Firefly Music Festival, Dixie Chicks and 16 other things to do this weekend in Philly

» READ MORE: Kidchella

6 p.m. Friday, Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse, 3500 Reservoir Dr. $10. 215-765-4325.

Wee ones get a chance to get wack and whirl in tie-dyed onesies as the third annual children's festival gets underway with the first of three concerts this summer. On the bill: Lucy Kalantari, playing her 1920s hot-jazz ukulele tunes, and divine kindie-rock diva Joanie Leeds. - Michael Harrington

» READ MORE: Fairy House Workshop

9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Brandywine River Museum of Art, 1 Hoffman's Mill Rd., Chadds Ford. $20; $15 ages 12 and under. 610-388-8326

So your garden is in bloom and a riot of color and fragrance . . . but something seems missing. It's the fairy house, of course.

Never fear. You and yours can make a fanciful domicile for the fantastic creatures.

Natural materials will be provided to create an enchanting home. Then take a stroll on the river trail to take in the native plant gardens. Look sharp - you never know what gossamer-winged wonders will be found.- M.H.

» READ MORE: Meerkat Maze

Open now, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave., free with admission ($23, adults; $19, children), 215-243-1100.

The newest extension of Zoo360 opens up a new world for six meerkats to make their way around the zoo. Pete and quintuplets Ari, Nkosi, Sethunya, Kgala, and Lulama will have a new home, and zoo attendees will have a new way to look at them. Meerkat Maze is the newest part of the Zoo360 initiative, which also includes Treetop Trail, Great Ape Trail, Big Cat Crossing, and Gorilla Treeway. -Molly Eichel

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Johnson House Historical Site, 6306 Germantown Ave. Free unless noted.

A portmanteau of June and nineteenth, the holiday Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of African American slaves through the passage and ratification of the 13th Amendment. The 10th annual Juneteenth Festival Celebration takes place on the 6300 block of Germantown Avenue. It features exhibits, family-friendly activities, discussions, performances, a health and resource fair, vendors, and live entertainment. Highlights include a talk by author Drew G.I. Hart (Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism) at the Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse (1 p.m.); the drama Liberty to Go to See, based on the Chew family papers, by the New Freedom Theatre at Cliveden ($12, noon and 3 p.m.); and a panel discussion of historically black colleges and universities featuring screenwriter Disa Iwa at the Johnson House Historic Site (4 p.m.). - M.H.

» READ MORE: Juneteenth Parade & Festival

8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, African American Museum, 701 Arch St. Parade is free; museum admission is $14; $10 seniors, students and ages 4 to 12. 215-574-0380.

Music legend Kenny Gamble hosts the Juneteenth Parade & Festival from Washington Square to the African American Museum. The festivities go on all day long with music, drummers, dancers, floats, and an African marketplace. - M.H.

» READ MORE: Sleeping Beauty

12:30 p.m. Sunday; 1 p.m. June 29; Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau St., Princeton, $18, 609-279-1999.

The Royal Ballet added new sections by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell, and Christopher Wheeldon to Marius Petipa's 19th-century choreography for the classic tale, set to Tchaikovsky's score. A film of the production screens in Princeton, and it's worth the trip. - M.H.

» READ MORE: All-American BBQ

Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th St. Free.

Summer in Center City starts with games, grilling, and getting down at Dilworth Park. The retro-inspired Air Grille, set to open June 22, will offer summer staples for sale, such as hot dogs, smoked brisket, and a falafel burger. Free games such as foosball, ladder ball, and mini golf will be available. On Saturday there will be a pet costume contest (2 p.m.) and music by bands including Nik Greeley & the Operators, Reed Streets, American Dinosaur, Ra Leaf, Ju Taun, and Foxtrot & the Get Down will perform. To paraphrase the Rock: We can smell what the season is cooking! - M.H.

» READ MORE: Refreshments Will Be Provided

8 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, at the Skinner Studio at Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place. $10.

As part of the SoLow Festival, theater artist Nicole Quenelle performs her one-woman comedy, in which she portrays call-center worker JoAnn Merriweather, leading her fellow employees (the audience) in a time-management seminar, with breaks for poetry readings, coffee cake, coworker counseling, and a possible appearance by that mysterious figure from Building 14 (yikes!). - M.H.

» READ MORE: Big Fish

8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, and 7 p.m. Monday at the Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. $11 to $30. 267-987-9865,

Andrew Lippa and John August's 2013 musical adapts Tim Burton's cult fantasy film about an Alabama tall-tale teller and his son, who sets out to find the truth about the yarns. The 11th Hour Theatre Company presents a concert performance of the show. - M.H.

» READ MORE: The Harassment of Iris Malloy

Through July 10, People's Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa., $27-47, 610-644-3500.

A political play for a political moment. Zak Berkman's drama about a senator and a single mother in an Atlantic City hotel room, betting they can make a killing in contemporary jackpot culture. -John Timpane

» READ MORE: Jamaica

Through June 26, New Freedom Theatre, 1346 N. Broad St., $20-$35, 888-802-8998.

A young Jamaican woman yearns to escape to New York City, almost accepting the marriage proposal of an American businessman. That is, until she meets a poor fisherman who saves her brother's life. The music and lyrics are from the same team that wrote The Wizard of Oz. —M.E,

» READ MORE: Riverdance

Through June 19, Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St. $20-$110, 215-893-1999.

The 20th-anniversary world tour comes through Philadelphia, looking back at the show's history, and adding costumes, lighting, projections, and a brand-new number, "Anna Livia" (embodiment of the River Liffey flowing through Dublin), featuring the female dancers in a hard-shoe number.  —J.T.

» READ MORE: Insider Art Show

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Bloomfield Farm, across the street from the Morris Arboretum entrance, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. Free. 215-247-5777.

More than 30 artisans, all staff or members of the Morris Arboretum, show off their skills. Expect everything from fiber arts to photography to jewelry. Light snacks will be provided by the Compton Café. From 1 to 4 p.m., you'll get a chance to mill your own cornmeal at the Grist Mill. -M.E.

» READ MORE: Art in the Park

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday (rain date Sunday) John F. Kennedy Park, 24 Broadway, Somers Point, N.J. Free.

Somers Point hosts its first Art in the Park, where local artists will sell their work and paint outside. Guitarist Neil Miranda will provide the sound track, and Somers Point public school students will perform from their summer musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. -M.E.

» READ MORE: RISK! Live

8 p.m. Friday, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St. $20. 215-627-1332.

Kevin Allison made a name for himself with 1990s comedy troupe the State. His podcast, RISK!, features intimate narratives from the likes of Sarah Silverman, Rachel Dratch, and Andy Borowitz, and the weekly show has more than 1 million downloads per month. Local storytellers - Tom Brennan, Kristie Evans, David Montgomery, and Pamela Latta - join Allison to tell their intimate tales live. -Alexandra Villarreal

6 p.m. Saturday, 40th Street Summer Stage, 40th and Walnut Streets. Free.

Bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer G. Calvin Weston were young Philadelphians when they worked with jazz great Ornette Coleman on albums such as 1979's classic Of Human Feelings. With guitarist Marc Ribot, they are applying Coleman's harmolodic approach to Philly soul hits from the 1970s. Ribot, known for his work with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and his own Los Cubanos Postizos, isn't interested in faithful renderings of "Love TKO." Instead, he and fellow guitarist Mary Halvorson deconstruct the melodies. It's thrilling and fun to hear the band lock into "The Hustle" and then turn it into a vehicle for wild, noisy improvisation. -Steve Klinge

7 p.m. Saturday, BB&T Pavilion, Camden, $30-$135.75. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com

Hand it to the Dixie Chicks to find a place for both Prince and Donald Trump in their just-launched 40-city U.S. tour, the trio's first in a decade. From a thunderous version of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" to a jarring rendition of "Goodbye Earl," a tune about a woman who kills her abusive husband that's highlighted with a backdrop of a demonic-looking Trump, the Chicks are as sassy and relevant as ever. In the 13 years since they were effectively banned from mainstream radio for blasting President George W. Bush about the Iraq invasion, plenty's happened in their lives, including solo records, a duo record, and kids. There hasn't been a new Dixie Chicks record since 2006's five-time Grammy winner, Taking the Long Way, but there's no gap in their onstage energy. -Nicole Pensiero

9 p.m. Monday, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. $10. 215-739-9684.

Margaret Glaspy gets down to the basics on "Emotions and Math" the title cut from the 27-year-old guitarist and songwriter's excellently titled debut. Is there any more succinct way to describe the elements that make music go? Glaspy is a former trombonist and fiddle player who gets a great, grungy guitar sound on her Joni Mitchell and Liz Phair-influenced, self-produced, rawly rocking album. She's joined by Adia Victoria, another electric-guitar-playing singer-songwriter in her late 20s who's lived enough to pack a world of pain and wisdom into a debut album, in her case the searing songs-of-the-South collection Beyond The Bloodhounds. -Dan DeLuca

» READ MORE: Firefly

Through Sunday, the Woodlands of Dover, 1131 N. Dupont Highway, $129 (single day pass)- $349 (multiday pass), 855-281-4898.

Firefly continues to thrive, with expected attendance of 80,000 per day, despite this year's mostly predictable, if perfectly respectable, lineup: Major Lazer; Kings of Leon; Ellie Goulding; Deadmau5; Florence & the Machine; Vince Staples; Earth, Wind, & Fire; Fetty Wap; Of Monsters & Men; Mumford & Sons; and scores more. -D.D.

» READ MORE: Radio 104.5 Ninth Birthday Celebration

2 p.m. Friday, BB&T Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, $29.50-$99.50.

The Lumineers released their sophomore record, Cleopatra - which the New York Times touted as "a valiant turn inward" - in April. Now, they're on the road with new music and with familiar favorites, like the breakthrough hit "Ho Hey," from their self-titled debut album. On Friday, the folk-rockers join Florence & The Machine, Cold War Kids, Elle King, the Violent Femmes, and Silversun Pickups to celebrate Radio 104.5's Ninth Annual Birthday Celebration. -A.V.

Don't miss the hottest party of the summer as Philly.com recognizes local businesses from your favorite cheesesteak shop to best museums to the most delicious poundcake. Special appearances by Mayor Kenney, 6ABC's Nydia Han, and the Phillie Phanatic. Contact jwolf@philly.com

5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Free Library, Skyline Room & Terrace, 1901 Vine St., philly.com/readerschoiceawards