The Barnes Foundation is Hosting a Block Party With Live Music, a Beer Garden, Food Trucks, Kid Friendly Games, & More
If you haven’t been to a Barnes on the Block in the past, here’s your chance to experience music, art, culture, food, and more. The Barnes Foundation recently announced the 8th annual Barnes on the Block taking place on Sunday July 13th from 11 am – 5 pm.
This outdoor celebration will take place on the grounds of the Barnes (20th and 21st Streets, and 20th Street between the Parkway and Callowhill Street) in collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia and presented by PNC Arts Alive.
Guests of all ages will get to enjoy plenty of entertainment and activities including hands-on art making, music from local DJs, dance performances, local bites from food trucks and vendors including Darnel’s Cakes, Kona Ice, and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, and a Barnes on the Block Beer Garden by Constellation Culinary Group.
“We are excited to announce the eighth annual Barnes on the Block and proud to be collaborating with our longtime partners at Mural Arts to bring this popular event to life,” says James Claiborne, Fleischner Family Deputy Director for Community Engagement. “A free day filled with creative fun for the whole family, Barnes on the Block has become a staple on Philly’s summer calendar. This year’s event celebrates the power of creativity to inspire and uplift communities and shines a spotlight on an incredible lineup of Philadelphia artists, makers, and performers, along with delicious food and beverage options from local vendors.”
“Barnes on the Block embodies the essence of what public art can do—bring people together, spark creativity, and foster a sense of belonging,” said Jane Golden, executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. “Each year, this partnership allows us to create joyful, meaningful moments that connect art to community in powerful ways.”
This year’s event embraces Mural Arts’ 2025 theme, “The Place Where Art Meets Hope,” and celebrates the power of creativity to inspire and uplift communities. Throughout the day, guests can get creative—experiment with cochineal paint with artists LEMUS and Ivonne Pinto García, make a print with Second State Press, create a “Postcard from Provence” with Collage Philadelphia. Guests can also get a personalized poem from Marshall James Kavanaugh; learn, create, and play with Smith Memorial Playground; and contribute to a community mural led by Mural Arts Philadelphia and a group sculpture with the Clay Studio’s Claymobile.
Throughout the day, local DJs and performers will bring the vibrant sounds of Philadelphia to the Parkway: DJ Nash, Canpatlaneci, Batala Philly, Mutya Philippine Dance Company, The Philadelphia Suns, and DJ sets & breakdancing with TAMEARTZ.
Starting at 11 am, guests also enjoy free admission to the Main Gallery and second-floor galleries of the Barnes collection; the new exhibition From Paris to Provence: French Painting at the Barnes, featuring a selection of renowned canvases from the first floor of the Barnes collection; and Where I’m From, an exhibition of original artwork created by participants in Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Rec Crew program and artists at SCI Phoenix, southeast Pennsylvania’s maximum-security prison for men, on view in the second-floor classroom of the Collection Gallery. Registration is required for gallery access, and capacity is limited. Free tickets for timed admission will be available online beginning at 10 am on Thursday, July 10. Additional information is available on the website.
From noon to 4 pm, art activities will include:
A community mural led by Mural Arts Philadelphia
A group sculpture with The Clay Studio’s Claymobile
Personalized poems by Marshall James Kavanaugh
Collage Philadelphia’s “Postcards from Provence” workshop
Cochineal paint workshop with artists LEMUS and Ivonne Pinto García
Learn, create, and play with Smith Memorial Playground
Printmaking with Second State Press
Noon–4 pm: DJ sets & breakdancing with TAMEARTZ
Noon–5 pm: DJ sets with DJ Nash
Noon: Performance by Canpatlaneci
12:30 & 1:30 pm: Performances by Batala Philly
2 & 3:30 pm: Performances by Mutya Philippine Dance Company
2:30 pm: Performance by The Philadelphia Suns
3 pm: Special dance performance with TAMEARTZ featuring Project Positive
