Spring is here, and it’s a great time of year to show your favorite neighborhood park some love! This spring, there are over 90 parks hosting clean-up service days Saturday, May 13th through Sunday, May 21st for Love Your Park Week 2023. To lend a hand at one of the clean-ups, please register to volunteer today!
This year, Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia is the signature site, kicking off Love Your Park Week on Saturday, May 13th.
Questions? Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Love Your Park Week.
What is Love Your Park Week?
It’s a nine-day spring celebration of Philly’s parks, encouraging volunteers to come out to their neighborhood park and lend a hand by tending gardens and flower beds, caring for trees, and cleaning up after the winter season.
Who runs Love Your Park?
Love Your Park is a joint program of Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and is a collaboration with more than 130 neighborhood-based volunteer groups in the Park Friends Network.
How can I volunteer?
First things first: check the list for a participating park near you, then click the button to register. Most clean-ups are happening on May 13, 20, or 21st.
Why should I volunteer?
Two big reasons to lend a hand:
- It’s a great way to give back to our parks. Parks and open spaces are essential for our mental health and wellbeing, and we are incredibly lucky to have 10,200 acres of parkland, including hundreds of neighborhood parks here in Philly.
- You’ll be contributing to a healthier environment: Planting trees not only beautifies your community, but trees are also natural air purifiers – they help absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Cleaning up litter helps keep trash out of our waterways which helps fish, wildlife and the quality of our local drinking water.
What if I can’t volunteer for the dates posted?
Don’t worry: There are other opportunities throughout the year to volunteer for Philly’s parks:
- Our amazing Park Friends Groups across the city host volunteer clean-ups and events all throughout the year. Click here to find your local Park Friends Group.
- Fairmount Park Conservancy also hosts weekly volunteer workdays throughout the year. Click here for the list of dates and locations.
- Show your support by making a donation to Fairmount Park Conservancy. Funds raised will be used to support programs and projects like Love Your Park throughout Philly’s park system.
What is the best place to stay up to date?
Once you’ve registered to volunteer, you will be connected to your respective Park Friends Group via email with more information. For regular updates, sign up for our email newsletter and follow Fairmount Park Conservancy on social media at @myphillypark on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Bonus: To celebrate Love Your Park Week, check out these FREE events!
Friday, 5/12 – Sunday, 6/4 | Walk Around Philadelphia 2023 Exhibit
The Walk Around Philadelphia exhibit at Studio 34 features images from the city’s edge created by artists who’ve set out to explore the city’s margins on foot. It highlights Fairmount Park locations and environmental centers around the city. The exhibit is open Mon-Fri from 4:30-7:30pm , as well as on Wednesdays from 10am-2pm.
Saturday, 5/13 | 8:00 – 10:00am | East Park Bird Walk
Join Fairmount Park Conservancy and discover East Fairmount Park’s best birding spots on a walk led by Keith Russell, urban conservation program manager for the National Audubon Society’s Philadelphia-based chapter.
Saturday, 5/13 | 11:00am – 1:00pm | Phila Mycology Club Walk
Join Philadelphia Mycology Club founder Bethany Teigen on a guided mushroom walk. We will hunt for spring fungi while learning about the basics of fungal ecology, as well as tips to identify mushrooms you find in the future. Meet up will be at the Boathouse and then we’ll do a walk around the lakes. No registration required.
Saturday, 5/13 | 3:00 – 5:00pm | Ecotherapy in the Park
Fairmount Park Conservancy and Ecotherapist Krista Nelson will lead a guided hike and meditation to help you rekindle your love of nature with the arrival of spring.
Sunday, 5/14 | 10:00 – 11:00am | Yoga in the Park
Join Fairmount Park Conservancy for an all-levels yoga class in the East Fairmount Park Azalea Garden, led by Tula Yoga.
Sunday, 5/14 | 10:00 – 11:00am | Yoga in the Park
Join Friends of Fernhill Park for Yoga in the Park, led by Kim Montes.
Sunday, 5/14 | 10:00am – 12:00pm | Love Your Park (& Phood Phorest) Plant Sale
Stop by the Wissahickon Environmental Center Phood Phorest for a modest selection of native and food plants for purchase, and a free exchange table. Plants were propagated in the Phood Phorest or at Gowen Gardens & Nursery.
Sunday, 5/14 | 11:00am – 3:00pm | Tax Day at the Market
Have your taxes filed for FREE with the Friends of FDR Park and the Campaign for Working Families! You’ll even get a $20 voucher towards the Southeast Asian Market when you’re finished!! Click here to find out what to bring.
Monday, 5/15 | 9:00 – 10:30am | Northwest Philly Bird and Nature Walk
Join a knowledgeable naturalist and expert birder for a guided walk hosted by the Wissahickon Environmental Center at Harper’s Meadow. We will have binoculars with us but will look for much more than birds!
Monday, 5/15 | 4:00 – 6:00pm | Philly Goat Project Visit
Join the Philly Goats for a free goat walk and some shady story reading with friendly, furry friends at McPherson Square Library! All ages welcome. Rain date: May 16th.
Tuesday, 5/16 | 10:00 – 11:00am | Tai Chi Free for Beginners
Join Friends of FDR Park for a complete workout to relax the mind, restore the body and rejuvenate the spirit, led by Kirsten Erwin.
Tuesday, 5/16 | 6:00 – 8:00pm | Not Just Jazz
Join Friends of FDR Park and Jazz & Other Soulful Sounds for free outdoor music at the Gazebo in FDR Park. Bring your own blanket or chair.
Tuesday, 5/16 | 6:00 – 7:00pm | Yoga in the Park
Join Friends of Fernhill Park for Yoga in the Park, led by Jacob.
Wednesday, 5/17 | 4:00 – 5:30pm | Pets in the Park
Bring your furry pals for free photos and fun at the McPherson Square playground.
Wednesday, 5/17 | 7:00 – 8:00pm | Book Swap
Meet Friends of Fernhill Park at the Little Free Library for a book swap.
Thursday, 5/18 | 7:00 – 8:30pm | Jazz in Hawthorne Park
Enjoy live jazz music in Hawthorne Park for Love Your Park Week.
Friday, 5/19 | 12:00 – 1:00pm | Migration Madness Lunchtime Walk
Hosted by Wissahickon Environmental Center, meet at the small pavilion on Forbidden Drive across from Cedar’s House and explore Harper’s Meadow to search for the many birds arriving or traveling through after the long winter.
Friday, 5/19 | 3:00 – 6:00pm | Fab Youth Philadelphia
Join Mt. Vernon and 37th Street Playground for games, arts, and crafts for the community.
Friday, 5/19 | 5:30 – 7:30pm | Family Friendly Fridays: Birds of the Meadow
Join Wissahickon Environmental Center for a Friday family-friendly evening walk! Late May is the end of spring migration, and on this walk, we will meet at the Tree House and look for late migrants and birds that nest in Andorra Meadow, such as Orioles, Buntings, and more! Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Friday, 5/19 | 6:00 – 7:00pm | Music in the Park
Join Konrad Square for their free monthly concert series in the park.
Saturday, 5/20 | 9:00am – 5:00pm | Uhuru Flea Market
Enjoy a local community flea market at Clark Park
Saturday, 5/20 | 9:00 – 11:00am | FDR Park Walk & Talk
Want to learn more about the FDR Park Plan in person? Join Maura McCarthy, Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Chief Executive Officer, for a free 2-hour walking tour.
Satuday, 5/20 | 9:00am – 4:00pm | Flea Market
Enjoy a flea market open to the community at Triangle Park.
Saturday, 5/20 | 9:30 – 10:30am | Yoga in the Park
Join Friends of Fernhill Park for Yoga in the Park, led by Kim Montes.
Saturday, 5/20 | 10:00am – 12:00pm | Kids at Play – Thembi Palmer
Enjoy arts, games, and crafts for families at Gold Star Park.
Saturday, 5/20 | 10:00am – 12:00pm | Pretzel Park Farmers Market
Saturday, 5/20 | 11:00am – 2:00pm | Wissahickon East Park Friends Meet & Greet
Saturday, 5/20 | 12:00 – 1:00pm | Check It Out! A Beardmobile Library Tour
Enjoy a family-friendly cabaret show about libraries and the people who make them so wonderful at the Schuylkill River Park.
Saturday, 5/20 | 12:00 – 3:00pm | Mifflin Square Health Fair
Join Friends of Mifflin Square and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Resource Hub for a beautiful afternoon in the park! There will be a wide variety of resources, health screenings, games, and activities that are free and open to the community. Partners include BenePhilly Truck, Whitman Library, Jefferson Collaborative for Health Equity, SEAMAAC, YMCA, South Philly Community Fridge, Indego, PDPH Youth Care Team, and many more.
Saturday, 5/20 | 3:00 – 6:00pm | Fab Youth Philadelphia
Join Mt. Vernon and 37th Street Playground for games, arts, and crafts for the community.
Sunday, 5/21 | 10:00 – 11:00am | Yoga in the Park
Join Fairmount Park Conservancy for an all-levels yoga class in the East Fairmount Park Azalea Garden, led by Tula Yoga.
Sunday, 5/21 | 10:00am – 4:00pm | Neighborhood Bocce Tournament
Join Bardascino Park for a on- day Bocce Tournament in the park.
Sunday, 5/21 | 10:00am – 12:30pm | Discover Strawberry Mansion
Hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy, learn about the past, present, and future of Strawberry Mansion and nearby East Park through the eyes of longtime resident, historian, and community organizer Judith Robinson.
Sunday, 5/21 | 3:00 – 7:00pm | Jazz @ Lemon Hill
Enjoy musical performances in the center of Lemon Hill Park.
P.S. Did you know that We Walk PHL offers free weekly walking groups in 18 different park locations across the city? Click here for the spring schedule.
Love Your Park is a collaborative program managed by the non-profit Fairmount Park Conservancy and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Parks & Recreation, made possible with support from the Knight Foundation, PECO, and TD Bank. Learn more at loveyourpark.org.