Finding the perfect holiday gift can be tricky, but you can always rely on pastries from local bakeries or chocolates from Philly confectioners. And if your loved ones prefer something savory, there are plenty of delicious local options to ship — from fried pickle kits to pork roast sandwich sets.
Here are 15 very Philly foods to gift this holiday season.
The selections here represent The Inquirer’s picks this holiday season. When you make a purchase through a link in this list, The Inquirer may be paid a commission.
Add habanero dill to your burger for an extra kick.
1. Fishtown Pickle Project
For the pickle lover in your life, Fishtown Pickle Project offers two fried pickle kits featuring their signature fresh pickles, spices, and tempura batter. The original kit includes Philly Dilly pickles, tempura mix, and spices to make a pepper aioli dip. The spicy version features Habanero Dill pickles and ingredients for a cool ranch dip. Each kit costs $35.
Creamy chicken Brazilian tapioca flatbread at Kouklet’s new location.
2. Kouklet & Tanda Brazilian Bakehouse
Gifting Mardhory Santos-Cepeda’s tapioca cheese breads might be the most Philly gift you can give this holiday. The round bites of cheese, butter, and eggs — all locally sourced from Pennsylvania farmers — ship frozen. Each package serves 12 and includes a dozen pão de queijo, or Brazilian cheese breads. For giftees with a sweet tooth, there are also Brazilian cake rolls ($34.95 to $54.95).
James Beard-winning Ellen Yin’s High Street is a Philly bakery destination. On Goldbelly, find artisanal breads (sourdough and grain loaves) for $39.95, baked goods (brownies, cookies, and cinnamon buns) for $64.95, and rye chocolate chunk cookies for $39.95.
Sweet and nutty, the almond butter crunch might be the gift for your chocolate-loving friend.
4. Shane Confectionery
Most everyone loves a box of assorted chocolates, especially when they’re from Shane Confectionery. The Craftsman Assortment box features caramels, cordials, bonbons, ganaches, and more. Each piece is dipped in chocolate made in-house. Sizes range from 13 to 35 pieces, priced at $48 to $95. For buttercream fans, Shane’s Buttercream Assortments feature a family recipe dating back to 1911, with flavors like coconut, maple walnut, and vanilla bean. Prices range from $38 to $80.
Cookies at Famous 4th Street Cookie Co. in Reading Terminal Market.
5. Famous 4th Street Cookie Co.
What’s a better gift for cookie enthusiasts than a treat from Reading Terminal Market’s go-to spot? Famous 4th Street Cookie Co. offers plenty of cookie boxes to choose from, including black and white and chocolate lovers assortments. You can bundle mini cookies, order bake-at-home chocolate chip cookie dough, pick your favorites, or go big with a giant cookie cake. Prices range from $44.95 to $60.95.
A classic cheesesteak with onions and American cheese at Joe’s Steaks and Soda Shop in Northeast Philadelphia.
6. Joe’s Steaks
For your vegan friends and family, there’s even a cheesesteak you can ship. Joe’s Steaks offers a four-pack of its vegan cheesesteaks on Goldbelly, made to order, frozen, and shipped for $119.95. The package serves four to six people and includes four 9- to 10-inch sandwiches, plus your choice of a T-shirt or hoodie.
Try the Vietnamese Espresso Blend at Càphê Roasters.
7. Càphê Roasters
Introduce coffee lovers to the art of brewing Vietnamese coffee with Càphê Roasters’ brew kit for $28. It includes a house espresso blend, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and a phin (a traditional coffee filter). And for those who don’t know how to use the phin, there’s a handy printed 10-step brew guide, too. Throw in a KINTO x Càphê water bottle to keep your giftee hydrated.
Reading Terminal Market’s beloved ice cream shop is also on Goldbelly. Ship a brownie sundae kit (three pints, eight brownies) or a DIY cookie ice cream sandwich kit (three pints, one tub of Famous 4th Street ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookies) for $64.95. You can also order a six-pint pack featuring bestsellers or your favorite flavors.
These alfajores are a family recipe Jezabel Careaga, chef and owner of Jezabel’s Cafe and Bakery, perfected.
9. Jezabel’s
In West Philly, Jezabel’s is the place for some of the best Argentine treats — but you don’t have to be in the neighborhood to get your hands on chef/owner Jezabel Careaga’s alfajores. These coconut-coated butter cookies filled with dulce de leche are available in classic or chocolate-dipped varieties. There’s also a half and half box with three of each. Prices range $28 to $30.
Everyone loves a good bagel — and Kismet knows a thing or two about making them. Order the bagel brunch kit, complete with the 12 par-baked bagels, two containers of cream cheese, two bottles of seasonings, and a pound of lox. The kit ships fresh with ice packs. Note: Bagels last in the freezer for up to six months.
John’s Roast Pork chicken cheeseteak at the Inquirer studio on March 5. Food styling by Emilie Fosnocht.
11. John’s Roast Pork
There’s no better Philly gift than a cheesesteak or a hoagie, and John’s Roast Pork is here to help. On Goldbelly, you can ship the South Philly hot spot’s namesake sandwich drenched in all its garlicky glory for the holidays. The made-to-order kit offers all the parts to build four nine-inch pork roast sandwiches, including two pounds of roast pork, a quart of gravy, a quarter pound of sharp provolone, a pint of spinach, and four large seeded sesame rolls. Instructions for assembly are included. Same goes for the cheesesteak kit, which includes 12 ounces of meat. Order kits range from $119.95 to $229.95 each.
Soft pretzels at Center City Soft Pretzel Co. on April 1, 2024.
12. Center City Pretzel Co.
Who wouldn’t want a giant pack of Philly pretzels? On Goldbelly, Center City Pretzel Co. offers a box of 10 soft pretzels with a container of salt and 10 mustard packets for $54.95 — shipped fresh and ready to enjoy. There’s also a five-pack option available.
The tomato pie at Iannelli’s is one of classic archetypes of the genre and is still baked in the deep brick oven built by the Iannelli family 115 years ago.
13. Iannelli’s Bakery
Along with cheesesteaks and hoagies, Philly is known for its tomato pies. South Philly’s Iannelli’s Bakery is here to help you share the pie love. Ship a tomato pie and cannoli kit combo for $169.95. Folks will get a brick oven tomato pie, 13 cannoli shells, vanilla ricotta cheese with dark chocolate morsels for the fillings, and sugar for dusting.
Homemade granola via a recipe from Metropolitan Bakery owner and head baker James Barrett
14. Metropolitan Bakery
Metropolitan Bakery’s bread gift box includes a variety of bread loaves, cookie jars, and pound cakes for $38 to $115. There’s the breakfast box with Metropolitan Bakery Blend coffee, local honey and preserves, and gluten-free granola. For pound cake enthusiasts, ship two loaves of chocolate and lemon pound cakes. And for your cookie monsters, gift cookie jars in three flavors.
Packaged ricotta and chocolate chip ricotta cookies at Isgro on Nov. 17, 2022.
15. Isgro Pastries
A cookie tin from a Philly institution is a no-brainer, and thankfully Isgro Pastries offers shipping nationwide. For $69.95 on Goldbelly, gift two or four pounds of cookies this holiday — that’s about 40 to 60 cookies. Flavors include butter walnut, almond macaroon, chocolate, raspberry, and more. Cookies come frozen and ready to eat.
The gifts in the 2025 Very Philly Gift Guide represent The Inquirer's picks this holiday season. When you make a purchase through a link in this Guide, The Inquirer may be paid a commission.
You don’t need us to tell you Philly’s got everything — sports legends, world-class food, killer small businesses, weird little workshops, and soft pretzels that double as a love language.
So why settle for some generic gift set when you could give a hoagie room reservation, a Bird Gang varsity jacket, or locally made soaps crafted from coffee grounds and herbs?
We’ve rounded up more than 70 very Philly gifts for everyone on your list: your friend who’s still talking about the Super Bowl parade, your aunt who cries tears of joy every time she walks into the Franklin Institute, your coworker who judges your coffee order, even your dog.
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And because we know holiday shopping can feel like trying to find parking in South Philly on trash day, we turned this whole thing into a quiz.
Just answer a few questions, and we’ll point you to the perfect gift.
What’s their Philly vibe — Broad Street bold or cozy Fairmount calm?
If they could get out of town tomorrow, where are they headed?
When it comes to gifts, what gets the biggest “Oh my God, you nailed it”?
When Friday hits, what’s their move?
What’s the best part of the holidays for them?
What’s their favorite thing about Philly — besides complaining about parking?
If they’re spending a cozy day in, what’s the vibe?
When they’re hanging out, what kind of crowd are they gathering?
Which kind of Philly-themed gift would make them say “This is so me?”
Your Recommendations
Less than $25
$25 – $75
Over $75
For the Sports Fanatic
Less than $25
$25 – $75
Over $75
Tickets to an Eagles, Flyers, or Sixers game
For the friend whose blood type is Gatorade and pretzel salt
There’s no gift more Philly than game-day tickets. Let them scream at refs in person, feel the bass of the fight song in their chest, and high-five strangers like lifelong friends. Whether it’s the Birds under the lights at the Linc, the Flyers grinding it out on the ice, or Joel Embiid dropping 40 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, this gift guarantees goose bumps (and maybe a hoarse voice the next day).
For the friend who still yells “Step over him!” every time they hit a jumper
The Sixers’ iconic blue jersey from the Allen Iverson era is back — the one worn when A.I. led the NBA in points, steals, and minutes per game in the 2001-’02 season. This jersey brings The Answer back to the present day. It’s pure Philly: bold, scrappy, and impossible to forget. For more Philly sports fan gift suggestions, click here.
For the friend who’s basically a walking sports bar
Whether they bleed green, red, orange, or blue, this gift lets them wear their Philly pride on their sleeve — literally. Fanatics has jerseys for every pro team in town: Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and the Union. From Jalen Hurts to Bryce Harper to Joel Embiid, it’s the easiest way to suit up for game day, no matter the season. For more Philly sports fan gift suggestions, click here.
For the friend who believes true royalty bleeds Kelly green
Every Philadelphian knows the jacket — the one Princess Diana wore in the ’90s that somehow made the Birds look even more regal. Now, thanks to Mitchell & Ness, fans can finally own the officially licensed replica. The Vintage Full-Snap Varsity Jacket features heavyweight construction, a chenille throwback helmet patch, tricolor rib-knit detailing, and a big Eagles logo that’s pure nostalgia and attitude. It’s been spotted on Kylie Kelce, framed at Middle Child Clubhouse, and worshiped by anyone who knows fashion and football can share a locker room.
For the friend who still hasn’t stopped watching the parade highlights
If you didn’t snag a paper the morning after the Eagles’ 40–22 Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs, here’s your second chance. The Inquirer “Big Easy” front page — featuring Jalen Hurts holding the Lombardi Trophy and other photo options — is available framed or unframed, in various sizes.
For the friend who can quote every postgame presser
From Week 1 in São Paulo to hoisting the Lombardi in New Orleans, What a Run! captures every play, player, and parade from the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season. This 128-page commemorative book is packed with stories, stats, and full-color photos of Saquon Barkley’s breakout, Jalen Hurts’ MVP moment, and Vic Fangio’s lock-down defense. It’s the ultimate keepsake for fans who want to relive the season — minus the nail-biting fourth quarters.
For the friend who believes fourth-and-1 is a lifestyle
Celebrate Philly’s most unstoppable play with Rowen’s best-selling Tush Push Sweatpants — cozy, soft, and just cheeky enough. These 50/50 cotton-poly sweats feature a clean front with a drawstring waistband and a bold graphic on the back that proudly honors the Birds’ signature QB sneak.
For the friend who’d rather hear it straight from the GOAT’s mouth
Make their day with a personal video from a Philly legend — because nothing says “I care” like Brian Dawkins yelling “BLESSINGS!”, Shady McCoy shouting you out mid–Tush Push analysis, or Donovan McNabb pretending not to know what down it is. You can even have Bryson Stott say “Atta boy!”, Vince Papale drop a motivational speech straight out of Invincible, or The Philly Captain … well, just be The Philly Captain. Whether they bleed green, red pinstripes, or orange and black, this is the kind of gift that hits harder than a Dawkins tackle and lasts longer than a postgame rant from Jason Kelce.
For the friend who thinks the Phils’ skyline beats any sunset
Bring the magic of Citizens Bank Park home with this artist-designed Phillies stadium print — a stunning tribute to the home of Bryce bombs, rally towels, and “Dancing On My Own.” Available as a fine art print or canvas wrap, it’s the perfect upgrade for any Philly fan cave, office, or living room that could use a little more red pinstripe energy.
For the friend who wants to tailgate in full-on pinstripe swagger
These aren’t your average jeans. These Phillies bib overalls bring major team pride with full pinstripe styling, classic red, and a bold Phillies logo front and center. Whether they’re manning the grill, sprinting to the merch tent, or just rep’ing their fandom in style, these overalls are built for comfort and devotion. For more Philly sports fan gift suggestions, click here.
For the friend who’s got Broad Street pride in their DNA
A backyard essential for any Philly sports fan, this custom cornhole set features the Sixers court — Eagles and other teams also available — printed on a solid wood background. Comes ready to play with a full set of bags.
Alex Eagle x J. Crew feather jersey colorblock T-shirt
For the friend who prefers a little sportiness with her fashion
London-based design trendsetter Alex Eagle has teamed up with J. Crew to create a capsule of classic looks that contain her smart tailoring and sporty touch. This retro-inspired jersey T-shirt has a 100% cotton finish for a supersoft, lightweight feel that happens to look right at home in Philly thanks to its Kelly green colorways.
For the friend whose gameday fit is as fierce as their fandom
Minor Details, the boutique known for its playful Philly flair, has the perfect lineup of locally inspired gifts for trendsetting sports lovers. There’s the Bird Gang Knit Crop Sweater, cozy with varsity stripes and vintage vibes; the Bird Gang Beaded Purse, decked out in Kelly green, footballs, and sparkle for the ultimate tailgate accessory; and the Phillies ice cream helmet hair clip, a cheeky nod to Citizens Bank Park treats that’s pure Philly fun.
This unisex puffer vest from Off Season in collaboration with the NFL features intricate Eagles embroidery, 3D silicone patches, and jacquard detailing. A corduroy lining and padded polyester fill bring serious warmth, while double interior pockets bring convenience.
For the friend who expresses her fandom in cozy style
Naadam’s new line of NFL-branded cashmere sweaters brings soft, plush, roomy feels to a fan’s wardrobe. Knit from 100% premium cashmere, this boyfriend-style pullover features bold chest lettering and an official Eagles team logo at the cuff.
For the friend who wears her Eagles pride in and out of the gym
Just released at the end of October, the new collaboration between the NFL, Lululemon, and Fanatics has apparel from all 32 NFL teams. But let's not kid anyone — you only need one. The oversize half-zip hoodie features an Eagles logo, convenient kangaroo pouch, and thumbholes for cozy comfort.
For the friend who still dreams about their favorite Philly meal
Brooklyn artist John Donohue has made it his mission to capture beloved restaurants through intricate, hand-drawn sketches — and his Philadelphia collection is a love letter to the city’s dining scene. From iconic spots like Zahav and John’s Roast Pork to cozy neighborhood haunts, each print is rendered in Donohue’s signature minimalist style, celebrating the charm and character of Philly’s food institutions. And every Philly print sale benefits the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Donohue also accepts custom commissions, so you can immortalize your favorite date-night spot or corner bar.
For the friend whose spirit animal is a wheel of brie
Help them level up their cheese game with a tasting experience that’s part class, part party. Philly Cheese School offers both public events — think “Cheese Basics: Extra Fancy Edition” — and private classes, where they’ll sip, snack, and soak up all things fromage. Not sure which to choose? Gift cards let them pick the vibe, date, and cheese adventure that suits them best.
For the friend who’s never met a roast they didn’t analyze
Philly’s own Bean2Bean is serving up small-batch blends that are as bold as they are beloved. Whether it’s the chocolatey-berry vibes of their Schuylkill Select, the rich, dark Italian Market Espresso, or the indulgent Franklin Reserve collabs, these beans are the real deal. Locally roasted in Harrowgate by a Puerto Rican-owned roastery, this is the brew behind espresso martinis at your favorite bar and the coffee at Philly-area staples like Schlesinger’s Deli and The Kibbitz Room. Start with the Franklin Reserve and brew on from there.
For the friend who’s running on vibes, caffeine, and zero meal plans
This isn’t your typical cookbook — it’s part pep talk, part survival guide, and 100% judgment-free. You Gotta Eat by Inquirer food editor Margaret Eby is for the person who stares into their fridge like it’s a hostile witness and still ends up eating peanut butter from a spoon. With tips tailored to your current energy level (from “I can open a package” to “I can maybe chop one thing”), it’s full of genius hacks, low-effort recipes, and the reassurance that yes, you can feed yourself — and maybe even enjoy it. For more Philly book recommendations, click here.
For the friend who wishes summer farmers market season never ended
Give them the gift of 21 weeks of just-picked, chemical-free produce from Urban Roots Farm, a 26-acre, first-generation farm in Newtown Square — and the same one that grows the tomatoes used in Middle Child’s iconic BLTs. Members of the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program get weekly boxes packed with seasonal vegetables, strawberries, and flowers, harvested fresh and ready for pickup at the farm from June through November.
For the friend who plans Sunday meals around kickoff time
Bring the stadium to the kitchen with this playbook of tailgate-worthy recipes from Tim Lopez, the longtime Eagles chef who spent 13 years feeding the Birds — including during their Super Bowl LII run. Kickoff Kitchen serves up two recipes for every NFL team (yes, even Dallas), from crab cake bites for Baltimore fans to Philly’s own roast pork sandwich and cheesesteak egg rolls. It’s part cookbook, part culinary field trip across America’s football cities — ideal for anyone who believes game day isn’t complete without great food. For more Philly book recommendations, click here.
For the friend who can taste the difference between Cape May Salts and Wellfleets
Give the gift of a little salt, brine, and Philly flair with Fishtown Seafood’s oyster classes, designed for every level of mollusk lover. In Oysters 101, beginners learn the essentials — from safe shucking technique to oyster anatomy and how to spot the freshest bivalves. Graduates can level up with Oysters 202, which explores regional terroirs, seasonal flavor profiles, and the subtleties that make each oyster unique.
For the friend who thinks cocktail hour should come with a foraging basket
This isn’t your average mixology book — it’s a whole vibe, and a James Beard Award winner, too. In Slow Drinks, South Jersey’s own Danny Childs (aka the ethnobotanist bartender behind Farm & Fisherman and Old City’s Almanac) shows how to turn garden weeds, wild herbs, and backyard finds into fancy drinks that taste like the season itself. From Dandelion Mead to Spruce Beer, this book proves that great cocktails start with curiosity — and maybe a pair of muddy boots. For more Philly book recommendations, click here.
For the friend who considers “just a little snack” a full meal
Philly’s charcuterie royalty has a gift box for every kind of snacker — from the Abbondanza Cheese & Charcuterie Box packed with their best-selling cheeses, meats, and truffle honey, to — our selection — the Philly Tailgate Bundle for the fan who thinks pepperoni and pretzel sticks are a food group. For more Di Bruno Bros. pantry recommendations, click here.
Beautiful Cookware Set by Drew Barrymore in Kelly Green
For the friend whose fandom starts in the kitchen
Bring some Birds pride to the kitchen with Drew Barrymore’s Beautiful 12-piece Ceramic Nonstick Cookware Set in Kelly Green — the exact shade that’ll make any Eagles fan shout “Go Birds!” between bites. With sleek strainer lids, easy-clean pots, and serious style, it’s just right for the game-day host who treats tailgating like fine dining.
Philly brands Dietz & Watson and Jacquin’s collaborated on the new Dietz Dill vodka, available for the first time on Nov. 14 — National Pickle Day. The 60-proof, pickle-flavored vodka pairs Jacquin’s vodka with real Dietz & Watson pickle brine to give a dilly boost to your Bloody Marys and pickle martinis.
For the friend who believes soft pretzels are a love language
From her small-but-mighty kitchen in Northeast Philly, pastry chef Em Wilson turns out soft pretzels that redefine what “Philly-style” means — deeply golden, perfectly chewy, and kissed with just the right amount of salt (and heart). Known for her buttery croissants and “proper lye-dip” pretzels, Em’s small-batch bakes have become a favorite at local markets and pop-ups.
For the friend who won’t shut up about how “you can’t get a real one anywhere else.”
Forget the impostors, this is the real deal. Goldbelly ships legit Philly cheesesteaks straight from the region’s icons — Pat’s, Jim’s, John’s Roast Pork, Campo’s, Donkey’s Place, and more — to wherever they need to go. These sandwiches come cooked to order, packed on ice, and ready to reheat with the works: thin-sliced steak, soft rolls, and your choice of cheese: Whiz, provolone, or Cooper Sharp. No “Philly-style” nonsense, no soggy knockoffs, just the grease-dripping glory of the real thing. Start with Donkey’s Place — an Anthony Bourdain favorite. For more Philly foods you can ship, click here.
For the friend who’s always cooking — or always complaining their knives are dull
There are few gifts more practical (or more satisfying) than giving someone the sharpest knives in Philly. At Fante’s Kitchen Shop in the Italian Market, the pros will put a perfect edge on your blades while you browse espresso makers and pasta tools. For a higher-end tune-up, head to CM Neff Cook Supply Co. on East Passyunk, where chef and owner Cary Neff sharpens by hand with surgical precision.
For the friend whose bar cart is as Philly as their attitude
Raise a glass to local craftsmanship with Bluecoat Gin, the award-winning spirit made in Fishtown by Philadelphia Distilling. Its bright citrus notes and smooth, juniper-forward finish make it the ultimate upgrade to a gin and tonic — or a martini that actually deserves a toast. It’s clean, classic, and unmistakably Philly.
For the friend with kids who are already heckling the ump from the living room
Get your little Phils fan off the iPad and into the game with this bright, team-spirited 150-piece puzzle. It’s a fun way to keep them busy between innings (or at least until the post-game show starts).
For the friend with kids who keeps asking “why?” (and for the parent who’s run out of answers)
Turn curiosity into a year-round adventure with a Franklin Institute membership — your all-access pass to Philly’s favorite science playground. From the Fels Planetarium to hands-on exhibits that’ll have them building, blasting, and experimenting, this membership is a ticket to endless discovery.
For the friend with kids who love to press every button — just not yours
Give the gift of play — and peace of mind — with a Please Touch Museum membership. Kids can climb, splash, build, and explore their way through Philly’s ultimate hands-on museum. It’s part funhouse, part education, all chaos in the best way possible.
For the friend with kids who loves sparkle (and the friend who loves a statement piece)
Let them play designer for a day at Boxbar’s Charm Bar, where they can build their own one-of-a-kind necklace or bracelet. With trays of glimmering charms — stars, hearts, initials, and even tiny Philly icons — and mix-and-match chains, they’ll leave with something that feels totally them. It’s part jewelry-making, part memory-making. Either way, it’ll shine.
Raise ‘em right, in Philly style. These adorable picks from Minor Details are perfect for the littlest Birds and Phils fans. The Philly Football Baby Sweater comes in a deep Eagles green with “Eagles” stitched across the front, a cozy knit that’s ready for Sunday naps or kickoff cuddles. The Baseball Stitch Onesie features red baseball seam embroidery and the Phillies’ Liberty Bell logo.
Show your Philly pride everywhere you go with this hand-drawn, screen-printed tote from local artist Paul Carpenter. His clever “LOVE” design doubles as a map of the city — from Roxborough to Fishtown, South Philly to the Great Northeast — making it a great everyday bag for groceries, books, or Wawa runs. Created and printed in Philly, it’s a functional little love letter to the city itself.
For the friend who’s always up in New York, down in D.C., or anywhere the rails will go
Sometimes the best gift is a ticket away — at least for a weekend. An Amtrak gift card gives your favorite traveler (or commuter) the freedom to hop a train to anywhere from Boston to D.C. without worrying about gas, tolls, or traffic. It’s perfect for the person who needs a recharge, a romantic getaway, or just an excuse to skip the Turnpike. You can load any amount, making it one of the most flexible (and stress-free) Philly gifts around.
For the friend who travels light — but never without team spirit
Fly like an Eagle with this sleek black hard-shell spinner suitcase featuring the team’s bold eagle-head logo. Built for durability (and swagger), it’s a 21-inch carry-on with smooth 360-degree wheels, interior straps, and pockets that make packing almost fun. Whether they’re heading to an away game or just the airport bar, this suitcase says, “Yes, I’m from Philly.” For more picks for Philly sports fans, click here.
For the friend who needs caffeine before conversation
If they start their day with an eye roll and a latte, this 12-ounce Nomad Sip from Philly’s own Rival Bros. will make their mornings a little smoother. Made for both hot and cold drinks, it’s double-walled and spill-resistant — excellent for commutes, tailgates, or late-night deadlines. Rival Bros., founded by Philly chef Jonathan Adams and barista Damien Pileggi, is known for roasting some of the best beans in the city, so it’s fitting that their travel mugs carry the same quality.
For the friend who can never feel too far from Fishtown's caffeine headquarters
Philly’s coffee pride and joy — La Colombe — nailed it when they canned their signature draft latte. These ready-to-drink cans deliver that same creamy, café-grade texture with a foamy top that somehow survives your morning commute. Available in classic, mocha, triple, and oat milk versions, they’re great for keeping in the fridge or tossing in your bag before work. Give them a taste of home (or a little taste of La Colombe on the go), because no one should have to settle for sad office coffee again.
For the friend who swears they’re “this close” to breaking 90
Give their swing the tune-up it deserves with a one-hour golf lesson at Five Iron Golf, the city’s sleek, high-tech golf hub with locations in Fishtown, Logan Square, and Rittenhouse. Each lesson pairs them with a certified instructor who uses simulator data, video playback, and real-time feedback to help fine-tune their form — or at least stop slicing into the screen. Whether they’re a first-time golfer or a fairway regular, it’s the kind of gift that says, “I believe in your potential … but maybe not your current handicap.”
For the friend who runs, walks, or is just trying to get their steps in
Help them hit the pavement in style with a Philadelphia Runner gift card, good for shoes, gear, and race-day essentials. Whether they’re training for the Broad Street Run, chasing their first 5K, or just need a comfortable pair of sneakers for dog walks, this local shop’s experts make finding the right fit easy. With locations across the city and an unbeatable local reputation, it’s a gift that goes the distance.
Stanley’s viral water bottles finally meet Philly spirit in this Kelly green edition — OK, it’s technically “meadow,” but close enough. The 30-ounce stainless-steel tumbler keeps drinks ice-cold for hours and fits perfectly in a car cup holder (yes, even when navigating Broad Street traffic). It’s durable, dishwasher-safe, and built for long days at work or tailgates.
For the friend who needs a facial more than another candle
If “self-care” in Philly had a headquarters, it would be Rescue Spa. Their gift cards can be used for everything from expert facials and massages to manicures and luxe skin treatments — the kind that make you feel like a brand-new person afterward. Services start at $35 and go up to full-on luxury treatments, so whether you’re gifting a quick glow-up or an all-day spa escape, it’s a loving way to say: “You’ve earned this.”
For the friend who blames Mercury retrograde for everything
Help them align their stars with a personalized astrology reading from Corina Dross, a Philly-based astrologer and artist known for her intuitive, poetic approach. Choose between a birth chart reading that explores life themes, timing, and purpose, or a relationship reading that dives into the cosmic dynamics between partners or friends. Corina’s readings are equal parts spiritual reflection and gentle therapy session — the kind that leave you journaling long after.
For the friend who keeps Philly in their heart (and on their tree)
Bring a little piece of the Parkway home with this porcelain LOVE Statue ornament, inspired by Robert Indiana’s iconic sculpture in JFK Plaza. Lightweight, glossy, and unmistakably Philly, it’s the perfect accent for anyone nostalgic for the city skyline or annual holiday strolls through Dilworth Park. It’s small, affordable, and the kind of thing that becomes a yearly “front and center” favorite on the tree.
For the friend who sees the future — and prefers it with a soft pretzel
This locally illustrated tarot deck reimagines classic cards through the lens of everyday Philly: the Chariot becomes the El, the Sun shines over FDR Park, and the Tower? Of course, the Comcast Center. The art is as gorgeous as it is clever, plus, it doubles as a conversation piece on any coffee table.
For the friend who’s impossible to impress — until now
Hidden behind the main dining room at Pizzeria Beddia in Fishtown sits one of Philly’s most exclusive tables: the Hoagie Room. This two-hour private dining experience is part dinner, part show — and all Philly. You’ll start with cocktails and small plates before watching one of Beddia’s hoagie masters build sandwiches on house-baked bread. Then come the signature pizzas, a magnum or two from Joe Beddia’s wine stash, and a swirl of soft serve to finish. It’s intimate, over-the-top in the best way, and guaranteed to make any food lover lose their mind.
For the friend with a stack of prints still “waiting to be framed.”
Give their walls the attention they deserve with a gift certificate to Frame Fatale, South Philly’s beloved frame shop that’s as much an art space as it is a workshop. The team there can frame just about anything — vintage concert posters, sports memorabilia, even that old Phanatic photo booth strip. Whether they’re moving into a new place or just tired of leaning art against the wall, this gift turns “someday” projects into finished pieces.
For the friend who prefers caffeine with their trash talk
A Philly classic, now in mug form. This ceramic “F*ck Dallas” mug from Old City’s Verde boutique says what every Eagles fan already feels — proudly, loudly, and without apology. Whether it’s for game-day coffee or Monday-morning recovery, it’s an unforgettable kitchen companion. It’s durable, dishwasher safe, and locally made.
For the friend who’s ready to swap potholes for petals
When winter in Philly starts to feel endless, the Philadelphia Flower Show is pure therapy. Give them a dose of green with tickets to this annual spectacle of blooms, installations, and floral art that transforms the Convention Center into a full-on paradise. Rooted, next year’s theme when the show returns Feb. 28-March 8, will be a place to wander, breathe, and maybe start believing in spring again.
For the friend who’s always making something — or wants to start
Philly is full of creative corners where you can learn just about any craft, from needlepoint to natural dyeing. Rittenhouse Needlepoint hosts hands-on workshops for beginners, while Wild Hand in Mount Airy offers everything from wheel spinning to basket weaving. At Modest Transitions, students can explore the art of botanical fabric-dyeing using plants and natural pigments. Gift a class (or a gift card) and you’re not just giving a new skill — you’re giving a creative outlet, a reason to unplug, and maybe a few new friends.
For the friend who moved away but still talks about Wawa
Send them a care package that tastes (and looks) like home. The City of Brotherly Love Basket from the Pennsylvania General Store is overflowing with Philly classics — from Tastykakes, Uncle Jerry’s Hard Pretzels, and Melrose Diner Butter Cookies to Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, Mike & Ike’s, and Herr’s chips. There’s even a Philadelphia LOVE mug, a replica Liberty Bell, and a mini U.S. Constitution tucked inside for good measure. It’s the ultimate sampler of city pride — part snack stash, part nostalgia trip.
For the friend whose home always smells (and looks) amazing
Father-and-sons team John, Dane, and Luciano Luttmann of Artifaqt are masters of craft, creating some of the most beautiful (and delightfully weird) home goods in the region. Their hand-poured candles, shaped like hyperrealistic corn cobs, cheese, tomatoes, and other produce, are local favorites at the Rittenhouse Farmers Market. Each one is made with sustainably sourced, Pennsylvania-based materials, and the corn looks so real you’ll want to butter it. Beyond candles, Artifaqt’s hand-carved wood bowls and smallwares are functional sculptures — warm, organic pieces crafted from local woods that make every table setting feel thoughtful and one-of-a-kind.
Give their furry friend the supermodel treatment with a professional pet portrait session by Alexa Nahas, one of Philly’s top pet photographers. Known for capturing genuine personality — from head tilts to mid-zoomies — Alexa turns four-legged chaos into frame-worthy art. She'll come to your home, meet you outdoors around the city, and she works with dogs, cats, and even the occasional rabbit.
For the friend whose pet has love for the Birds, too
Let their dog or cat show team pride with this throwback Eagles jersey, complete with the vintage lettering. Available in multiple sizes for both cats and dogs, it’s the ultimate game-day look — or for getting compliments at the park.
For the friend whose Philly pup or cat who deserves a spa day
Treat your favorite four-legged Philadelphian to a fresh cut and a good scrub at Doggie Style Pets, with grooming services available for both dogs and cats. Their expert groomers handle everything from nail trims and baths to full-on makeovers, all while using gentle, pet-safe products. With locations across the city and a mission that supports local rescues, it’s a gift that pampers and gives back.
This Italian Market bakery is baking up treats fit for royalty — or at least the ruler of the living room. Melmo’s Dog Treats are handmade with natural ingredients and come in shapes ranging from bones to Phillies P’s, plus you can order custom dog cakes for birthdays, gotcha days, or just because they’re a good boy. It’s local, adorable, and guaranteed to get tails wagging.
For the friend who loves a challenge (and the skyline)
Give them a new way to admire the city with this 1,000-piece Philadelphia puzzle featuring an artful illustration of the skyline and iconic landmarks. Made in the U.S. by Lantern Press, the puzzle is printed on high-quality recycled board with crisp, vibrant color that’ll make them feel like they’re piecing together their own little Philly masterpiece.
For the friend who believes in happily ever afters
At Kiss & Tale, Collingswood’s beloved romance-only bookstore, every shelf promises a little escapism — from sweeping fantasy worlds to slow-burn love stories and everything in between. Whether you’re shopping for someone who likes their love stories full of necromancy or nerds, this shop has a swoon for everyone — plus knowledgeable booksellers who’ll hand over their next obsession faster than you can say “one-bedroom trope.”
For the friend who plays holiday music all year long
Hand-poured in Philly, this Old City Candle Co.’s Cranberry Birch candle blends tart cranberry, birchwood, and a hint of citrus for a clean, festive scent that feels like winter in the city — minus the parking struggles. Made with soy wax and a cotton wick, it burns slow and bright, filling any room with that just-right seasonal warmth.
For the friend whose home always smells like a good decision
Mount Airy Candle Co.’s small-batch soy candles have scents inspired by comfort, craft, and a touch of city soul. A standout: Figs & Pink Pepper, a rich, layered blend of caramelized brown sugar, pink peppercorns, and dark musk that feels equal parts sophisticated and cozy — like a dinner party that lingers long after dessert. Each Mount Airy candle burns clean and long, with fragrances that fill a room without overwhelming it.
For the friend who always says they need a new hobby
Loop, a cozy yarn shop on South Street, offers beginner-friendly knitting and crochet workshops where students can learn the basics (or finally master that tricky cable stitch). Each small-group class includes expert guidance, quality materials, and plenty of encouragement from fellow crafters.
For the friend whose kitchen always smells like good food and a good time
Nothing says Philly quite like a perfectly twisted, salt-covered soft pretzel — and this Soft Pretzel Tea Towel from Minor Details captures that spirit in style. The hand-drawn design breaks down every detail of the city’s signature snack — from the coarse salt to the figure-eight twist — all screen-printed in golden yellow ink on 100% organic, lint-free cotton. It’s as functional as it is fun: soft enough for drying dishes, sturdy enough for daily use, and pretty enough to hang on display.
At Cork & Candles, you don’t just buy candles — you make them. Guests sip wine or cocktails while choosing from more than 70 custom scents, blending their own signature fragrance, and pouring it into a jar to take home. With cozy, mood-lit studios in Center City, University City, Ardmore, and King of Prussia, it’s part creative therapy session, part night out.
Philly chef–turned–soap maker Melissa Torre founded Vellum Street Soap Co. on the belief that great skin care shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense. Her small-batch soaps, moisturizers, and candles are made using rescued ingredients from local restaurants and bakeries — think coffee grounds, herbs, and even upcycled animal fats — turning what would’ve been waste into something luxe and sustainable. Her best-selling Fat Marshmallow soap blends biocompatible tallow, vanilla bean, marshmallow root, and honey. Torre’s work proves that skin care can be local, ethical, and a little bit indulgent.
Crafted by Philly-based perfumer Alex Rodriguez, Freedom by RDZ Parfums is a daring unisex fragrance inspired by the Liberty Bell that walks the line between bold and subtle. With top notes that evoke open skies and base notes that rest on warm skin, it’s meant to be a signature, not just a spray. Encased in a sleek 100-mL bottle, it’s a local luxury gift that smells like confidence and leaves a quiet trail of intention.
For the friend who wears their Philly grit on their sleeve — and their shoulder
Handmade by Philly artist and former restaurant worker Katie Henry, Made by Hank bags have become a bona fide local obsession. Crafted from durable duck canvas (sourced from one of only two mills left in the U.S.) and adorned with Henry’s signature triangle patterns, each bag is stitched in her South Philly studio — and spotted everywhere from Palizzi Social Club to Paris. They’re the kind of accessory that tells a story: a little tough, a little soft, and entirely Philly.
For the friend who wears her heart and city in every piece
Lauren Priori’s collection is handcrafted in Rittenhouse and owned by women who know what real style means. Whether it’s earrings, rings, or layered necklaces, each piece brings modern elegance with personal touches — like subtle engravings, gemstones with local stories, or minimalist shapes that carry weight. Give them something that’s more than adornment — it’s identity.
For the friend who is a Swiftie and finds comfort in cashmere
Lingua Franca’s new hand-embroidered sweater is an ode to the love between Berks County’s most famous local — Taylor Swift — and Jason Kelce’s brother. The English teacher x gym teacher crewneck is made from sustainably sourced cashmere and comes in eight color options. The next-best thing to being invited to the wedding, basically.
For the friend who has a great view of the Ben Franklin Bridge
This vibrant, three-panel Philadelphia skyline print turns any wall into a love letter to the city. Each 16×16-inch canvas is stretched over a solid wood frame and ready to hang — no framing fuss required. The bold colors and crisp skyline lines make it a perfect statement piece for a living room, office, or that one blank wall begging for some Philly pride. It’s lightweight, durable, and easy to clean (because life happens).
For the friend who treats skin care like self-care (and science)
Founded by Adeline Koh and based in South Philly’s Bok Building, Sabbatical Beauty blends the effectiveness of Korean skin care with the heart of small-batch, handmade production. Their products — including the favorite Cleansing Oil — are crafted with high concentrations of active ingredients designed to actually work. You can email the team for personalized product recommendations based on your skin type and concerns, making it feel like your own skin care concierge service.
For the friend who wears their story on their skin
This one’s for the ink lovers. The Philadelphia Tattoo Convention brings together hundreds of tattoo artists from around the world — plus live demos, contests, and enough buzzing needles to make your mom nervous. It returns Jan. 23-25 to the Convention Center. Whether they’re adding to their sleeve or just dreaming about their first piece, they’ll find endless inspiration (and maybe their next artist).
Our Philadelphia gift categories are defined by the specific interests, hobbies, and unique lifestyles of the recipients, often incorporating strong elements of local Philadelphia pride and culture. Our list curates recommendations based on the receiver’s likes and tastes, from gifts for kids and gifts for pet lovers to gifts for Philly sports fans and food fanatics. If you’re looking for a gift for your mom, you can find that here, but you’ll have to know what she likes. We asked our staff to recommend their ideal Philly gifts, and from that list, came up with nine different categories: the Foodie, the Sports Fanatic, the Homebody, the Trendsetter, the Traveler, the Fitness Buff, the Pet Lover, the One Who Has It All, and the Kid. We included a mix of items and experiences, but the common theme is that they all integrate local Philadelphia identity, businesses, and specific city experiences into every category.
In 2005, Christine Cox just wanted to hire exciting choreographers to make new work on dancers who, at the time, were mostly her friends and colleagues picking up extra work in their off time from Pennsylvania Ballet.
She had little idea that she was creating a Philadelphia institution.
“I was a really short-term planner,” said Cox, 56, whose contemporary ballet company, BalletX, is celebrating 20 years. “I just wanted to do the next right thing.”
She tried selling the company to everybody, she said: “people sitting in a picnic at Rittenhouse Square, someone at a library, someone I met in an elevator. I literally had postcards in my back pocket.”
Once at a fair on Walnut Street, she had her team blow up hundreds of BalletX balloons and hand them out. “And I’d see all these balloons, and it was so much work” said Cox. “But you know, we were as a team, doing anything we could to spread the word, and we still continue.”
BalletX dancers, João Pedro Silva and Itzkan Barbosa rehearse.
There was no way of knowing that the troupe she started with Matthew Neenan (who later left to devote his full attention to his choreography but continues to work frequently with BalletX) would one day employe 16 dancers for an almost unheard of 52-week contract with six weeks of paid vacation time and a matching 401(k). Or that they would tour, perform frequently at the Vail Dance Festival, and have regular home seasons in Philly.
Cox would go on to commission 150 world premieres by 80 choreographers, launching some careers and bringing well-known dance makers to Philly.
BalletX will be celebrating its two decades with a pair of retrospective performances over the next two weeks at the Suzanne Roberts Theater. The first week will include excerpts of works Cox commissioned in the company’s first decade. The second will include excerpts from more recent works and then finish with a short world premiere by rehearsal director Keelan Whitmore.
BalletX dancer Eileen Kim rehearses.
In all, the performances will mark 18 new works BalletX commissioned, each in snippets of six minutes or less.
Until relatively recently, Cox didn’t realize the success she had built.
It took BalletX opening its own studio on Washington Street in 2018 for her to see it.
“When I saw the looks on people’s faces around the country, like, ‘Oh, we just opened up our own studio.’ Especially when we were in New York City. Suddenly everyone took us a little bit more seriously.
A home of one’s own is a rare success in the dance world.
Choreographer, Marguerite Donlon, center, rehearses dancers for the company’s 20th anniversary retrospective.
She is finallystarting to have a longer vision and dream.
“I am able to now say, ‘OK, I think this, this is possible.’ I always say it with hesitation, because that’s my nature, the balance between humility and confidence. It’s a fine balance. I’m also a little superstitious. I don’t want to be like, ‘We’ve got it all figured out,’ and then the next thing you know, you’re navigating out of a pandemic.”
And yet, the COVID-19 pandemic also helped shape BalletX, which was one of the first and more successful companies to do work on camera. The company continues to feature short films in every performance and will do so for the retrospective, too.
The first week’s performances will open the way BalletX launched: with the angel trio from Neenan’s Frequencies. The initial three dancers were Cox, Neenan, and Tara Keating, who is now the company’s associate artistic director.
Ballet dancers rehearse for the company’s 20th anniversary retrospective.
“It was a couple years after 9/11. The lyrics in the music, the whole piece was just unexpected to me. We ended with this beautiful trio of this really lightning, fast, energetic piece. Matt just was so bold and daring … he would take really into make really incredible choices that were not traditional. And I think that was really important in helping us define who we were.”
The program will also include Still at Life, which introduced the now widely known choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to American audiences. It will also include a piece by Edward Liang, the artistic director of Washington Ballet, along with work by Jodie Gates, Nicolo Fonte, and Jorma Elo.
The second week will feature excerpts from Trey McIntyre’s Big Ones, which got BalletX featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. It also includes work by Jo Stromgren, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Dwight Rhoden, and Jennifer Archibald. It will also feature the work of former BalletX dancer Caili Quan who, after launching her career in Philly, went on to choreograph for some of the top American companies.
At the end of the retrospective, Cox wants to launch BalletX into the future, with the world premiere of Whitmore’s work.
“I thought it’s really important to really end the night on the second program with what we do, which is the future. You know, we’re creating work.”
BalletX 20th anniversary retrospective. “Program A: The first decade,” Oct. 29-Nov. 2. “Program B: The second decade,” Nov. 5-9. Suzanne Roberts Theater. $65-$90, 215-225-5389 x250 or boxoffice@balletx.org
Philly theater darling James Ijames, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fat Ham, will return to local stages with a special spotlight next spring, with a slate of three plays running at three theaters.
Recognizing this scheduling synergy, the venues are partnering to offer a three-ticket pass, called “The Citywide James Ijames Pass.”
The first collaboration of its kind dedicated to a contemporary playwright, the pass covers the Philadelphia premiere of Good Bones at the Arden Theatre (Jan. 22 to March 8), The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at the Wilma Theater (March 17 to April 5), and the world premiere of Ijames’ latest work, Wilderness Generation, at Philadelphia Theatre Company (April 10 to May 3).
Ijames wrote all of these plays in South Philadelphia, which he considers his artistic home. This year, he left his teaching position at Villanova University to run the playwriting program at Columbia University. While that means he’s spending most of his time in New York now — though his husband, Joel Witter, still works for the Philly school district — Ijames says Philadelphia is “still very much a place where I want to continue to make art.”
“I’ve lived in Philly more than I’ve lived anywhere in my life, so it is incredibly special to me,” said the Tony-nominated playwright, a founding member of the local playwriting collective Orbiter 3.
After growing up in North Carolina and attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ijames got his MFA in acting at Temple University. He performed on stages all over the city, including at the National Constitution Center, People’s Light, and all three theaters featured in the pass.
It was during the 2012 production of Angels in America at the Wilma where he wrote Miz Martha Washington, one of his earliest plays, in the dressing room. Ijames went on to serve as one of three co-artistic directors of the Wilma, which premiered the digital production of Fat Ham — his incisive and irreverent queer reimagining of Hamlet — that earned him the 2022 Pulitzer Prize.
Flashpoint Theatre Company’s Barrymore-nominated “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington.” From left: Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., Steven Wright, Taysha Canales, and Jaylene Clark Owens surround Nancy Boykin as Martha Washington.
Photo by Ian Paul Guzzone.
In the sharp satire Miz Martha Washington, the titular first lady is on her deathbed, surrounded by the people she and her husband enslaved. With freedom inching closer — George Washington’s will promised them liberty upon his widow’s death — the Black characters appear in various hallucinations, putting Martha and her family on trial.
The play will come back to town amid Philadelphia’s celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, apt timing for a sharp satire on the Founding Fathers’ legacy of slavery.
“I think we were all kind of hoping that the world and the politics would be a little different when we first started thinking about it,” said Ijames. “But I always say, we have to look at the history directly in the face and, from that, try to imagine something different.”
Good Bones is a more contemporary story about the development of a new stadium that stands to disrupt a city neighborhood (sound familiar?). The upper-class newcomer, haunted by those who were pushed out, gets into fiery debates over gentrification with her contractor.
The Philly premiere will be directed by Ijames’ longtime friend and collaborator Akeem Davis, who starred in the Ijames-directed production of August Wilson’sKing Hedley II at the Arden earlier this year.
Arden Theatre producing artistic director Terry Nolen hopes audiences will come out to cheer on a “hometown hero.”
“Philly audiences love Philly artists, and there is so much pride for James’ success,” Nolen said in a statement.
Philly playwright James Ijames attends the 76th Annual Tony Awards at United Palace Theater on June 11, 2023, in New York City. His play “Fat Ham” had five nominations, including best play. (Photo by Cindy Ord /Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
The playwright’s newest work, Wilderness Generation, examines the relationships between cousins as Ijames, who’s close to his own cousins, wanted to spotlight that kind of family dynamic. Five cousins reunite at their grandmother’s house in the South to help her downsize; while there, they unpack a painful family history and confront the damage of their relatives’ behavior as they try to forge a future together.
Ijames wrote the work with Philadelphia Theatre Company co-artistic directors Taibi Magar and Tyler Dobrowsky in mind. Though Ijames has performed at PTC before, this world premiere marks the first time a play he wrote will grace its stage.
“I am where I am because a lot of theaters in Philadelphia took a chance on me,” said Ijames. He hopes future collaborations can highlight more “really brilliant folks” writing new plays in Philly.
“I hope a thing that happens as a result of this is a Jackie Goldfinger package one day, a Michael Hollinger package, an Erlina Ortiz package, [and] an AZ Espinoza package.”
The three-play pass costs $130, about $43 per ticket, and includes preferred seating, flexible ticket changes, parking discounts, and member benefits at each theater, as well as exclusive swag — a yellow beanie, inspired by Ijames’ personal style. Passes are available online or at the TKTS booth at the Independence Visitor Center.
Dyresha Harris is a Halloween enthusiast. Every year, Harris, 43, of Cobbs Creek, and her partner, Eo Trueblood, go all out. Over the years, they’ve decorated the house with everything from a 20-foot scary robot, a reenactment of the Netflix show Stranger Things, and as an underwater cave.
And every year, Harris hears the same things from her proud Philly neighbors: “See,” they say, “you don’t have to go out to the suburbs to have a good Halloween.”
This year, Harris, who works as a summer camp director, is making sure of it. She’s organized the West Philly Fright Registry, a webpage and map dedicated to everything “Wicked in West,” as it advertises, with a directory of nearly 100 businesses and homes offering tricks or treats, decorations, or Halloween events for families.
Screen image of the West Philly Fright Registry website, which maps out nearly 100 homes and businesses for families to enjoy on Halloween.
“Halloween is the only American holiday that has this element of interacting with your neighborhood and specifically going door-to-door interacting with the folks who live all around you. And no one does creativity, joy, and community quite like the folks in West do!”
To make the point, Harris biked up and down the neighborhood cataloging all the homes and businesses worthy of Halloween shout-outs, making sure to get their permissions before adding them to the directory.
Mind you, this is no directions-scrawled-on-the-back-of-a-Halloween-napkin map that Harris has created. A map legend with ghoul and pumpkin icons highlights what spots will be decorated and handing out candy treats. The directory highlights special neighborhood Halloween events, with times and details.
“I thought a map would be a fun way to hype each other up, promote block pride, and showcase the creativity of our neighborhood while helping trick-or-treaters get the most fun out of their Halloween season,” she said.
Just before they were set to make their derby debut, Jake Poeske and Jack Gentry suffered a crushing blow: Their package of bird costumes was stolen.
Last-minute Big Bird Halloween onesies would have to suffice.
The duo had welded, papier-mâchéd, and crafted their way to the start line of the 17th Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, a uniquely Philadelphian tradition where absurd human-powered contraptions — no motors, no nothing, just people — travel a three-mile course with obstacles, and then face the final boss, a mud pit.
The derby was the centerpiece of Saturday’s all-day arts festival on Frankford Avenue, celebrating the East Kensington and Fishtown corridors’ creative, kitschy flair and pride, said Marc Collazzo, executive director of the Fishtown Kensington Area Business Improvement District, which puts on the event.
“There’s unfortunately a lot of negative views of what this neighborhood is,” he said, “and it doesn’t give enough highlight or spotlight on the people that are here — the people that really have invested their time, talent, and treasure to live, shop, and work here.”
Collazzo added: “We have people coming from all over the region to really see the good that Kensington is.”
Poeske and Gentry’s entry, “The Early Bird Doesn’t Catch the Worm,” was a punny nod to the Philadelphia Eagles. Poeske welded two bikes side-by-side, built a steel frame wrapped in chicken wire and stuffed it with twigs and hay, creating a bird’s nest. Gentry donned a handmade cockatoo head, while Poeske was an eagle.
Two worms rode alongside. Francis Poeske fashioned pink pantyhose stuffed with towels and shirts to his helmet and repurposed a pink velour The Cheetah Girls outfit for his grub couture.
Jake Poeske and Jack Gentry navigate through a mud pit obstacle at the 17th annual Kensington Derby on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.Jake Poeske and Jack Gentry depart for the 17th annual Kensington Derby on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.
But before the derby kicked off, a rivalry was already brewing: Travis Schattle, a kinetic artist, also channeled the Birds for his rig, an eagle sculpture whose wings moved in tandem with his bike.
“We don’t have worms — you can quote me on that,” he said.
Schattle, who’s competed in the derby twice before, was in pursuit of glory this year: Make it through the mud pit in style. (Schattle originally envisioned Jason Kelce as the rider, and said he even reached out to the Kelce brothers’ beer company for a sponsorship to no avail.)
“We just want to make it to the mud pit,” Gentry said.
“What happens in the mud pit? We will see,” said Poeske.
Building a slurry, sloppy mud pit on a main drag requires roughly three tons of soil and lots of water, said George Mathes this year’s pitmaster and owner of neighborhood business Thunderbird Salvage. The mud is a staple of the derby, and the pit’s consistency received harsh scrutiny from spectators.
“The mud needs more water,” one woman heckled. Eventually, the crowd demanded, “Hose it down! Hose it down!”
Still, the mud pit claimed a few victims. Prophetically, a SEPTA train got stuck. The shark from Jaws — or “Jaw(n)s,” as it was aptly named — and his tuba accompanist sank. A Newsies-esque barkeeper who attempted to make cocktails along the route was ejected from his carriage, then dove and flopped into the mud.
A derby rider wipes out in a mud pit at the 17th annual Kensington Derby on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.
By Schattle’s turn, the crowd was amped, and the air smelled of Philadelphia Brewing Co. beer, incense, and brisket. Schattle’s eagle elicited many chants of “Go Birds” and “E-A-G-L-E-S” from festivalgoers, as he soared across the mud pit.
Travis Schattle, 33, rides his Eagles-themed vehicle through a mud pit at the 17th annual Kensington Derby on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Glory achieved.
“We flew to victory,” Schattle said postgame. “We got people flapping their wings.”
While roller-blading worm Kangeun Seo wiped out, Poeske and Gentry successfully flew their coop over the pit.
“I accomplished what I wanted to do: I made it through the end and we made it through the mud,” Gentry said.
Kanguen Seo, 29, is covered in mud after crashing through a mud pit at the 17th annual Kensington Derby on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.
A panel of lab-coat-and-goggle-wearing judges scored the participants’ pit performances based on design, durability, and dynamism. Schattle ultimately ended up taking home third place. Poeske and Gentry got second — one point short of the champions, The UnderTowed barkeepers, who earned a perfect score.
Accepting their trophy, one barkeeper dangled a cigarette from his lips and held up a Pabst Blue Ribbon.
And any jocular rivalry between the dueling birds seemed quashed.
“There can always be more birds in the city,” Gentry said.
Next week is the Eagles’ bye, and when the Birds come back they’ll play five straight national games — three in prime time, one in the late afternoon window on Fox, and one on Black Friday.
They won’t have another 1 p.m. kickoff until Week 15, when they host the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) at the Linc on Dec. 14. That could also be their last, with two games against the Washington Commanders (3-4) yet to be scheduled.
In Week 16, the Birds will play the Commanders on Saturday, Dec. 20, which will be either a 4:30 p.m. or an 8 p.m. kickoff. They’ll also face the Commanders in Week 18, a game that could be elevated to late afternoon or even prime time, depending on what’s at stake.
So why did the NFL lump the Eagles’ two Commanders games into a three-week span at the end of the season? Onnie Bose, the NFL’s vice president of broadcasting (and a Lower Merion High School grad), said the league tries to schedule as many divisional games late in the season as possible, and it just rolled out this way for the Eagles.
“Division games late in the season matter,” Bose told The Inquirer in May. “Playing a team in the division twice in three weeks might feel like a lot, but it does happen.”
The remaining schedule also means it’s not likely you’ll see the Eagles flexed into Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football this season, unless the Raiders somehow become a compelling story over the next eight weeks.
Tom Brady is back to call his third Eagles game. It won’t be his last.
Tom Brady ahead of the Eagles’ Week 4 game against the Buccaneers on Sept. 28.
Eagles fans will hear a familiar voice Sunday.
Super Bowl LII loser Tom Brady will be in the booth for Fox, calling his third Birds game this season. If that seems like a lot, that’s because it is — last year Brady called just two Eagles games during the regular season (though he added three playoff games, including the Super Bowl).
And it won’t be Brady’s last Birds game — he’s slated to call the Eagles’ Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 23 and Philly’s trip to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 17 on Dec. 28.
Joining Brady will be play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt, who is also hosting Fox’s pre- and postgame World Series coverage. Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the Linc.
The last time Fox’s No. 1 crew called at least five Eagles games in one regular season was back in 2014, when Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were still at the network.
Traditionally, Fox broadcast NFC games and interconference games where the NFC team was on the road. In 2023, the league loosened up those restrictions, but Fox is still guaranteed a certain number of Eagles games every season (including at least one Birds game against each divisional opponent).
How to stream Eagles-Giants
Eagles-Giants will stream on Fox One, Fox’s new subscription streaming service. It will also stream on the Fox Sports app, though you need to log in with your cable provider.
If you’re looking to stream the game for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is to use a digital antenna, since the game will air on broadcast television on Fox 29.
Eagles-Giants will also air on the radio on 94.1 WIP, with Merrill Reese and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick on the call. WIP host Devan Kaney will report from the sidelines.
Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, and Dave Gerhardt will call the game in Spanish on La Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia, 93.9 FM in Atlantic City, and 103.3 FM in Vineland/Millville.
Both radio broadcasts can be streamed from anywhere on the Eagles’ website, while fans in Philly can also stream them on the Eagles app.
Eagles look to remain undefeated in kelly green
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts warms up next to the Kelly green logo before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.
When the Birds take the field Sunday afternoon, they’ll be decked out in their throwback kelly green uniforms.
It’s the first of three games in which the Eagles will wear their classic, fan-favorite jerseys, which they’ll also don in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 18 against the Washington Commanders.
Despite that, the classic jerseys have been good luck for the current Eagles squad. Since bringing them back in 2023, the Birds are 4-0 while wearing kelly green.
The Eagles were technically wearing kelly green throwbacks during a 2010 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but those were replicas of the Birds’ 1960-era jerseys.
Eagles will remain in first place through the bye
Nick Sirianni has the third-best coaching record (53-22, 0.707 pct.) in the Super Bowl era (minimum 50 games).
NFC East standings
The Eagles enter Week 8 atop the NFC East and will remain there through next week’s bye, regardless of what happens Sunday against the Giants.
If the Eagles lose and the Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos, the Birds will still have a higher winning percentage. Even if they had the same record, the Eagles defeated the Cowboys in Week 1, so the Birds hold the tiebreaker. They’ll play again in Dallas in Week 12 on Nov. 23.
The Commanders are two games back of the Eagles, so win or lose against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, there’s no way for Washington to overtake the Birds anytime soon.
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NFC standings
It’s crowded at the top of the NFC.
Thanks to their tie against the Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers currently sit in first place because of their higher winning percentage.
The Eagles are one of six teams with a 5-2 record heading into Week 8, but they find themselves in third place behind the 49ers because San Francisco has a better conference record (5-1 vs. 4-1).
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Other NFL Week 8 games on TV in Philly
Aaron Rodgers will face the Packers for the first time since being traded away in 2023.
Benita Valente, 91, a revered lyric soprano whose voice thrilled listeners with its purity and seeming effortlessness, died Friday night at home in Philadelphia, said her son, Pete Checchia. In a remarkable four-decade career, she appeared on the opera stage, in chamber music, and with orchestras.
In the intimate genre of lieder — especially songs by Schubert and Brahms — she was considered one of America’s great recitalists.
Even during an era of towering, individualistic voices, Ms. Valente stood out as something special. With pinpoint-precise technique, she deployed no vocal cheats or affectations. Her recognizable sound and honest approach were adored by aficionados.
“She is as gifted a singer as we have today, worldwide,” wrote John Rockwell in the New York Times in 1983.
Her voice had a natural quality, said pianist Richard Goode, who recalled that it was Ms. Valente who introduced him to the lieder repertoire. “There was an extraordinary distinctive sweetness of the timbre. Very clear pitch. Very focused,” said Goode, who recorded with her. ”And a kind of natural charm that came through in everything that she sang.”
Pianist Rudolf Serkin with soprano Benita Valente at Marlboro Music, 1960s.
A longtime resident of Rittenhouse Square, Ms. Valente sang in the opera houses of San Francisco, Santa Fe, N.M., Germany, and Italy, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She appeared with the Metropolitan Opera more than 70 times between 1960 and 1992 — as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Almirena in Handel’s Rinaldo, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and others.
With the Juilliard String Quartet, she gave the world premiere of Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 3 in 1974, and was the voice for the Juilliard’s recording of Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2 in a collection that won a 1978 Grammy Award.
In 1999, she became the first vocalist to win Chamber Music America’s Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award.
Critics pronounced her voice “incomparable” and “almost miraculously lovely.”
She had something more: “that special projection of personality that distinguishes the great artist,” the Times wrote.
The artist had her beginnings as a self-described shy tomboy growing up on her uncle’s farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Ms. Valente was born Oct. 19, 1934, in Delano, Calif., the daughter of an Italian father and a Swiss mother. A high school teacher noticed her gifts and recommended her to Lotte Lehmann, and as a teenager she traveled from home to Santa Barbara to study with the celebrated soprano and Lehmann’s brother, vocal coach Fritz Lehmann.
“She didn’t know what to do with me,” Ms. Valente told The Inquirer. “I’d sing something she thought was very touching, and then there were lapses where I was as green as all get-out. She finally said, ‘I have contacts in Hollywood, I could get you to a screen test. I think you’d do very well.’ But I wanted to go into opera.”
Benita Valente with her husband, Anthony P. Checchia, at the Marlboro Music Festival.
It was Fritz Lehmann who suggested that she audition for the Curtis Institute of Music with Mozart, and she got in. Ms. Valente attended Curtis from 1955 to 1960, where her primary teacher was French baritone Martial Singher, and later studied with Wagnerian soprano/mezzo-soprano Margaret Harshaw. She was still a student when she won a Philadelphia Orchestra student competition that brought a 1958 debut with the orchestra.
The next year she married Anthony P. Checchia, a bassoonist she met at the Marlboro Music Festival who would go on to lead both Marlboro and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. They became one of classical music’s power couples, and had a special understanding because of their modest backgrounds — he from Tacony, she from a farm — said their son. “I remember my dad pulling over on Lombard Street once when she was on the radio. He was more nervous than she was,” Pete Checchia said. Anthony Checchia died in 2024.
Ms. Valente became a regular soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, appearing with the ensemble 60 times — in core repertoire of Mozart and Beethoven, but also in contemporary works. She gave the world premiere in 1981 of David del Tredici’s All in the Golden Afternoon from Child Alice, Part II, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphians.
The work was in an ecstatic, neo-romantic musical language, thickly orchestrated with amplified soprano. Ms. Valente’s performance was “an essay in vocal purity,” wrote Inquirer music critic Daniel Webster.
For the Academy of Music 130th Anniversary Concert in 1987, she sang an evening of Puccini arias with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by legendary conductor Klaus Tennstedt. ‘’O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi seemed an ideal choice, Webster wrote, “in which her sun-filled voice illuminated the joyous text.”
American soprano singer Benita Valente, Germany, 1970s.
Ms. Valente was soloist the previous season for one of the orchestra’s most notorious programs. She was Mélisande in a concert version of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at which an unusual number of listeners, apparently unimpressed with one of Western civilization’s great achievements, walked out. One man in the Academy of Music’s second row stretched out a newspaper and was asked to leave, she recalled.
“It has too much mystery, that Pelléas,” Ms. Valente told The Inquirer years later, pointing out that the audience seemed similarly disenchanted with the work at a Metropolitan Opera performance she attended.
Ms. Valente was never a household name, which often confounded critics. Some put it down to her lack of diva-ness. But it was perhaps more the fact that Ms. Valente was never a careerist. She was known to turn down prestigious opportunities — like a chance to sing Berg’s Altenberglieder with the Boston Symphony Orchestra — when she felt the part was not right for her voice.
She retired from singing in 2000 and was awarded an honorary degree from Curtis in 2001.
Benita Valente with soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon in 2021.
Ms. Valente taught and mentored young singers.
“She was so meticulous about connecting the vowels and would listen in between the notes to how you got from one note to the next,” said soprano Sarah Shafer, who studied with Ms. Valente at Marlboro and in Philadelphia. “That trained my ear and my voice to pay attention to those things and brought me to a different level of detail.”
Her knowledge of the repertoire was vast, said pianist Lydia Brown, with whom Ms. Valente worked in vocal coachings at Marlboro and the Met. “Every rehearsal she came to was a piece she had sung many times, or she commissioned it or premiered it. There were so few pieces that Benita didn’t have active performing knowledge of.”
In recordings she is particularly renowned for a collection of Handel and Mozart duets with soprano Tatiana Troyanos; Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ with the Juilliard String Quartet; and two discs in Bridge Records’ “Great Singers of the 20th Century” series, including a classic recording of Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock” with pianist Rudolf Serkin and clarinetist Harold Wright.
“She was in the old-school style of singing, where the singer is just a vessel for the music. Not selfish, not about herself, she was just delivering the music in as clear and undistorted a way as possible,” said Shafer, who learned “The Shepherd on the Rock” from Ms. Valente and has made it a calling card of her own.
”The result is this sparkly, silver jewel of her voice that you hear in these recordings. There’s just no singing like it now.”
In addition to her son, the Philadelphia photographer Pete Checchia, Ms. Valente is survived by her “daughter by choice,” Eliza Batlle, Checchia said. A memorial concert is planned for a later date.
There were Irish step-dancing vampires and opera-singing vampires. Vampires who claim to hunt billionaires and vampires who moonlight as emergency medical technicians. And, in at least one instance, a vampire who doubled as a heavyweight champ.
Such was the lineup of the first-ever Miss American Vampire Philadelphia pageant, where 13 wannabe bloodsuckers donned their best vampiric drag to compete inside heavy metal bar Doom Friday night. Contestants were thirsty to show that vampires contain multitudes (and, perhaps, for a little bit of blood).
Back then, MGM hosted the regional beauty competition to promote the movie House of Dark Shadows, with finalists going on to compete in Los Angeles for title of Miss American Vampire and a guest-starring role on the long-running vampire soap opera Dark Shadows. Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather won the crown, though she never redeemed her prize.
The stakes of Doom’s pageant were far lower than a TV appearance and eternal life, though just as competitive. Contestants were judged by a panel of full-time goths and burlesque performers on their creativity and vampiric presence as they competed in the standard pageant categories: A costume parade, an interview, and a dark art — or talent with a touch of the occult.
The crowd reacts as Ezra Markel’s vampire persona “Isolde the Saturnine” eats the human heart she concocted during the talent portion of the Miss American Vampire Pageant at heavy metal bar Doom in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
Prizes included $100 cash, a new set of fangs, and comic books donated from Atomic City Comics. Skull and mixed metal artist Sue Moerder prepared a Bob Mackie-inspired gothic crown, with feathers and pearls sprouting from an arrangement of ornate obsidian gems.
“Vampires represent the alternative, the occult, the bat-brained, the gothic … [people] on the outskirts of civilization,” Delgado told The Inquirer. “We just wanted to show that this bar is a safe cave for vampires to commune.”
Both floors at 421 N. 7th St. were packed as contestants flitted across the makeshift stage in costumes that highlighted the full expanse of vampire-dom. There were homages to both the German and Transylvanian versions of Dracula in peasant blouses and bejeweled collars, as well as more contemporary interpretations, with floor-length evening gowns, corseted waistlines, and lots of red lips.
Lilith Lobotomy — a blue-haired vamp whose bio alleged she bakes cakes and stalks billionaires — was an immediate favorite, earning thunderous applause when she turned away from the audience to drop her floor length duster. Emblazoned in sparkling blood red font on the back of her black dress was the phrase “Eat the rich.”
Logan Laudenslager performs as “Lilith Lobotomy” during the talent portion of the Miss American Vampire pageant held at Doom. She performed a rendition of “Phantom of the Opera.”
Madame Lobotomy would go on to win the coveted title of Miss Off Putting — Delgado’s spin on Miss Congeniality — after belting out the song “The Phantom of the Opera” while twirling a lit candelabra.
She was still no match for Norah Morse, who took home the Miss American Vampire Philadelphia crown after shocking the judges with her interview. When asked how she prepared for the competition, Morse scoffed.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said in a thick Transylvanian accent. “I’m a vampire and I showed up.”
Contestants get ready backstage to performing during the Miss American Vampire Pageant at heavy metal bar Doom.
Judge and burlesque performer Caress Deville said Morse represented the commitment she was looking for. “I was gagged,” Deville said. “That’s exactly how you would answer if you were a real vampire.”
During her crowning, Morse’s human mother rushed to the front of the crowd to take photos. Even vampires, it seems, yearn for mom’s approval.
In the world of us mortals, Morse goes by Alex Decker, a 29-year-old from Bellmawr who has been drawn to vampires since she was a child. Decker lives with contamination OCD, she said, and envies the freedom of the undead.
“Life would be a lot easier if I was a vampire who could just drink blood all the time,” Decker said. “I have been weird and creepy and insane my entire life.”
Jenna Painter, of Willow Grove, performed as a naughty ‘Count Orlok” during the Miss American Vampire Pageant at heavy metal bar Doom, throwing off a trench coat to reveal a leotard and garters.
Competing to be America’s next top vampire
For some contestants, Miss American Vampire Philadelphia was an opportunity to transform their mortal selves into bolder and braver versions that were battle-tested from centuries of living.
When Doom announced the pageant on Instagram in early October, the post received more than 4,500 likes, Delgado said, and hundreds of shares. More than 50 hopefuls sent in applications via a Google form that asked for their vampiric backstory and talent, forcing Holden and Delgado to spend hours deliberating.
Delgado was unsurprised that the pageant took off. They were, however, shocked by the lack of trolling.
“I didn’t know how serious everyone who applied was at first,” Delgado said. “It’s supposed to be campy.”
On Friday, the beauty competition toed the line between a drag show and an actual Miss America preliminary. The judges pressed contestants on tough questions, such as how they choose their victims, and if it’s ethical to let them live post blood-sucking.
For Mira Castigin, of Camden, the most important quality to look for in a vampire is fun.
“What’s the point in being immortal if you let life pass you by?” she told the crowd.
Castigin’s vampiric persona is Elmira, a bewitching goth girl who shares Castigin’s day job as an EMT in hopes of atoning for her sins. The competition was an excuse for Castigin to air out some special pieces from her vintage clothing collection, including a petticoat and a pair of London Underground shoes.
Mira Castigin’s vamprie persona “Elmira” is applauded after performing during the Miss American Vampire Pageant at heavy metal bar Doom. For her talent, Castigin sang opera.
“I think it’s always fun to do your makeup and get dressed up no matter what day it is,“ Castigin, 25, of Camden, said. ”And this is like a more thought-out version of that.”
Castigin opened the talent portion by singing an operatic aria, setting up the audience for a night of bewitching tricks. One vampire played the violin, while another danced an Irish jig to a Type O Negative song. Cassius King — a silent movie star turned vampire — wowed the audience by performing feats of strength, at one point picking up his assistant and turning him upside down.
Rachel Rushmore — aka “Vampire Rachel” of Philadelphia — waits backstage during the Miss American Vampire Pageant at heavy metal bar Doom.
Rachel Rushmore, 34, of Fishtown, had a simpler talent, using sleight of hand to summon a tiny bat. Rushmore said she felt called to compete after 15 friends — including several who don’t even live in Philly — sent her Doom’s Instagram post.
Onstage, Rushmore transformed from mortal Rachel to Vampire Rachel, a temptress and philanthropist who had been around since “the age of powdered wigs and Ben Franklin.” Vampire Rachel wears maroon floor-length gowns and bedazzles her face with gems borrowed from Marie Antoinette. The real-life version works in children’s book publishing and had never performed in front of a crowd before.
“I called myself Vampire Rachel because it’s hard for me to be somebody who I’m not,” Rushmore said. “Tonight I’m Rachel, but more.”
When Malala Yousafzai hit world headlines in 2012, she was 15 and lying comatose in a hospital in Birmingham, England. She had been shot in the head by Taliban militants while on her way back from school after an exam, in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
“I was getting defined as a brave, courageous activist, a girl who stood up to the Taliban and fighting for girls’ education. But I had still not opened my eyes and figured out what had happened, where I was supposed to now live and restart my life,” said Yousafzai, 28, whose new memoir, Finding My Way, came out this month.
Malala Yousafzai’s “Finding My Way” is a delightfully candid memoir of her journey through her teen years, finding love, defying expectations, and reconnecting with her mission to empower girls.
The book begins with the words, “I’ll never know who I was supposed to be.”
She thinks about that often.
“Maybe I would have lived a life where I felt less pressure and didn’t have to meet so many expectations. But then, I would be facing so many challenges in my own education, let alone fighting for other girls.”
Earlier this year, the first class of girls graduated from the high school she started in her native village of Mingora. “The first class in the whole village,” she asserted, breaking into a smile on Zoom.
Delightfully candid, the memoir speaks of Yousafzai’s high school years in Birmingham. She struggled to make friends. “By the end of it, I had only made one friend,” she said.
Apparently, a Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t make you cool enough. “Not with friendships anyway,” she said. “Maybe the work you want to do for girls’ education, but not with making friends.”
Malala Yousafzai during her years at the University of Oxford, where, in the summer of 2018, she met Asser Malik, her now husband
The memoir details her college years in Oxford, where she nursed heartbreaks, smoked weed, met Asser Malik whom she’d eventually marry, and, yes, made friends.
As one reads on, the eternal image of the 15-year-old in a veil splashed across TV screens and newspapers, slowly begins to shift. Yousafzai has stepped into womanhood, and she has embraced all the heartbreak and hormones that come with it and is not ashamed to talk about it.
“In a way, this is a reintroduction of me,” said the author. “I have talked about my love life, friendships, and mental health. It’s been a wild ride from nearly failing my exams to getting ghosted by my crush, to reconnecting with my mission of educating girls.”
Malala Yousafzai at her matriculation at University of Oxford, where she studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Lady Margaret Hall.
For someone who won a Nobel at 17, topped school in Pakistan, and became a beacon of hope for girls who dream of getting an education, talking about almost failing in college wasn’t easy.
“I realized that I cannot miss this opportunity to prioritize making friends,” she said, recalling sitting in the library and looking outside to see friends sitting in the sun and laughing.
“I realized I wanted to be with them more than anything … It’s not just about having fun and socializing. I think learning from people can be life-changing, and it can stay with you forever.”
Malala Yousafzai during her years at University of Oxford, where she joined all the societies she could find and took up rowing
At Oxford, she attended Lady Margaret Hall, studied philosophy, politics, and economics, took up rowing, joined every society that she could find, organized social events, and attended parties.
It’s also where, in the summer of 2018, she met Malik through mutual friends and bonded over a shared love for cricket.
After a string of secret dates, a desire to never get married, and an eventual change of heart, she decided to tell her parents.
Malala Yousafzai (right) with her family in England on Oct. 10, 2018. From left: Father Ziauddin, brothers Atal and Khushal, and mother Toor Pekai.
She first told her forever cheerleader and father, Ziauddin, who was a schoolteacher back home in Pakistan, and asked him not to tell her mother, Toor Pekai, just yet.
“Because I knew she would freak out.”
Her father, she said, “took no pause and called my mom. I was like, ‘Dad, how could you do this?’ And then my mom told me off.” It felt like a betrayal. But eventually, “after all of that hide and seek, they finally approved us.”
“I love my mom,” said Yousafzai. “Her upbringing, childhood, and experiences were so different from mine. I understand her fears, and that she wants to protect me. We constantly have these conversations. I keep telling her that we have to resist these pressures, so we can make it comfortable for more girls to be able to express themselves.”
Malala Yousafzai visiting a Pakistani classroom as part of the Higher Education Readiness (HER) program.
Toor Pekai, her daughter says, is “a work in progress.”
“She just started reading the book. So we’ll find out how much more work needs to be done on her,” Yousafzai said with a laugh.
She and Malik were married in 2021, but it wasn’t an obvious decision just because they had dated for a while. Yousafzai, running schools for girls in Pakistan and Lebanon, wondered if “embracing love and taking a big decision like marriage” would take away from everything she had achieved.
Asser Malik and Malala Yousafzai on their wedding day in November 2021 at her parents’ home in Birmingham, England.
“I had so many questions and doubts about marriage. We all know the issue of forced marriages and child marriage. We also know how, historically, marriage has meant more compromises for women. So I took my time, I did my research, I learned, and more than anything, I asked Asser questions.”
One of them was, “What if I earn more than you?”
“He would say something like, ‘If my wife earns more than me, I’ll be the luckiest husband, and I would love to just sit at home and enjoy my life.’ So I was like, ‘Wow, this guy is funny as well.’”
“We need better men, better boys,” said Yousafzai.
Which she said, makes her Team Conrad, referring to the Prime Video show The Summer I Turned Pretty that she binge-watched with Malik.
For someone who was forced out of her home country, she has now learned to find a sense of belonging. “It is the home that we have in Birmingham now, where my family lives. It is when I’m with my friends, or when I’m with my husband, and we have a moment of joy together. It’s when we’re watching our favorite TV show, or holding hands. All of that is now home to me.”
Her book tour brings her to Philadelphia on Tuesday, where she’ll be in conversation with Kylie Kelce.
“I’m really excited to be in Philadelphia,” said the cricket fan, “and open to going to an Eagles game. I don’t think I’ve been to any of the games.
“What is it called? American football?”
“Malala Yousafzai: Finding My Way Book Tour,” Oct. 28, 8 p.m., the Fillmore, 29 E. Allen St., Phila., livenation.com
