Mark the date: On Saturday, March 27, Smith Memorial Playground opens its Playground gates for all kinds of fun kicking spring into high gear and bringing back the F-U-N to one of the state’s premier facilities for safe childhood play.
The 6-and-a-half acre Playground and nature respite in East Fairmount Park is ready to safely play, learn, unplug, and heal. On March 27, Smith will reopen its Playground gates for Play-A-Palooza, a special Playground season kickoff celebration featuring socially distanced programs that include a brand new “Play Path” outdoor exploration space; nature play, dance, and arts activities; and book and snack giveaways. Families may also drop off musical instrument and book donations to be distributed city-wide by Musicopia and Treehouse Books. This event will adhere to the latest CDC and government regulations for outdoor events. In the event of rain, Play-A-Palooza will be held on Sunday, March 28 from 12pm-4pm and Smith’s free Spring visiting hours will begin after this event date.
Play-A-Palooza programming is presented by Let’s Go Outdoors, Musicopia and Dancing Classrooms, Northeast Treatment Centers, and Uplift Center for Grieving Children. In addition, Smith will be a featured stop on the maiden voyage of Tree House Books’ “Traveling Tree House”, a mobile, interactive book giveaway experience created in response to literacy and educational disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Snacks, drinks, and Spring decorations generously provided by Herr’s, Wawa, and Primex Garden Center.
Pre-registration is highly encouraged. Walk ups to this event may be subject to long wait times or denied entry to keep our total capacity within CDC and state safety guidelines. Admission is $10 per child (accompanying adults free) or free for current Smith members and ACCESS card households. Please visit https://smithplayground.org/new/ for more details.
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse is a non-profit organization located in Philadelphia’s East Fairmount Park. Founded in 1899, Smith welcomes visitors from more than 500 zip code areas including every zip code in Philadelphia. The mission of Smith is to provide and promote opportunities for unstructured free play for children. Smith contributes to the development of healthy children, strong families, and safe communities by 1) maintaining a proud tradition of free family admission; 2) partnering with community-based organizations to reach a diverse audience; and 3) advocating for the importance of play.
For more information about Smith please visit www.smithplayground.org.