🏇🏽Saddle up for 8 Seconds Rodeo | Things to do

Saddle up, folks! In case you haven’t heard, the city’s biggest rodeo is coming back to town.

On Saturday, 8 Seconds Rodeo returns to the Liacouras Center, where some of the nation’s top bull riders and barrel racers will compete for big prize money.

As a former Texan who’s attended some of the oldest rodeos in the country, I can assure you 8 Seconds Rodeo is unlike any other rodeo I’ve experienced. I was there for its Philly debut last year, and the atmosphere was electric. Hip-hop blared through the arena as fans jumped from their seats, phones in hand, to capture the bull riding and barrel racing. It was exactly what founder Ivan McClellan envisioned: an “unapologetically Black rodeo” that welcomed anyone with an appreciation for Western tradition.

But there’s plenty more happening this weekend, from a Chinatown night market to a major new art exhibition.

— Earl Hopkins (@earlhopkins_, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

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One of modern art’s most influential artists is getting the spotlight at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A major new exhibition opening Saturday brings together some of Marcel Duchamp’s most celebrated works, including “Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2),” “The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even,” and “Fountain.”

The exhibition comes to Philly after a stop at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and runs through Jan. 31, 2027.

Click here for tickets to the Marcel Duchamp exhibition.

What happens when 12 Philly chefs go looking for their perfect culinary match? We’re about to find out.

The Inquirer’s new Love at First Bite series puts local chefs in reality TV-style dating pods to find their ideal cooking partners. Once paired up, they’ll work together to create a dish for The Inquirer Food Fest, where they’ll compete for the title of Love at First Bite.

You can follow the matchmaking, kitchen experiments, and inevitable culinary chemistry in new episodes released twice a week.

And here’s the best part: You can actually taste the results. The Inquirer Food Fest returns to the Fillmore on Nov. 14, with dishes from the chef collaborations and plenty more to sample.

Watch Love at First Bite and get your Food Fest tickets.

🎨 Open Studios at Bok: Ever wondered what’s happening behind the doors of South Philly’s former vocational school? On Friday, Bok opens all nine floors for an evening of art, live performances, shopping, and late-night snacks for Open Studios at Bok.

🐉 Come celebrate historic Chinatown: The annual YèShì Chinatown Night Market, which features live performances, arts, crafts, and pay-as-you-go food, is back to celebrate Chinatown’s rich history and culture.

🎃 Halloween arrives at Uptown Beer Garden: Uptown Beer Garden is getting into the spooky spirit with cobweb-covered tombstones bearing the names of late celebrities and a menu of Halloween-inspired specialty cocktails.

🍻 Parks on Tap’s final stop: Head to South Philly for the final Parks on Tap, the traveling attraction for lovers of community and craft brews. The final round of drafts will be served in Columbus Square Park through Sunday.

📅 My calendar picks this week: OURfest 2026, Made in Philadelphia Market at Dilworth Park, Salsa and Bachata Night. Here’s our full list for the week.

Here are some more details for my top pick, the 8 Seconds Rodeo.

The all-Black rodeo, which made its regional debut in October 2025, returns to North Philly this Saturday for a second run at the Liacouras Center.

The world’s top bull riders, barrel racers, fiery mutton busters, and bareback horsemen will compete for $150,000 in prize money.

The event, founded by Portland native and Chester County resident Ivan McClellan, looks to attract more than 7,700 attendees for a “rock concert-like production.”

North Philly’s DJ Diamond Kutz will curate the music and 2 million pounds of dirt and dozens of livestock will be transported to the arena.

Doors open at 3 p.m. and the competitions begin at 7 p.m.

Limited tickets are available on ticketmaster.com and resale sites like TickPick, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and others.

Click here to learn more about 8 Seconds Rodeo and to reserve your seat.

🎭 Liberation at Suzanne Roberts Theatre: The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play, Liberation, makes its Philadelphia premiere on Friday. The memory play, written by Bess Wohl, follows a group of six luminaries in their pursuit of freedom. The play runs through Oct. 25.

🩰 American ballet, music, and history: After opening the doors of its new home last month, Philadelphia Ballet opens the 2026-27 season with a performance at the Academy of Music. The company will present Stars and Stripes Forever, offering a mix of rich American movement, music, and history.

⚗️ An exhibition on alchemy: Science History Institute’s new exhibition, Fire and Gold: The Art of Alchemy (1450-1850), explores the medieval science and philosophy that later led to the advent of chemistry. The exhibition will display a collection of early alchemical art, rare books, and oil paintings from the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods.

🖼️ Big ideas in miniature form: Small Favors – 20th Annual Miniature Exhibition returns to The Clay Studio. This year’s display will feature nearly 400 small artworks located in four-inch cubes. The exhibition opens Thursday and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.

Here’s a list of the best concerts this weekend.

🎤 Thursday: Electro-composer Bayonne, who initially released music under his birth name, Roger Sellers, stops into MilkBoy on Thursday night. He will be joined by fellow electronic artist Bad Snacks.

🎸 Friday: English rock band Basement, who released its fifth album Wired in May, ventures across the pond to perform at the Fillmore Philadelphia.

🔊 Saturday: Booming baritone Teddy Swims, whose music melds soul, R&B, and pop, is taking the stage at Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of his “The UGLY Tour.”

🕺🏽 Sunday: Legendary guitarist Jubu Smith, with support from singer Deron Irons, performs at City Winery Philadelphia to pay tribute to iconic soul man, Frankie Beverly.

What’s the oldest rodeo in the world?

A) Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, N.J.

B) Payson Pro Rodeo in Payson, Ariz.

C) The Prescott Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz.

D) West of the Pecos Rodeo in Pecos, Texas

Here’s the answer to last week’s question: Where did the Please Touch Museum originally open its doors? Answer: Academy of Natural Sciences

Every week, I tell you how to spend your time in Philly. This week, I want to know how you’d spend your money.

If you had just $50 to spend on a Saturday night in Philly, what would you do? Where would you eat? What would you see? Would you spend it all in one place or stretch it across a whole night?

Email me your ideal $50 Saturday night. I might share some of my favorite answers in a future newsletter.

See you out there!

– Earl Hopkins

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