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| What Philly's Talking About |
|  | Soccer fans watch the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (Courtesy Steven Connelly, Philadelphia Soccer 2026) |
| Hang Out at These Bars Until 4 A.M. During the World Cup | The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is finally doling out approvals and rejections for extended operating hours during the tournament. But with matches already underway, many bars that applied for permits hoped to be approved by now. If you own a bar in the city or know someone who does, applications for the Philadelphia250 Permit are open until Friday. [🔒 The Inquirer] | | | FIFA Fan Festival Opens to Mixed Reception | While some fans watch the matches at the pub, others are making the pilgrimage to Fairmount Park. The festival’s first day drew a huge number of excited Team Mexico supporters despite the extreme heat. But for some Lemon Hill residents, the event has raised concerns over safety, traffic, and noise in the neighborhood. [Billy Penn, WHYY] | | Congressional Delegation To Visit Philly for Semiquincentennial | On July 2, 1776, during the Second Continental Congress, delegates voted to sever ties with Great Britain. Now 250 years later, members of the U.S. Congress will commemorate this pivotal point in the country’s history by convening in Philadelphia. It’ll be a busy day, with a national march of mayors happening in Center City and Pope Leo (remotely) receiving a medal of honor from the National Constitution Center. [TIME] | | Gubernatorial Candidates Differ on Abortion | Gov. Shapiro has been supportive of abortion rights during his first term, saying he’d reject policies that “undermine a woman’s right to choose.” Meanwhile, State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacey Garrity celebrated the end of Roe v. Wade, though she has said she wouldn’t back a full ban in PA. Garrity describes herself as pro-life with limited exceptions. [Spotlight PA] | |
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| | | Join us in The Match Room, a pop-up sports lounge designed for gathering over live matches, a spirited atmosphere, and elevated takes on game day classics. Open June 11 through July 19, this seasonal takeover of the Hotel’s 59th floor offers a vibrant destination for every fan. The Match Room is also available for private gatherings, with options to reserve the full lounge or select match rooms. |
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| A Dive Into the Musical Impact of The Mann and Dell Music Centers |
|  | A view from the lawn area of the new Robin Hood Dell West in 1976, showing the balcony wall facing the outside seats that created a visual barrier between the covered and outside seating areas. (Courtesy of the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts Archives) |
| The Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, marking the celebration with a special performance on June 18 and the completion of a $70 million makeover featuring a new welcome center and plaza. | | The Mann has established a reputation as a world-class entertainment venue, right inside Fairmount Park. But the outdoor concert space’s full history goes back over 100 years to its predecessor, the Dell Music Center. | | Local historian and archivist Jack McCarthy collected this story in a new book, “A Century of Music Under the Stars: A History of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and Robin Hood Dell.” | | He describes the Philadelphia Orchestra’s prominence in the 1920s, known to the world but out of reach to many Philadelphians. “There was this feeling that we have this phenomenal orchestra, but only a fraction of the local population gets to hear it — the people that can afford tickets in the Academy of Music, their regular season home,” McCarthy said. “There was this general belief in the cultural community, like, we have to make this orchestra more accessible to the people.” | | Plus, after its regular concert season concluded in the spring, musicians were essentially out of work until the fall. So the Dell opened in July 1930 in East Fairmount Park as the orchestra’s summer home, narrowly avoiding the impacts of the Great Depression. | | In 1948, the Dell had its lowest-attended season yet due to bad weather and the fact that the Republican National Convention was in town. The venue ended the season three weeks early when money ran out. Help then arrived in the form of Frederic R. Mann, a patron for the arts who made his fortune founding a cardboard box company. He agreed to help the Dell’s board with their troubles if he was granted full control of the institution. | | “His strategy was to present the greatest music to the greatest number of people for the most affordable cost,” McCarthy said. “And so he began to present some free concerts and then, in 1952, he announced that the entire season would now be free. This is unheard of.” | | Mann’s connections, innovative ideas, and wealth sustained the Dell for several more years. But as time went on, the venue’s golden era waned. Poor weather and the noisy, newly constructed Schuylkill Expressway disrupted performances. It was time to move. | | The organization that founded the Dell East — renamed the Dell Music Center in 2010 — transferred management to the city in 1975. Then the Robin Hood Dell West opened across the river in 1976, and was renamed the Mann Center in 1979. | | |
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| | | Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia is the spot that's a perfect blend of live music, bowling, beer, and food! Open Thursday–Saturday evenings, we have live shows and parties every weekend. Don't miss our half-price bowling on Thursdays, Family Bowl Saturdays, plus exclusive food and drink specials in the restaurant during Phillies games. Visit brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia now to start planning your next outing and concert experience! |
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