Shop Penn

As temps are on the rise in University City, Spring is the perfect time to get out and enjoy all that the district has to offer. #ShopPenn is here for you with all the best exhibits, events, and shows to check out throughout the month of April. Find out everything happening with the latest edition of the “Shop Penn Playlist,” a snapshot of the top events being offered around the Penn campus all month.

Anne of Green Gables – Penn Live Arts
April 2-4

The show follows Anne Shirley, a fiercely imaginative orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with the reserved siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert in the quiet town of Avonlea. Through her boundless storytelling, big emotions, and unshakable spirit, Anne slowly transforms Green Gables and everyone around her — forming deep friendships, challenging rigid expectations, and learning what it truly means to belong.

Ancient Alcohol: A Taste of Bygone Booze – Penn Museum
April 11, 12, 18, 19

Explore how our ancestors partied like it was 5000 BCE! Drinking together has been a tradition for thousands of years. Take an unconventional (and boozy) journey back in time to discover what people of the past thought about alcohol, from how they made it to its role in society. View early drinking vessels that reveal secrets of ancient Greek drinking games and the beverage served at a feast hosted by King Midas. You will finish by tasting a beer with a flavor profile inspired by an ancient recipe discovered by a Penn biomolecular archaeologist.

Collecting the New Irascibles: Art in the 1980s (LAST CHANCE) – Arthur Ross Gallery
Closes April 12

A landmark exhibition, Collecting the New Irascibles: Art in the 1980s opens a window onto the Lower East Side art scene, where low rents and studio-ready lofts fostered a dynamic arts ecology fueled by fearless critics and intrepid dealers. Unlike other exhibitions about the era, Collecting the New Irascibles argues that the Lower East Side art scene could not have thrived without the audacious support of collectors whose deep engagement with challenging, often controversial art forged long-standing, generative relationships with the artists they championed.

Paul Taylor Dance Company – Penn Live Arts
April 17-18

Paul Taylor Dance Company is “one of the most exciting, innovative, and delightful dance companies in the entire world.” (The New York Times) This audience-favorite returns with Speaking in Tongues, a dramatic work which had its world premiere on our stage in 1988. Set against a melodic yet haunting score, the piece examines the undercurrent of fanaticism and hypocrisy in religion. A stark contrast, the program will also feature the definitive Taylor work Esplanade, “a classic of American dance” (The New Yorker) that is at once playful, somber and romantic.

Hands-On History: Adire Indigo Dyeing – Penn Museum
April 18

Hands-on History is a series of free workshops for high school students. In this workshop, teens will learn resist dyeing techniques with Philadelphia textile artist Yemisi Ajayi and create their own indigo-dyed cloth to take home. Yemisi bridges the gap between her traditional artistic skills and contemporary works that draw connections to the past. She creates pieces that symbolize her cultural heritage, manifesting her visions into tangible forms.

R5 Productions Presents Swing Kids – The Rotunda
April 18

Swing Kids emerged in the mid-1990s as a fusion of obscure punk, hardcore, and region-specific social politics. Their sound was heavily influenced by the ethos of jazz and swing-era ideals distilled through a hardcore lens, resulting in a style that defied traditional genre classifications. Although their time together was brief, the band left a lasting impact. This year, the band has agreed to a handful of shows, initially planned as just a one-off performance at a San Diego-based fest for John Brady’s 50th birthday. Spending time together again for the first time in over a decade proved to be special, reigniting the spirit of a band whose music, perhaps unfortunately, seems more relevant than ever.

Mindful Movement: Yoga and Journaling in the Garden – Penn Museum
April 22

In celebration of Earth Day, reconnect with nature, your breath, and your body during this gentle, all-levels 30-minute yoga followed by a journaling experience in the Penn Museum’s Warden Garden. Guided by a certified instructor, you will move through accessible yoga postures and breathing exercises, grounding yourselves in the natural environment, and reflecting on the deep connections between human well-being and the health of our planet. Following yoga, you’re invited to continue the reflection by contributing to Nature Sacred's Little Yellow Journaling Reflection Wall. Share thoughts, intentions, or messages inspired by your experience.

Tiburtina Ensemble – Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral
April 23

The Czech Republic’s Tiburtina Ensemble performs exquisite interpretations of medieval repertoire with an all-female collective of vocalists and a harpist. The ensemble comes to Philadelphia for the first time with Celestial Harmony, a program of glorious music by Hildegard of Bingen, an influential musician, theologian and healer, and one of few prominent women of the time. Hailed for “creating a musical experience that was as enchanting, as it was engrossing,” (New York Classical Review) Tiburtina Ensemble explores the visionary legacy of a true Renaissance woman. 

Penn Relays – Franklin Field
April 23-25

Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field. More athletes run in the Penn Relays than at any other track and field meet in the world. It regularly attracts more than 15,000 participants from high schools, colleges, and track clubs throughout North America and abroad, notably Jamaica, competing in more than 300 events over five days.

Penn Symphony Orchestra – Irvine Auditorium
April 24

Join Penn Symphony Orchestra for a night opening with Franz Schubert's most well-known "Unfinished" symphony, followed by Gustav Mahler's Symphony no. 5. The University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1878, is comprised of musicians from across the University community, most of whom are not music majors. Led by Thomas Hong, the ensemble rehearses for four hours each week and performs a diverse range of repertoire from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries in Penn’s historic Irvine Auditorium.