As a celebration of our glorious watershed, the Delaware River Festival continues through this weekend. The 23 environmental centers that make up the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River are hosting family-friendly events as a part of their River Days festivities.
Here’s how you can be a part of the festivities this weekend.
The Delaware River Festival continues through the weekend
October 2-3 Various locations in Philadelphia region and South New Jersey
Info at delawareriverfest.org
Several environmental educational organizations have come together to plan virtual and in-person events at multiple locations on both sides of the Delaware, throughout South Jersey and in Philadelphia. Presented by the Center for Aquatic Sciences, Independence Seaport Museum,Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Natural Lands Trust, Camden County Environmental Center, and many other partners.
Virtual Events:
8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Discovery Center (3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia)
Come see the amazing variety of bird species at the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir on a walk led by a local ornithologist Keith Russell. Experts and novice birders both welcome. Join us as we watch, listen, and learn about the species that call our Reservoir home. A Spanish translator will be available.
Chester Pennsylvania Festival Fun
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Subaru Park Plaza (Chester, Pennsylvania)
Join us for family fun and watershed learning along the Delaware River Waterfront beside Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Try your hand at water quality testing, take a tour of the stadium to learn how the turf is sustainably managed, and visit the nearby community garden. There will be crafts, music, pizza, and more fun for the whole family! Hosted by the City of Chester and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Paddle Party
10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Pyne Point Park (6th and Erie Street, Camden, NJ 08103)
Sign up for one of three paddles as we take our kayaks out to explore the back channel of the Delaware River. Great experience for new kayakers! Spanish translators will be available for the first paddle at 10:30am **Preregistration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/169516860493 Hosted by the Center for Aquatic Sciences. Note: The Sunday, October 3rd event is at capacity
Sunday, October 3
Sunday Fun Day at The Farm at Awbury Arboretum
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
6336 Ardleigh St., Philadelphia 19138
Join us at the Farm at Awbury Arboretum for an afternoon of family fun and wellness. Meet goats, take a tour of the farm, and learn about the importance of water for individual and environmental wellness.
Hosts: The Farm at Awbury Arboretum, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Philadelphia Water Department
Celebrate the Schuylkill River
Saturday, October 2, 11:00 AM
The Discovery Center (3401 Reservoir Drive, Phila)
The Fairmount Water Works was flooded by the rising Schuylkill River in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, but our neighbor, The Discovery Center, is hosting our River Days event. Friends, families and neighbors are invited enjoy hands-on activities and a live performance of the Cultural Heritage Fund Group, comprised of citizens of the Nanticoke Lenni Lenape tribe. Performance presented by the Lenapehoking~Watershed, a place for water, art and culture.
Activities include:
– Plant Identification Walking Tour
– Swim Pony Card Game Introduction
– Indigenous Art Project
– 1:00 PM Lenape Performance/Presentation (dancers, drumming, call-and response)
Space is limited, so be sure to secure a space for you and your family today:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/171281747317
Watershed Walks
Saturday, October 2, 1:00 PM
Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA
Did you know that the Delaware River Watershed covers over 12,000 miles and provides drinking water to over 15 million people? Learn about the importance of our watershed with a self-guided one-mile plus walk along our trails. Stop at stations along the trails for hands-on activities, water-related crafts, and more. Discover what macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects) can tell us about the health of a stream, explore different ways we can help to minimize pollution in our waterways, perform water quality tests, and learn about the wildlife that call our watershed home. See the center’s environmental art, including al Mudhif traditional Iraqi structure built of native phragmites, conceived and constructed by artists Yaroub Al-Obaidi and Sarah Kavage as part of the Lenape~Hoking Watershed project.
Fall Festival & Concert
Saturday, October 2, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Concert begins at 3 PM
Tacony Creek Park at the big field between Rising Sun and Olney Avenues, Philadelphia, PA
Event is FREE and open to the public. Info here. Register: taconycreekparkfallfest.eventbrite.com
Enjoy family-friendly nature games, arts & crafts, giveaways and lots more to celebrate our local creek, park and trail. Discover the ‘aquasphere’ with the Aqua Marooned! card game and take home a free deck to play! An outdoor music concert begins at 3:00 PM, featuring original compositions inspired by Tacony Creek Park from the album “Tacony Creek Suite” by Professor Randy J. Gibson. This event is a Co-Production of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership and Olney Culture Lab of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia and made possible by the Alliance for Watershed Education, Councilwoman Cherelle Parker’s Office, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Jazz Foundation of America, Joseph Roberts Foundation, Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture & Creative Economy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, and William Penn Foundation.
| Bilingual Bird Walk |
Saturday, October 9, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Farnham Park, 1648 Baird Blvd, Camden, NJ
Autumn is a great time to search for birds in your backyard, community and local park. Join a bilingual expert birder on a walk through Farnham Park along the Cooper River, searching for and learning about birds found in the region. Binoculars will be provided for participants to borrow. Spanish and English bird guides will also be available.
Rediscovering the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir
Saturday, October 9, 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Discovery Center, 3401 Reservoir Dr., Philadelphia, PA
Strawberry Mansion residents will take part in our community science initiative, cultivating freshwater mussel nursery. Guests will learn about the importance of the watershed health, and how mussels contribute to that health. Then participants may also have the opportunity to canoe on the reservoir.
5thAnnual Cobbs Creek Rubber Duck Races
Saturday, October 9, 10:00 am
Cobbs Creek Environmental Center, 63rd & Catherine Sts., Philadelphia, PA
Fun for the whole family. No age limit to enter. Cash Prizes! Ducks cost $2 each; no limit! Socially distanced—Masks required Register in advance on Facebook: or call 215-685-1900
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