Things to Do

Derrell Acon is driving efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at Opera Philadelphia.

State of play: Acon took up the new position of vice president of people operations and inclusion at the company this month, where he will promote an anti-racist workplace culture, help direct staffing goals and strategies, and more. But his talents go far beyond human resources.

• A performer and bass-baritone, Acon recently took part in the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera "Central Park Five."
• He's also a co-founder of the Black Opera Alliance, which seeks to empower Black classical artists and administrators, expose racial inequity and under-representation, and push the industry to enact reforms.

Philadelphia will unveil a traveling 9-foot sculpture of Harriet Tubman at City Hall Tuesday.

Why it matters: "Harriet Tubman — The Journey to Freedom" will be temporarily on display in the city through March 31 as a celebration of the historical figure's 200th birthday, Black History Month and Women's History Month.

Sinta Penyami Storms is a traditional Indonesian dancer who founded the Philadelphia-based dance group, Modero & Company.

• We asked Storms about how she would spend her ideal day in the city.

New Year's Eve fireworks are back! We've rounded up a number of ways to ring in 2022 in Philadelphia.

Dec. 25 is fast approaching so I browsed the booths at the Christmas Village at Love Park and City Hall in search of interesting items. Here's what I found.

Philly Tarot Deck: The Philly-inspired tarot cards feature Danny DeVito from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," Gritty, Ben Franklin and WHYY journalist Terry Gross.

• $40 per deck. You can also pick up prints of the cards for $12.

Matt Rader leads the city's top crop of "green thumbs."

State of play: As president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Rader wants to use horticulture to make a positive social and environmental impact in the region.

• Rader is also overseeing the society's annual Flower Show next year, which will be held outside South Philly's Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park.

We asked Rader to open up about how he uses technology for work and for fun as part of our recurring Screen Time series. Read on for his picks.

One Liberty Place has upped its lighting game.

What's happening: The owner of the third-tallest building in the city has overhauled its iconic zigzagging lights with energy-efficient LED fixtures.

• The 72 new light lenses offer a host of new colors, customizable lighting sequences and more.
• Plus: The changes allow nearly anyone to create their own light show!

Thanksgiving travel is inching closer to pre-pandemic levels in the Philadelphia region, even as COVID-19 rates continue to increase.

By the numbers: More than 630,000 Philadelphia-area residents will be traveling over the holiday weekend, with most hitting the roads, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

• AAA told Axios it expects a roughly 9% increase in Philly-area residents traveling by car and an 81% jump in people flying compared to this time last year.