The Oval

The Oval is such a great spot to relax and enjoy the city. The atmosphere is fun and welcoming, with plenty of space to sit, unwind, and take in the views. Love the seasonal setup and activities—it always feels lively and well organized. A perfect place to hang out with friends, enjoy the weather, and experience Philly vibes at their best. Highly recommend!

I visited The Oval for the 1st time for an event. There was a lot of communal seating available. There is food and drinks available on a regular basis but because of the event there were also food trucks. The area is very walkable and clean.

Always love being here for a market! Community is welcoming and every supportive to local businesses.

I love it down there. They are always having an event. There always activities and a dj. It’s free anyone is welcomed. They even stated to reach out to more kids to keep them off the streets. They had an event there not to long ago. I enjoyed all the food and vendors.

Love all of the different flags. Lots of parking close by the Washington monument fountain, the museum of art and rocky statue.

Very cute again this year. But the admission policy where u sign a waiver that you are 21 and older on phone and show them screenshot is a little bit ridiculous. I really wish THAT was a policy places when I was in my late teens and 20. Restroom facilities are great. Sprayground was swt to a fine mist. Very refreshing. Food trucks were the usual level of insanity. $3 for a bottle of water, etc.

It was such a beautiful day, my friends & I decided to check out the summer pop-up, The Oval XP at Eakin's Oval. There's live music, a beer garden, games like corn hole, Jenga, & chess. There's a children's play area, along with a food truck. There's also sweet treats available at Streat Philly, the funnel cake was just what we needed, & Mr. Softee was parked right in front of the Art Museum, too. In addition to the ferris wheel, there's also merry-go-round. This is a nice chill spot for adults & kids, too.

INCREDIBLE. What a fantastic setting for the EAGLES Super Bowl Parade. The OVAL was unbelievable. A couple rows back from the fence was like reaching out and touching the team. Then KELCE put a cherry on top of it all with a speech that left us speechless. If I wasn't there in person I wouldn't believe the fire and pent up emotion he had with every word he methodically uttered, well actually hollered, towards the sea of spectators with our jaws flopping on the ground. The curse words here and there just put an explanation point to the end of an incredible season. His outfit was over the top also. Thank you to all those involved in putting together this incredible event on such short notice that countless onlookers will never forget. But the Philadelphia Police were hands down the biggest shocker as they didn't hassle anyone, they all stayed calm and seemed to enjoy the moment with the rest of us. They could have been jerks and cuffed and hauled alot of intoxicated folks off to jail but instead they let everyone savor the precious moments evolving before our eyes and only addressed a couple situations that's couldn't be overlooked, one was a medical emergency to get the stretcher in and out of the crowd which couldn't have been done any quicker or smoother than it did. The crowd separated opening a huge path for the stretcher and responders. Hope to bring another parade there soon from any of our teams. Getting out after everything was completed was another adventure in its self. Made it out safely and slowly with an extra thick coating if mud up to the knees.

The oval is a fun place to hang out in summer. There's a small bar with beer, wine, and soft drinks as well as some food. Their picnic tables and Adirondack chairs in the grass where you can sit is a big concrete space in the middle with some portable basketball nets. Some other kids activities. It's a very family, friendly space and also offers lots of special events. Yoga is on Wednesday nights and if you pre-register and show up you get a drink coupon for a beer or a soft drink

Amazing little park outside of the Philly museum! They hold some events like carnivals and festivals while there's a parking lot next to it. Located near the museum and rocky statue this park is in a nice location.

The Ferris Wheel at The Oval is a good ride and you get great views of that party of the city. The food trucks are good too. We had a good time there. Thumbs up for The Oval.

At a rally and the times we are being told is a LIE. Have been standing since 4 pm after waiting in lines and speaking with staff onsite, I was told that 9:30 pm would be when seats would be made accessible.At this point no information if being given to those standing other than to wait to be ushered to a seated area . At the point that I was standing in the same spot for 5 and a half hours I stilled received no information about what was going on . SUPER DISAPPOINTED! During the summer Eakins Oval is very nice to visit , but when the space is used for events , there is very little actual plan and organization!

Great outdoor park to hangout. Enjoyed a couple of drinks and rode the Ferris wheel. The sunset on the Ferris wheel was really enjoyable. There were also finger foods available. There was also live music that played in the evening time. The night I was there, there were playing jazz music.

Really loved this year's set up with the beer garden moved to the other side and more activities to go on/try out. My only wish is that they had multiple food trucks and better food options!

Friday night, between 6:30-7:45pm, hit up The Oval. My idea was to hop the train downtown, walk Schuylkill River Trail, ride the Ferris wheel at sunset, then head home. Two thrills for my little one; train and ferris wheel. For the most part that mission was accomplished. All I wanted out of The Oval was a ride, not a night of entertainment, and The Oval was not bothering to offer more at the time of my visit anyway. Where things went south was the food. I'd briefly looked up food ahead and planned for a dinner-ish snack to keep energy up. The food looked nothing like online photos, nor even another Yelper, who had some pink cabbage slaw or kimchi filling in the chicken tacos. I got one chicken finger and an El Paso tortilla with a squirt of mayo. TEN DOLLARS for food that is a joke! Also, the cheapest most disgusting food concoction I've ever seen, batter dipped fries, were--without warning--the "fries" they sold me for EIGHT DOLLARS. Right in the trash. Yes, this is the food truck not the park, but this is part of Oval XP, the event taking over the park all summer, a carefully curated experience that IS the park in summertime. I'd have given the park itself a 4 or 5 just for existing as greenspace, but being tricked and robbed for food even McDonalds can beat (at 1/4 the cost) definitely downgraded my experience. I'd rather have been mugged; no calories, and a better story. The ferris wheel was fun, views were very cool. My child loved it. For this $12pp novelty, I am grateful. Got to see the band warm up and play one song. I felt bad for them that pretty much no one was there. We left at 7:45 and show started at 8, so hopefully more people showed up in that 15min window. Kid activities were boasted on social media and any other promos I saw, but apart from some colorful flower (sculptures?) jawns, I saw zero sign of kid-friendliness, no one playing anywhere, just several other lethargic kids-with-parents wandering around wondering where the promised fun went? The Local was the beer garden area, all roped off and people being carded to enter. The food is here too. From afar it's like how are you supposed to get food if you have a kid with you? You have to go negotiate all this upon entry. I get the need to abide alcohol laws, but this was just a stupid hassle. As far as my evening, the whole thing was pretty ill conceived, especially for high profile city public space. I've seen better set-ups at mom-n-pop farm markets and little suburban parks. But we will remember the ferris wheel ride, so thanks for that!

The Oval is one of the many reasons why I love Philly and its city park initiatives. This park, smack dab in the middle of fairmount park area, across from the art museum, always has festivities and activities for all ages. This time, I came for a free Silent Philly event with my sister. It was fun and I noticed that they've added picnic tables which is a nice addition for people. It has been maintained well with plenty of space to hang with friends. It would be nice if they held more events throughout the year such as fall events and during the Christmas season. I can see it being really festive and fun for families. Parking can be a hassle, as is the case for many locations in this area.

PRO TIP: The PHLASH bus drops you off here - very convenient. Fun to wander around and take touristy photos. We spent a long time admiring the statuary here and people watching. Wish there was a bit more signage on the history of the art, but we made up stories in our head and that was fun.

Just awful. How Milkboy could charge so much for soda and water is beyond me. Staff wise, rude and aloof. Better off with a rigid corporate operation that is there not to be cool but to execute the very simple task of beverage handling.

Cute outdoor park in front of the Philadelphia art museum. Got drinks (after making it through a long line), chilled out, and people-watched. There were some food trucks nearby selling pizza, tater tots, sandwiches and ice cream. Overall, a nice way to spend a summer afternoon.

I was not really impressed by the Oval. Expensive beer, no parking, weird decor. I work in manufacturing so being surrounded by chemical totes and weird cement slabs reminds me too much of work when I am trying to relax. There are so many more accessable places to visit in the city that offer better drink prices. Their a few options for seating: pads on top of cement, picnic tables, and make shift crate booths. There were a bunch of children playing with the different things in the middle section (where the mural on the ground is) but I was not as entertained. There are a ton of food trucks, which is really nice if you want to try the whole food truck trend but I'm kind of over the novelty. Overall, expensive and a pain to get to. I think other Beer Gardens are worth trying before coming back here.

The Oval is such an amazing addition to a downtown parking lot in the summer/fall. It is consistently kid-friendly with adult friendly beer gardens, as well! There are many games, fitness activities, food trucks, and musical artists, as well. In the past, there have also been art installations and carnivals. Lots of fun for all.

Yet another pop-up beer garden and other activity space. I give kudos to any city that puts these together. How well they put them together is another story. This one seemed to be too spread out. There's a DJ, places to sit, a lawn area, a beer garden under the trees, food trucks, and plenty of photo opportunities. On Fridays they have movie night. This past Friday when we walked through, they were going to show Dodgeball. When entering the beer garden, you have to register and get your hand stamped. Registering entails putting your name and email address on a tablet so that they can market to you. All I can say is if they make you do that each time you go... yeah, I wouldn't be visiting. On this particular night all I wanted was a bottle of water. It didn't help that the lady manning the entrance was speaking in the lowest volume possible. SPEAK UP! I had to ask her to repeat herself a few times... useless. Needless to say on this night that my name was Brad Fone and my email was jkljlksajsdkj@gmail.com Two stars here. It'd be a great place to grab a quick bite from a food truck and watch a Friday movie. Aside from that... pass on everything else.

If you are driving to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you cannot miss going in the Eakins Oval. It is the traffic circle right in front of the museum. There are several fountains and monuments within the oval. This traffic circle is really busy so do be careful. The oval is named for Thomas Eakins, a world-famous realist painter and fine arts educator.

This is a well-deserved review update for the Oval. As I've learned over the past two years, the Oval is way more than just a painted parking lot. The Oval actually offers some pretty cool free programming, in addition to the food trucks and beer garden. The largest free programming opportunity was the Future Sensations exhibit sponsored by Saint Gobain. Aside from this news-making programs, they actually have some pretty cool regularly scheduled activities. Generally here's how it works: Wednesdays: Wellness Thursdays: Arts and Culture Fridays: Movie Night Saturdays: Games Sunday: Family Time (READ: NO BEER GARDEN!) Their website has the times and details for the various activities. I recently participated in a free yoga class for Wellness Wednesday. With the Art Museum in front of us, the Parkway behind us and the clear blue sky overhead, it was a priceless experience. The food trucks and beer garden were also open and so that we could put a (small) price on our experience afterwards. I'm a fan of the beer garden already (see my 2014 review), and I'm seriously appreciative of such close-to-home access to some of Philly's top notch trucks. Since they already happened to have paved a parking lot, turning it into paradise is the next step. Good work, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.

A rainbow walkway leads you into the best summer pop-up Oval design yet! Hip vibe with light swags in the trees hanging over long picnic tables, smart new giant blocks that help to carve up the space. Way better than past years.. yummy food trucks, beer garden, giant chess and ice cream. Busy but not over crowded on a Friday night. Had a yummy blood orange white wine spritzer to start the evening off right! Really can't beat the stunning Art Museum back drop! Apparently there are movies on Fridays, and I'll definitely be back for Saturday Quizzo and live music!

I came here with a few friends for Outdoorsy Weekend. The online event page had made it sound absolutely thrilling--complete with plenty of food, beer, and Sunday Afternoon Football. We were pumped. Upon arriving, it was pretty anti-climactic. There were maybe two or three food trucks, including one that only sold cupcakes; there was only one beer vendor, which was a bit overpriced; and the game was being shown on two tiny TVs, instead of a large screen like we had anticipated. Overall, the park is located in a very nice area near the Philadelphia Art Museum and it's certainly very scenic and peaceful. Unfortunately, the reputation of the events that take place here are kind of lame, and this was no exception. Side note: we did break out into an amazingly spontaneous dance battle at one point with a few strangers. Totally awesome.

Such a great idea! An outdoor beer garden built with milk crates but has lounge chairs, hammocks, tables, etc. beautifully decorated with lanterns on trees! Party time, great gathering with friends! They also have a section for kids or kids at heart with giant connect fours, chess, checkers.. Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 Quality 4/5 18/20

It's a giant concrete playground for kids. Bring knee pads, a helmet, and a towel. On the other side is a beer garden where you can sit on manhole covers and play corn hole.

A thing I really love in recent years about this fab town is the fantastic use of "dead space". Enter the birth of places like The Oval. Now, I get it, I've heard all of the mixed reviews. Some of the negatives would be "ehh", "it's just ok", "Boring" "I don't get it". For those people I say, go play in an empty parking lot that was once here. I personally think places like these are a fabulous asset to our city and provide a plethora of different types of FREE fun for all which is both needed and appreciated. Summer in the city means children laughing and playing and running and jumping, splashing and creating, music going, folks drinking, friends gathering with gorgeous views of the city as the backdrop. So, there you have it...The Oval. I think The Oval can appeal to everyone.... To families with little to no money to spend who want to have a fun day or night out. Pack a picnic and bask in the sun! Play some games or let the kiddos go crazy in the sandbox. Grab a screening of an old school movie because seeing one outside on a blanket is just really fun. Head out for some gourmet popsicles and a complimentary game of family mini golf. Or maybe mom just needs a break and wants to relax in a chair while her kiddos play right there in front of her. She gets a night off from cooking and just food trucks it. Mom & Dad can play corn-hole like they did when they first met in college or take in a very serious game of oversized chess while the kiddos play another game next to them. It's great for the nanny or tired caregiver who needs to find a new way to occupy those crazy kids and who are tired of those same spots they always go to year 'round. The boys looking for a new outdoor spot to kick back with some brews and a game of table tennis. A casual girl's night post fancy din on Rittenhouse or maybe even post date night drinks with the hubs? Be silly, get your game on and unwind. Take your kiddos to a FREE art class or soccer lesson. You grab a FREE yoga or Zumba class. There's really a little something for everyone. The space brings the city together in a very fun, vibrant way. It supports young artists, musicians, organizations and local business. The Oval has a cool, laid back vibe right in the middle of the busy Parkway. I believe it makes kids and parents equally happy. Really, honestly, what's not to like? The colors. The lights. The changing concepts each year. It's just think it's fab. I know our family just loves a day or night at The Oval. I think you need to experience both a day and a night visit. Two totally different vibes. My kids beg to come here. We gather a group of mommy friends and pack a lunch and get dirty and wet during the day. We grab their Daddy and go after work on a random weekday and stay for sunsets and food truck it for a quick din. Or we hang out on the weekend nights... Friday nights are always a blast! We rock out with live bands sometimes. It's nice to just have a free or very inexpensive, easy no brainier night right there for the taking.

Lots of food trucks, games, and a beautiful beer garden on the parkway with painted cement art in front of the art museum! One of the food trucks had burger sliders which were amazing. Beer garden has the local brews plus ciders, and you'll need to sign up with an email. Games include connect four, ping pong, and a sandbox for the kids! Some weeknights (I went on a Wednesday night) they have bands playing. Parking can be a hassle so best to walk/Uber/bus. Overall, fun place for happy hour!

Came here on two separate occasions. One for a silent dance party and one for a movie night. They have the area blocked off, but it is still very open and spacious. There are some pretty lights up and the area is set up in a chill manner. The oval is pet friendly, and they even provide water bowls, which my dog loved. There's plenty of picnic tables and general seating. My friend and I had no trouble finding a space with our dogs. Depending on the event, there's different food trucks in the area and there's a bar in The Oval so it's a nice place to just relax. There's also no cover and they allow you to bring in outside food. Definitely a cool area to just hang out if you don't feel like going to a bar.

This is a phenomenal use of open space in the city. Providing family fun for all ages free of charge . There are food trucks, giant sized games for all ages ( chess, checkers, connect four) mini golf, a beer garden, sprinklers and a sand box filled with neon pink Sand haha Right outside the art museum ! Woohoo I loved it. Wish the staff was more attentive. I found some broken toys in the sandbox that were in a pretty dangerous condition and couldn't find a single employee to show it to so I tossed it. Great use of the space and a great way to bring more outdoor fun into the city. Would be 5 stars if it were staffed by better people

I've been watching them transform the once parking lot at Eakins Oval into a park and its pretty cool looking. I never saw a lot of car in that parking lot anyway this seems like a much better use of the space. And they have a great event calendar. Check out there facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/TheOvalPHL/info I find it easier to navigate than the parks and rec website they are associated with. I am looking forward to spending some more time here this summer.

Not gonna lie, the Oval kinda sucked. For me. But props for trying, I guess. It was Saturday afternoon, decent out, and we thought it would be a perfect chance to check out the Oval, maybe have a beer or three. Nope. No beer. Wait, the beer garden here isn't all the time? Apparently not. So what is there instead? A few food trucks (nothing against them), a stage with no one on it, some games to play, and a bunch of screaming kids. NOT my kind of place. But we stayed, tried to get a spot on ping pong, make the best of it. Nope, couple of kids were whacking balls all over the place with the equipment. Cool. Oh oh, baggo cleared up! Grab the bags...and two hoodrat kids grab the rest and start playing on one end. So we're left throwing bags into the other end from like 5 feet away. It wasn't fun. Hey maybe we can just sit down for a bit? Nope. No seating, other than the grass. So we left after like 15 minutes total. We didn't enjoy it, but we're two people in their mid-late 20's who hate children and had already eaten before arrival. Just not much there for us. We love the city is trying though, and making use of the space. That's cool. But manage expectations coming here. More of a Philly public pool scene sans actual pool, if you know what I mean.

As we mark the start of many events leading into the summer, events at Oval Park) should definitely be on your list of things to check out. Head to 23rd and Arch streets - right in front of the Art Museum. This past inaugural weekend, PHAIR festival was open from Thursday through Saturday. Last year, this open-air market ran every Saturday until early November, so I suspect this year may be the same. Events at Oval Park often include an impressive lineup of various food trucks. This past weekend showcased the Foo Truck, Surf and Turf, and the Tot Cart. Look for a review of the latter two soon! If you've gotten your fill for the evening, be sure to get your competitive spirit ready in the form of corn hole / bean bag toss. Or if life-size chess or checkers is more your speed, Oval Park and PHAIR have that for you as well! There will likely be a DJ or band playing as you gaze across the Philly skyline. And please do check out the vendors selling their hand-crafted wares. Philly has certainly seen an influx of flea markets and festivals, but it's nice to see that we're great at events that reinforce community and small businesses. In a city that is often labeled as being the tops in morbidity or mortality, in the humble opinion of this pig, such events have made quite the difference.

Who was the person that thought having only FOUR bathrooms for a giant pizza party was sufficient? Are you kidding me? It was my first time to the Oval and I was not impressed at all with the facilities. If you want to wait 20min for a $5 beer and then wait about 30min to get to pee, then this is an all out party. The event itself was great, but the fact that the space was not prepared at all for this amount of people kind of killed it. I can tell you what though, provide only 4 bathrooms for a shit ton of people and you're not allowed to ask why everyone's peeing in the bushes instead.

Came to the Oval for the beer garden. This definitely has a very casual relaxed vibe which is perfect for day drinking and playing games (corn hole, jenga, etc). Definitely was not over crowded which is a huge plus. My friend and I were able to grab suits, have a drink and just enjoy the breeze. Would recommend going at least once if you can. The place also has food trucks set up for anyone who gets hungry.

My new favorite place to hang out with friends in the city! The first weekend they opened, my best friend and I were looking for a spot to host a birthday get-together. We didn't want our friends to have to spend lots of $$$ on drinks or food, wanted to be outside, didn't want to have to pay cover or wait in a long line (nothing against them, but like Frankford Hall or Morgan's Pier), and needed entertainment activities, too. The Oval was PERFECT. We had about 15 people meet us there and everyone had a blast! We brought a couple of sheets and blankets, pulled over some Adirondack chairs and enjoyed some truck food and watermelon that we brought in the shade of the giant, decorated trees. There is a beer garden but it isn't always open. I believe this is frowned upon, but we brought a cooler of cold beer and wine with solo cups and no one seemed offended. If you bring alcohol, just keep it at your picnic area and not in the main space since it is a family park. The only reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is that outside alcohol isn't permitted, but I can totally understand why. While we were hanging out we enjoyed an impromptu Mummer's performance which was SO much fun. We all got up and danced! I can tell that Philly parks put a lot of great work into making the Oval a fun place to hang out and I think they have totally succeeded. If you're looking for something to do any evening or weekend during the day, and don't want to spend too much money - just relax and enjoy the city - The Oval is the place to go!

Granted it's a heck of a lot better than the run-down parking lot that was there before, but admittedly I was not all that enthralled by The Oval when I stopped by over the weekend. Sure they have a few food trucks that are pretty good and some events now and then but otherwise it's just a few big sandboxes, a couple of oversized chess sets and ping pong tables, a few big fans spraying cool mist, a vacant stage, portapotties, and a lot painted to look like sand. I read that they were supposed to have bocce ball at The Oval but I could not find it. I suppose if you are going to an event there, are into ping pong, or you have kids who crave a king sized sandbox it would be more fun.

My favorite place to hang out in the summer. Games, food, activities, and more....it's great. They had a beer garden one night which was a lot of fun. Great food trucks every night. Glad that Philly is adding more great things for residents to do here.

Nice place in the best area of the town. Beer garden, concerts, play area, kids and baby friendly! Great!!