Celebrate the Summer Solstice (Wednesday, June 21) with a full day of free musical programming at the Free Library! A variety of programs for all ages will be happening throughout the day at our Parkway Central Branch.

Kick off the morning with Music and Movement with Ms. Naomi! This is a regular weekly event hosted outside in Shakespeare Park, weather permitting. Join us at 10:30 a.m. for songs, dance, and fun explorations of rhythm and movement! This program is intended for our friends aged 6 and under, and their caregivers. 

Bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair! Stick around while we set up for Make Music Philly Day and our annual Musical Instrument Petting Zoo! Starting at 11:30 a.m., there will be live musical performances, demonstrations, and various instruments at hand. The performances range from children’s performances, to drum demonstrations, to a cappella singing. There will be child-friendly instruments, as well as some of our Musical Instrument Collection from the Music Department available for use. Make Music Philly is a city-wide musical event. If you would like to attend later events, check out their Event Listings page!

If you need to cool off after jamming out on some instruments or want some grown-up-only programming, we are hosting Summer Solstice Sounds inside the Parkway Central Library (in Room 108), at 3:30 p.m. Multi-instrumentalist Anne Martin joins poet and storyteller Michele Belluomini to present a lively improvisation of music and poetry in honor of the Summer Solstice. Anne Martin has presented poetry and music performances with poet Michele Belluomini in Philadelphia and California. To learn more about the performers, check out their event listing!

Grab some dinner and then come back to the library to wrap up your night with us! Wear your dancing shoes and join the Philadelphia Freedom Marching Band to celebrate PRIDE Solstice in Shakespeare Park. The band will perform a selection of music including songs by Elton John, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Blink 182, Dua Lipa, and many more! We’ll be dancing along from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Sunset occurs at 8:33 p.m. The Philadelphia Freedom Band (PFB) is a non-profit organization comprised of a wide variety of talented musicians, ranging from amateur to professional. They come together to perform throughout the greater Philadelphia area and provide visible, active support to the LGBTQ+ community. They welcome anyone who is committed to our shared goal of musical excellence and our commitment to social justice. Registration ahead of time is required for the PRIDE Solstice event.

*Rain date for Pride Solstice is 06/24/23 at noon, inside Parkway Central’s Literature Department.

We are very excited to spend the day singing, dancing, playing, listening, and surrounded by music (and hopefully, with you!). For even more music, come back to Shakespeare Park on Thursday, June 22, at 5:30 p.m. Karen Smith and Friends will be hosting a very inclusive Juneteenth Celebration: Sounds of Freedom performance!