Summer in the city

Close your eyes and picture palm trees, frozen drinks, and zero responsibilities. Now open them because Philadelphia has bars that bring the vacation vibe without the plane ticket. If your PTO is running low but your summer mood is fully on, these spots are here to deliver umbrella drinks, dreamy views, and full escape energy right in your backyard.

You’ve hit happy hour, downed your $7 cocktails, snacked on half-price apps, and now it’s 7 PM. The sun’s still out, your group is feeling good, and there’s no way you’re calling it a night. That can only mean one thing: it’s time to keep the party going.

It's official: Philadelphia’s happiest happy hour is back.

Starting today, Wednesday, June 4, Center City SIPS returns for its 21st season, giving you the perfect excuse to round up your friends and dive into midweek cocktails, bites, and sun filled hangs. SIPS really is Philadelphia’s way of saying, "summer starts now."

Philadelphia is destined to get loud, proud, and full of color this weekend, because Philly Pride lands once again in our fair city.

Okay, is the sun on vacation? Because this rain has been nonstop. Soggy socks, cancelled plans, and the kind of weather that makes you question whether whatever you’re about to do is really worth it. But just because the skies are stuck on “moody” doesn’t mean your social life has to be.

If you’re climbing the walls and desperate for something fun to do that isn’t staring out the window like you’re in a sad music video, we’ve got a few ideas in mind.

Here’s how to enjoy Philadelphia, rain or not.

Making new friends, or flirty “what are we?” connections, in your mid-20s is weirdly harder than it should be. You’re too old for frat basements, too young for wine tastings with strangers, and no one wants to feel like they’re in an awkward networking event with cocktails. So…where do you go to experience meeting people that actually feels natural? These Philadelphia bars make it super easy to mingle.

Start your engines, Philadelphia, for real racing vibes, no driving skills required. The highly anticipated F1 Arcade is opening next week at 13th and Chestnut, and it’s bringing an entirely new kind of nightlife experience to the city. F1 Arcade takes the heart-pounding excitement of Formula 1 racing and drops it into a futuristic, neon doused lounge where the bar is just as important as the finish line.

Prepare your stomachs for one of Philadelphia’s most loved springtime traditions:the South 9th Street Italian Market Festival, happening this weekend, May 17 and 18, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stretching across seven blocks of South Philly, this free, open air event celebrates over a century of culture, cuisine, and community in the nation’s oldest continuously operating outdoor market.  

Philadelphia’s cocktail scene is having a moment, and we’re here for it. With so many inventive takes on classics to bold, unexpected flavor combinations, these are the drinks you need to sip on ASAP.