Philadelphia, clear your Sunday schedules. The Birds are back.

The Eagles officially kick off the 2026 regular season this Sunday, September 13, welcoming the Washington Commanders to Lincoln Financial Field for a 4:25 p.m. showdown.

If you managed to snag tickets, congratulations. If you didn't, don't worry. You can still spend Sunday surrounded by giant TVs cold drinks, wings, and crab fries. Plus, considering tickets to this year's opener are going for hundreds of dollars, watching from a bar might be the considerably cheaper way to experience the Birds.

There's a specific night every fall when it happens…you step outside after dinner and the air bites a little. And that there is your very first signal: fall is coming. Summer's rooftop-and-frozen-cocktail season is winding down, and it's time to trade patios for fireplaces. There's something exquisitely old-fashioned about seeking out a bar specifically because it has a fireplace, but that's the appeal once fall sets in. Philadelphia has more of these than you'd expect, found in every neighborhood. Here's where to go when the temperature finally drops.

Somewhere around 5:15 on a Tuesday, Frankford Avenue stops behaving like a weeknight.This is Fishtown Taps, and it has become the neighborhood's best-kept open secret: a two-hour window, once a week, where half of Fishtown decides the week is pretty much over.

The wait is over. Mixteca, the agave bar and restaurant from Please Don’t Tell’s (a long-standing NYC favorite and award-winning cocktail bar) Jeff Bell and Victor Lopez, officially opened its doors on Frankford Avenue today. Now, after months of watching the former Martha space get quietly transformed, Philadelphia finally gets to see what all the buildup was about.

Rittenhouse is getting another reason to cancel your plans to go home after work.

Bar Cicci, the newest concept from acclaimed Philadelphia restaurateur Ellen Yin and High Street Hospitality Group, is coming to 1620 Sansom Street with a refreshingly simple idea: slow down, order a spritz, grab a few bites, and stay awhile.

Every neighborhood has one bar that everyone thinks they know the whole story of, and in Old City, that was Mac's Tavern — the place tourists wandered into hoping to spot Danny DeVito, mostly because the internet told them Rob McElhenney used to own it. Fifteen years and one closure later, 226 Market Street has a new occupant.

Philadelphia's most recognizable vacant building just got a reason to stop being vacant. Broad Street Brewing opened a beer garden on the plaza surrounding LOVE Park's long-shuttered "flying saucer" pavilion, and it's quickly becoming one of the easiest additions to any Center City crawl.

We’ve got a new cocktail bar up on the docket for you, Philadelphia. Known Associates has opened in Washington Square West, bringing together creative cocktails and one of the city's most respected culinary teams under one roof. 

Known Associates isn't trying to transport you back to Prohibition. There are no secret passwords, hidden entrances, or over-the-top themes. Instead, the city's newest cocktail destination lets the drinks, food, and atmosphere do the talking, proving that creativity doesn't need to be gimmicky, and, because of that, Known Associates is already shaping up to be one of the openings cocktail lovers will be talking about all year.

Philadelphia's nightlife scene has had a bit of an explosiveness to it over the last decade, and now you've got two solid paths to choose from on a night out: the hoppy world of craft beer, or the polished world of craft cocktails. Both scenes are thriving in this city, but they attract very different crowds and price points. So how do you pick?

We don't need plane tickets or beach vacations to try cocktails inspired by destinations across the globe.

Just head down beneath Philadelphia's historic Divine Lorraine, and you’ll find Philly Surf Club, one of the city's newest cocktail bars that feels quite unlike anywhere else in the city.

Created by beverage director Nico Diaz and culinary director Natalie Maronski, Philly Surf Club blends flavors and cocktail techniques in such a way that Philadelphia has been lacking.

Philadelphia has plenty of places to grab a cocktail, but what it doesn’t have enough of are bars with a story.Recently opened at the corner of 19th and Mifflin Streets in Point Breeze, Lillian’s is a cozy new South Philly bar and bistro built around inventive drinks and a food program that isn’t meant to stay the same forever. Instead of locking itself into one permanent restaurant identity, the new neighborhood spot plans to regularly welcome chefs for residencies and special dinners, giving Philadelphians a reason to keep coming back to see what’s happening next.

The 4th of July only comes around once a year, so why spend it inside? Get outside and get to one of Philadelphia's many rooftop bars that overlook the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (perfect for watching fireworks), and others put you above the city's busiest streets (perfect for feeling like you've escaped the city for a little while).

If your ideal Independence Day includes a drink in your hand and a skyline in front of you, these rooftops need a spot on your itinerary.

The fireworks might be the main event, but really – no one wants to spend all day standing around waiting for 9:30 p.m.

The best Fourth of July plans are built around the fireworks, not entirely about them. Imagine rooftop cocktails before sunset, waterfront beers, a great dinner, maybe one more stop afterward, and then ending the night under one of the biggest fireworks displays of the year...pretty good, right?

Here's how to make the most of Independence Day in Philadelphia.

Friends coming to Philadelphia for the World Cup are going to ask what they should do between matches.

You could send them to the Liberty Bell and call it a day. Technically, that works. But if you actually like these people and want them to leave thinking that Philadelphia was way more fun than they expected, you need a better plan.

A busy weekend is upon us! The city is packed with World Cup festivities, Juneteenth celebrations, street festivals, outdoor parties, live music, rooftop drinks, neighborhood events, and clearly enough excuses to leave your apartment that doing none of the above is simply not an option. Here are 25 things worth checking out this weekend: 

All great World Cup watch parties do not necessarily need to happen inside a traditional sports bar. Across Philadelphia, breweries are transforming taprooms into match day destinations complete with everything you need to have a smashing good time. We’re talking giant projectors, drink specials, giveaways, and food features.

If you're looking to trade sticky bar floors for fresh beer and a little more breathing room, these breweries are making a strong case for becoming your World Cup headquarters.

Philadelphia is a growing soccer city, and with FIFA fever taking over, there’s no shortage of places to catch a match. Which is quite lucky, because this isn’t a plop-down-on-the-couch event. No, no, it's a stand-up-when-someone-hits-the-post event. A spill-your-drink-after-a-90th-minute-goal event. A lose-your-voice-because-your-team-survived-extra-time event.

And, thank God for soccer fans, Philadelphia knows how to watch a tournament.

The city has spent years building a soccer culture that stretches far beyond Subaru Park. If you're looking for somewhere to celebrate, commiserate, or scream at a referee, these are some of the best soccer bars to do so in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has never struggled to find places to drink. Or places to eat. Or places to stay out later than originally intended. But what Philly has struggled with is finding places that blend all of those things together in a way that feels easy.

Certain weekends in Philadelphia feel very straightforward, meaning you go out, end up at the same bar you always end up at, hear the same playlist you heard last Saturday, and eventually Uber home wondering why your night somehow looked exactly like your last three nights. This weekend does not feel like that.

This weekend feels like our nightlife split into five different personalities and told everybody to pick their fighter.

You could spend Saturday night slowly swaying to reggae and soul in an intimate listening bar. Or screaming 2000s lyrics at a Pre-Pride dance party. Or spiraling emotionally at Drake Night with a vodka soda in your hand.

Every Philadelphia summer eventually turns into a waterfront summer.

The very second the weather breaks, people start migrating east like they’re being summoned. The Delaware River stretch has become one of the easiest places in the city to build an entire night around without the need to travel. You can bounce between beer gardens, giant decks, cocktail spots, outdoor hangouts, and bars to your heart’s content.If you’re anything like the masses, suddenly everyone wants a frozen drink outside with a view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a dark room pretending it’s still January.