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Midtown Village Fall Festival, Oktoberfest and more things to do in Philadelphia, Oct. 6-9

Things to do in Philadelphia, Oct. 6 to 12.

Brauhaus Schmitz will hold a giant Oktoberfest at the 23rd Street Armory.
Brauhaus Schmitz will hold a giant Oktoberfest at the 23rd Street Armory.Read moreVanessa Beahn

FESTIVALS

Midtown Village Fall Festival

Celebrate the changing seasons with a giant Center City festival featuring live entertainment, food and drink, vendors and more. Local businesses, boutiques and restaurants will open their doors, and artists and performers will be on the scene until 8 p.m., so it is a great opportunity to explore the area while the cool weather holds. — Thea Applebaum Licht

Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Midtown Village, Broad to 11th Streets and Market to Spruce Streets. Free admission. 215-670-4323, midtownvillagephilly.org.

23rd Street Armory Oktoberfest

Authentic Oktoberfest comes to Center City. Transformed into a Munich festival tent, the Armory will be your best bet if you plan on spending the entire weekend drinking beer straight out of Deutschland and dancing in leather pants. Since a single General Admissions ticket includes an entire liter of beer, you'll want to come prepared. This event is 21 and over. — T.A.L.

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 23rd Street Armory, 22 S. 23rd Street. $35 General Admission, $65 VIP Admission, $85 UBER VIP Admission. 267-909-8814, brauhausschmitz.com.

SOAR

LBI FLY International Kite Festival

These days, "go fly a kite" is no put-down — it's sound advice, as anyone who's spent time on the beach with the world on a string can tell you. This four-day event on Long Beach Island features entries from all over the world flying artist kites, giant inflatable kites, and demonstrating sport-kite flying techniques. "We will have at least 10 national champion kite fliers on our beaches for the festival this year," says local Lisa Willoughby, a local Master Level Sport Kite Pilot. Featured kiters include Australian designer Robert Brasington, and national champion Scott Weider. Events (free for spectators unless noted) include an indoor competition ($2), bol kite races, a display of giant 3-D kites, an art market and bazaar, an illuminated night fly ($2), a kite battle, a kids candy drop, and more. — Michael Harrington

12:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, various locations in Ship Bottom, Brant Beach, and Barnegat Light, N.J., free, www.lbifly.com

KIDS

“Honk! Jr.”

George Stiles and Anthony Drewe's musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling, follows an odd, gawky fowl, teased and bullied by his siblings and farmyard neighbors, on his adventures after he is chased by a cat and becomes lost. On his journey home, he learns what true beauty is, and finds love and acceptance. Always a lesson always worth learning, no matter your age (though this is best for those ages 5 and up). — M.H.

11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., $15 to $18, 215-574-3550, walnutstreettheatre.org

» READ MORE: “Trolls”

No, not the kind that haunt internet sites and make nasty comments (those trolls need to get a life). This 2016 animated adventure features the wild-haired, snub-nosed, perpetually grinning dolls that have been making kids happy since the 1960s. The story follows the happiest, peppiest troll there ever was as she sets off, accompanied by the bluest, most curmudgeonly troll ever, to save her friends from the clutches of big baddies who only find happiness in squelching others' lives (sound familiar to readers of internet sites). The music is great, as to be expected when a film features the voices of Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani. It's got some scary stuff-eats-stuff scenes, though, so it might be best for ages 6 and older. — M.H.

11 a.m. Saturday, Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave. Bryn Mawr, $5; $4 ages 12 and under, 610-527-9898, http://www.brynmawrfilm.org

David Pincus Extra Fun Day

Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Smith Playground, 3500 Reservoir Drive, free, 215-765-4325, http://smithplayground.org

Campfire Night

Bring your children for an evening of kid-friendly urban camping, complete with s'mores and toasted marshmallows. It's just the season for a night around a campfire, and the perfect time to celebrate autumn without even leaving the city. — T.A.L.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Gold Star Park, 625 Wharton St. Free Admission. 215-686-4596, goldstarpark.org.

GIVING

St. David’s Episcopal Church Fair and Country Auction

Believe it or not, this is the 166th year for this event — yes, it's been happening since before the Civil War (the church itself dates to 1715). So they've had time to get good at this. There will be games, train and pony rides, a climbing wall, face painting, pumpkin decorating, scarecrow-making, a flea market, a live auction, with an assortment of antiques, collectibles, furniture and art.  — M.H.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, St. David's Episcopal Church, 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne, $2 admission, 610-688-7947. http://www.stdavidschurch.org

DANCE

BalletX

The innovative troupe performs a trio of stirring works. On the bill: Trey McIntyre's Big Ones, featuring songs by Amy Winehouse; Jorma Elo's Gran Partita, inspired by the classic Orson Welles' film noir Touch of Evil; and Cayetano Soto's Malsangre, with music by the "Queen of Latin Soul,"  La Lupe. — M.H.

8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., $30 to $57, 215-898-3900, www.annenbergcenter.org

FILM

Secret Cinema Afterschool Special

It's how you know … what cheesy films look like. The found-movie archive presents a selection of moral-guidance flicks from the 1970s and '80s. On the bill: The Party, a 1971 episode of the long-running Catholic TV series Insight (from a company run by a Hollywood producer who also happened to be a Paulist priest), starring Meredith Baxter (the Family Ties mom), Joy Bang (the quintessential 1970s hippie-chick actress), and Billy Mumy of Lost in Space fame as a background musician at the shindig; Junior High School, a 1977 featurette about a kid trying to ask a girl to dance, with appearances by a teen Paula Abdul and Dave Frishberg (who wrote "I'm Just a Bill" for Schoolhouse Rock) as a shop teacher; and Revenge of the Nerd, a 1983 episode of CBS's Afternoon Playhouse, in which a computer whiz  tries to gain the respect of his classmates. — M.H.

8 p.m. Friday, the Maas Building, 1325 N. Randolph St., $9, 267-239-2851, http://www.thesecretcinema.com

OPERA

Curtis Opera Theatre

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Curtis Opera Studio, 1726 Locust Street. $35, 215-893-7902, curtis.edu

MUSIC

Promument

Monument Lab is a Mural Arts Philadelphia public art project in which over 20 contemporary artists are installing temporary monuments in public space throughout the city. This dance party on North Broad Street is a DJ night headlined by the Roots drummer Ahmir  "Questlove" Thompson on the wheels of steel, or more likely his MaBook laptop. Also spinning: Elusive Philly rapper Spank Rock, DJ Touchstone, Gun$ Garcia, and Steve Ferrell. Muralist extraordinaire Steve "ESPO" Powers will also be painting on site. — Dan DeLuca

7 p.m. Friday at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad St. $25, $15 for members. 215-972-7600. muralarts.org/events/promument

Alvvays

Just pretend the two Vs are one W, and pronounce it "always." (It's also much easier to Google the band this way.) The Toronto quintet is led by Molly Rankin, who grew up in Cape Breton in a leading Canadian Celtic music family but veered away most satisfyingly into deliciously catchy indie-pop. The band gained attention with "Archie, Marry Me" from their 2014 self-titled album and are back in style with their bewitching new follow-up collection Antisocialites. Nova Scotians Nap Eyes open. — D.D.

8:30 p.m. Friday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. $15-$20, 215-232-2100, utphilly.com.

Kesha

The last time that Kesha played a full concert in these parts, she was not a free woman, and still known by the cash money moniker, Ke$ha. At that point, she was still stuck under the contractual thumb of producer/label owner Dr. Luke in a tale of alleged abuse (look it up) of which we may never know the true story. No matter. Out now, free and funk Kesha's new Rainbow record finds the singer-songwriter once known for club-pop, New Wave-y rap-rock, doing everything from freak folk and twanging country, to sleek garage rock with a top hop feel and a spiritualist lyrical éclat. Weird but fun. — A.D. Amorosi

9 p.m. Saturday, Fillmore Philadelphia, 29 E. Allen St. Sold out; thefillmorephilly.com

Sam Amidon

On his albums, Sam Amidon seems serious and introspective. He's an experimenter who often resets lyrics from ancient Appalachian folk songs (and the occasional R. Kelly track) to hypnotic, propulsive arrangements for fiddle, banjo or acoustic guitar. On this year's The Following Mountain, Amidon works, for the first time, solely with his own lyrics. Collaborating with free jazz drummer Milton Graves and others, he stretches out the compositions even more. It's fascinating and at times otherworldly. He also guests on the new Kronos Quartet album. During his shows, Amidon interjects humorous, manic anecdotes which contrast, sometimes dramatically, with the intensity of performances. Monday night, he'll play in a trio, with a bassist and electric guitarist. — Steve Klinge

8 p.m. Monday, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St. $15 advance, $17 day of show. 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com