head Off, Dog. The formidable follow-up to 2015's break out Painted Shut frames Quinlan's legitimately poetic story songs in intricate arrangements that give the singer's raspy, expressive voice room to breathe and also rock out in full force. The band sounded great in an intimate release show at Johnny Brenda's last month and the Bark tour is bringing them back to town in a bigger room. With Nervous Dater and Eight. — Dan DeLuca

8:30 p.m. May 19, Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. Sold out. 215-232-2100. utphilly.com.

Memorial Day weekend isn't here yet, but outdoor music season has already arrived. Country hitmaker Dierks Bentley — the "Drunk on a Plane" guy — headlines the 92.5 XTU Anniversary Show at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden on Sunday, in advance of his upcoming album The Mountain, which was recorded in Telluride and features A-list bluegrass players, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien. Also helping Bentley out are brothers John and T.J. Osborne, the Nashville sibling duo following Chris Stapleton's career path by making rugged, bluesy Southern country and rock on their new Port Saint Joe — in which they declare that the only things they believe in are "Weed, Whiskey and Willie" — that's just smooth enough to be palatable to slickly formatted mainstream country radio stations. Lanco is also on the bill. — D.D.

4 p.m. May 20 at the BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden. $19-$89. 856-365-1300. Livenation.com