Philly Chinatown Autumn Festival 2025

Lion dance weaving through chairs outside Shaxian Delicacies during the Chinatown Autumn Festival. — Lion dance energy outside Shaxian Delicacies — drums bouncing between brick walls.

Street scenes & people watching

Chinatown was buzzing — vendor lines, families leaning into the music, the lion’s yellow-and-black blur cutting through folding chairs. I spent a while doing street photography, letting moments unfold and catching quick glances and unplanned smiles.

Matcha ice cream cone from Matcha Panda under the autumn sun. — Cooling off with a matcha cone — sweet, earthy, and exactly what the day needed.

We paused at Matcha Panda for something cool — a soft reset from the festival tempo — before heading to lunch.

Ad space — in-articlePaste AdSense unit here

Dim Sum interlude

Dim Sum Garden was warm and noisy in the best way — steam clouding the table edges, sunlight tracing the baskets.

Table at Dim Sum Garden with xiao long bao, siu mai, and hand-pulled noodles. — Comfort trio: XLB, siu mai, and chewy noodles.

Close-up of xiao long bao inside the steamer. — Gold-hued XLB — that tiny lift before the first bite.

Queen Village Open Streets

Later in the afternoon, we walked south to 4th Street (Bainbridge → Catharine) where the block went quiet — no cars, just neighbors and vendor tents under easy light.

Open Streets on 4th Street in Queen Village, vendor tents and people strolling in evening light. — Open Streets (10:00 AM–5:00 PM) — slower steps and soft edges.

Evening wind-down

We wrapped the day at a cozy Greek spot on South Street — warm bulbs, autumn décor, bottles lined behind the bar. The city felt unhurried, like it wanted one more lap around the block.

Warm-lit Greek restaurant interior on South Street. — South Street taverna glow — the kind of light that says, “you did enough today.”

Itinerary

Google Maps route — Itinerary

Open the full walking route

Tip: use Click for full list of places in on maps