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What to do in Philadelphia from Feb. 22 to 28

East Passyunk Restaurant Week, Seth Meyers at the Keswick, boxing at the Met, and more.

East Passyunk Avenue brings three-course dining deals to 26 restaurants, including Barcelona Wine Bar pictured here, along Passyunk Avenue.
East Passyunk Avenue brings three-course dining deals to 26 restaurants, including Barcelona Wine Bar pictured here, along Passyunk Avenue.Read moreCRAIG LABAN

The yo-yoing weather this week may make it difficult to wear the right coat to work, but it’s perfect for the area’s maple tree tappers. We’re at the onset of maple syrup season, when watery sap flows from the trees and gets boiled down into amber goodness. There are more than 10 events at local nature centers and farms; see them all here.

If that’s more outdoorsy than you like, consider staying inside a cozy wellness studio, sprawling out on a yoga mat, and taking a “sound bath.” I thought this was “woo-woo” when I first heard about it, but watch this video from Kristen Balderas and tell me you don’t find that humming sound relaxing.

There’s plenty more this coming week, including Kennett Square’s winter beer festival, boxing at the Met, a Jenga tournament in Collingswood, and a Seth Meyers stand-up show. Find it all below.

— Jenn Ladd (@jrladd, jladd@philly.com)

FOOD

East Passyunk Restaurant Week

The stretch of East Passyunk Avenue between Dickinson and McKean Streets has for years been one of the city’s busiest restaurant hubs. Starting Monday, more than 25 spots are offering steeply discounted menus during this 12-day event, including Will BYOB, Townsend, Le Virtu, and ITV. Get three-course meals for $15, $25, and $35. Be sure to book a reservation — competition for seating will be fierce. We’ve got a roundup of some of the best deals. — Grace Dickinson

Monday, Feb. 25 through Friday, March 8, multiple locations on East Passyunk Avenue, $15, $25, or $35 per meal, eastpassyunkrestaurantweek.com

Licorice Tasting and Talk

Black licorice is a polarizing sweet — some folks crave that anise-y flavor, others cringe at the thought of it. The candy experts at Shane Confectionery are not discouraged; they keep up to two dozen types of licorice on hand at any given time. But don’t expect variations on black Twizzlers. Shane stocks honey licorice, spicy-salty firetruck licorice, candy-coated licorice rounds, and molasses-y Kookabura licorice from Australia. Attend this tasting and talk to sample a dozen kinds and hear the histories behind them. — Jenn Ladd

6:30 p.m., Friday, Shane Confectionery, 110 Market St., $25, shanecandies.com/tickets

DRINK

Kennett Winterfest

Prepare to sip on stouts, barleywines, brown ales, porters, and more at the annual Kennett Winterfest, gathering over 60 different breweries under two large tents. To help you soak up the winter brews, food trucks will descend upon the area, too, as will soul- and reggae-infused rock band Afrobear. — G.D.

12:30 to 4 p.m., Saturday, downtown Kennett Square, 600 S. Broad St, Kennett Square, $60 ($15 for designated drivers), kennettwinterfest.com

From Cave to Pub: How Beer Fueled Civilization

The craft beer craze that’s had Philly and the nation in its grip for the past couple decades might seem like a modern-day fixation, but Dr. Jessica Zinskie says otherwise. “It’s in our DNA to drink beer,” the grad has said. She’ll present her research at this event, put on by the Young Friends of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Soak it all in at Goose Island’s Fishtown brewpub. — J.L.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Goose Island Philadelphia, 1002 Canal St., $20, hsp.org/calendar

HISTORY

The Underground Railroad Quilt Code – Fact or Fiction?

Sewing instructor Sharon Tindall has spent years investigating quilt code — the disputed narrative of slaves sewing patterns into quilts that acted as a key to the Underground Railroad. Over time, Tindall has also drawn inspiration from the concept by creating encoded quilts of her own. She’s set to lead a discussion at the Awbury Arboretum on cotton and the role it played in slavery, and her extensive travels in researching the quilt code. — G.D.

10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Rd., free, awbury.org/events

SPORTS

Bouts on Broad

Before it closed up in the 1960s, the Metropolitan Opera House hosted boxing matches in its grand North Broad auditorium in the ’40s and ’50s. LiveNation Philadelphia is bringing the practice back, setting up a ring on the venue’s floor for a nine-card bout this Saturday. — J.L.

7 p.m., Saturday, The Met, 858 N. Broad St., $25 to $175, 800-653-8000, themetphilly.com

The Pregame at the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series

If you’re headed to the Linc to watch the Flyers face off against the Penguins in the outdoor game this Saturday, consider swinging by Coors Light’s free pregame event. Held in parking lot G of the Wells Fargo Center, the all-afternoon party will feature a mobile museum of black hockey history, a live performance by Canadian rock band The Glorious Sons (6 p.m.), hockey activities, free treats from vendors, and tailgating beverages for purchase. The real game gets underway at 8 p.m. — G.D.

11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Wells Fargo Center’s Parking Lot G, 3601 S. Broad St., free, nhl.com/fans/stadium-series

FAMILY

Family Day at Barcade

This Sunday, parents who like to bring their kids to the bar have a good excuse: Fishtown’s bar-meets-arcade is opening its door to all ages. Introduce your youngster to Ms. Pac-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Speed Racer, and more. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. — G.D.

Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, Barcade, 1114 Frankford Ave., pay as you go, barcadephiladelphia.com

GAMES

Jenga Tournament

Are you a brick-extracting master? Head to Devil’s Creek Brewery to compete in the Collingswood spot’s second Jenga tournament. They’ll have a dozen beers on tap and eight games going at once, followed by playoffs and crowning a champion. Contact info@devilscreekbrewery.com to sign up to play. — G.D.

7:30 p.m., Friday, Devil’s Creek Brewery, 1 Powell Lane, Collingswood, N.J., free, devilscreekbrewery.com

MUSEUM

Science After Hours: Love and Lust

Explore the chemistry, physics, and mathematics of love and lust at this month’s edition of Science After Hours at The Franklin Institute. Participants can join in on activities and demonstrations designed to draw out what makes one person attracted to another. — G.D.

7 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, the Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., $25, fi.edu

COMEDY

Seth Meyers

Before he took over from Jimmy Fallon as the anchor for NBC’s Late Night, this Saturday Night Live alum manned the “Weekend Update” desk with Amy Poehler. While he only inherited that seat after the departure of 30 Rock dynamo and Upper Darby native Tina Fey, we’re sure the Keswick Theatre will welcome Meyers just as warmly nonetheless. — J.L.

7 and 10 p.m., Friday, Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, $39.50 to $59.50, 215-572-7650, keswicktheatre.com

MUSIC

Lily & Madeleine

As teenagers on their first album, Lily & Madeleine Jurkiewicz played stark acoustic folk songs that showcased their close harmonies. On Canterbury Girls, their fourth album, they turn toward gently grooving pop. The sisters, who recently decamped from Indianapolis to Brooklyn, worked with the same producers who aided Kacey Musgraves on her similarly sparkling Golden Hour. Whether on the somber “Circles” or the shiny, Hall & Oates-like “Supernatural Sadness,” the songs tend to examine the aftermath of dysfunctional relationships. The album comes out on Friday, and the sisters will celebrate with two shows at World Cafe Live: a midday one downstairs for WXPN’s Free at Noon series and an intimate evening one upstairs. — Steve Klinge

Noon, Friday, free with advanced registration; also 8 p.m., Friday, World Cafe Live Upstairs, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., $17, 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Saxophonist Karl Denson has lived within his Tiny Universe for a minute, moving from silky jazz to raunchy R&B on solo projects that have made him the toast of the jam-band scene — hence his headlining two nights at the House that Jerry Garcia Could Have Built: the Ardmore Music Hall. He comes to town in advance of his forthcoming album, Gnomes & Badgers, featuring songs cowritten by Anders Osborne, but he’ll be back in Philly in June for his other gig — as saxophonist for the Rolling Stones. Denson took over for Bobby Keys after the “Brown Sugar” blower’s death in 2014. (The Stones will tour the U.S. this summer, including a stop at Lincoln Financial Field on June 4.) — A.D. Amorosi

8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, $25 to $39, two-day passes available, 610-649-8389, ardmoremusic.com

James Blake

Atmospheric hip-hop’s best friend, James Blake has made his vocals and co-songwriting skills available to Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Vince Staples — and most recently, Travis Scott, during his live Grammy Awards spot. But the high, soft-singing Blake has his own jams to tend to and has done so brilliantly and balefully on albums such as 2016′s moody The Colour in Anything and his brand-new Assume Form LP. Blake’s long U.S. tour starts at the Fillmore on Friday night, so catch him while he’s fresh. — A.D.A.

8:30 p.m., Friday, the Fillmore, 29 E. Allen St., $41.50, 215-309-1050, thefillmorephilly.com

Buck Gooter

The fact that Buck Gooter’s latest, Finer Thorns, is the duo’s 18th album in 14 years should hint that refinement isn’t foremost in their minds. The album title is another clue: Their primal howls and factory-floor punk is alluringly distressed but barbed enough to draw blood. Live, the racket is even more rough-hewn. Singer Billy Brett prowls the stage, sermonizing like a deranged, anger-fueled preacher; partner Terry Turtle, 30 years older and emotionless behind a mask and chain mail, conjures a torrent of noise like a guitar-wielding golem. Finer Thorns is the Virginia-based pair’s second release for Philly label Ramp Local, making their Johnny Brenda’s release party a home-away-from-homecoming. With Palberta and David Vassalotti. — Shaun Brady

8 p.m., Friday, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $12, 21+, 215-738-9684, johnnybrendas.com

Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt

When he’s not touring with his Large Band, country-folk iconoclast Lyle Lovett favors the duo format, frequently pairing off with a second songwriter to sit and take turns singing songs. With dry wit and a slyly subversive point of view, the Texas storyteller has made the rounds with Joe Ely and Robert Earl Keen. This time he’s coming through for two shows with John Hiatt, the esteemed Hoosier singer-guitarist armed with a fresh batch of finely wrought rough-around-the-edges tunes from his new album, The Eclipse Sessions. A skilled, empathetic musician, Hiatt will make Lovett’s songs sound that much better. — Dan DeLuca

8 p.m., Saturday, Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, N.J., $59.50 to $99, 856-858-1000, scottishriteauditorium.com; also 8 p.m. Monday, Copeland Hall at the Grand, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del., $52 to $59, 302-888-0200, thegrandwilmington.org/copeland-hall

Anderson .Paak

California rapper-singer-bandleader Anderson .Paak has been one of the most compelling and unpredictable figures in hip-hop in recent years. He was the secret-weapon special guest on Dr. Dre.’s 2015 Compton album; he stepped out into the spotlight with 2016’s Malibu, which explored his African-American and Korean heritage; and he won half a Grammy this month, when his single “Bubblin’” tied for best rap performance with the Jay Rock-led Black Panther track “King’s Dead.” He’s also a drummer and the leader of his formidable and funky band the Free Nationals. On his current Andy’s Beach Club tour for his newish Oxnard album, he’s been paying tribute to the late rapper Mac Miller with a performance of their 2016 collaboration, “Dang!” — D.D.

8 p.m., Sunday, the Fillmore, 29 E. Allen St., $90, 215-309-1050, fillmorephilly.com.