Olney Culture Lab designs and produces an ongoing, annual season of robust events that celebrates diverse arts and culture in the greater Olney community. We welcome local residents and interested visitors alike to join us in making Olney a vital hub of creativity and inspiration.
Olney Youth Arts Festival & A Taste of Olney Community Dinner
November 8 @ 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm
The Olney Youth Arts Festival is our signature event, and it occurred annually in early October until the pandemic in 2020. To mark our 10th anniversary, the event returned in November 2023 as an indoor event. The Festival showcases youth dance and movement expressions to celebrate and promote cross-cultural awareness. Since its return, the Festival is now paired with A Taste of Olney Community Dinner, a free buffet of the multicultural cuisines found in the neighborhood. The next Festival & Dinner is on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at Thurgood Marshall School!
Roots Garden Concert Series
OCL produces an intimate series of monthly performances from April to August each year inside the Roots Garden at Fisher Park. These one-hour performances are typically acoustic/unplugged and held on Sunday evenings at 6pm, the “golden hour”. For the past three years, this series has focused on presenting Philadelphia-based artists/musicians with a global vibe, encompassing music that reflects the varied ethnic and cultural expressions of the Olney community. We have featured Senegalese kora music, Argentinian tango, Korean folk drumming, and more. All performances are free of charge to attendees, and accompanied by a culinary offering to compliment the cultural traditions and backgrounds of the performers. Most artists we present have an established following and reputation within the Philadelphia music scene. The primary partners for this series are The Roots Garden and The Fisher Park Community Alliance.
Jazz on the Green at Fisher Park
Jazz on the Green at Fisher Park is the activation of open space in the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation system in the heart of Olney. It is designed to be a showcase of vibrant performances by local homegrown groups comprised of musicians of multiple generations, both young and seasoned. The annual concert is held outdoors in the late afternoon and evening in the summer on the lush grounds of Fisher Park off of North 5th Street. After a hiatus due to COVID, we brought back this event in 2022. Look forward to its return in the spring of 2026!
Global is Local Ethnic Food Tour
Olney Culture Lab designed and piloted the Global is Local Ethnic Food Tour in conjunction with the Olney Community Collaborative, formerly known as North 5th Street Revitalization Project, with the first one held in April 2016.
The tour celebrates the diverse culinary expressions created by various ethnic food businesses and restaurant owners in Olney. The tour seeks to promote a greater awareness of these establishments in order to attract more business and outside capital to the corridor and to celebrate the universality of food. These ticketed events are held for small groups of 10-15 people.
The food tour has garnered positive attention for the community and become a city-wide model of championing local commerce.
Second Friday Open Mic
Every month, Olney Culture Lab partners with Olney Community Collaborative (formerly known as North 5th Street Revitalization Project) to hold the Second Friday Open Mic at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. This event welcomes any amateur and professional performing artists from the neighborhood to share their talents among like-minded creative individuals and supporters. Olney Culture Lab provides strategic planning and day of technical support.
Olney Choir Festival
The Olney Choir Festival typically kicks off our season in the mid-spring. It was launched in 2015. This annual multi-generational event features local schools choirs from elementary through high school as well as adult singers usually from the faith-based institution that hosts our event. It showcases the artistic talents of Greater Olney residents whether they sing in school, in a house of worship, or at home. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, many choirs have not reformed and this event is indefinitely on hiatus.
Support Our Community’s Creative Future
Help us continue bringing arts and culture to life in Olney with a donation that directly supports local artists, community events, and creative partnerships