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Eagles fans are going to have plenty of delicious food choices at the Linc this year — food trucks will now boost the stadium's already impressive roster of Tony Luke's, Chickie's & Pete's, the Schmitter and more. (Photo credits clockwise from the top: R. Kennedy for GPTMC, M. McClellan for GPTMC, courtesy Garces Restaurant Group)

Much like the team that that calls it home, Lincoln Financial Field has made a few big additions to its already strong lineup.

Aramark, who oversees all concessions at the Linc — like they do at CBP — are building on their already impressive offerings of delicious eats at the stadium.

This season, hungry Eagles fans will have a several new and exciting food options to choose from.

Among the additions: a few of Philadelphia’s most popular food trucks will make their way to Headhouse Plaza inside the stadium entrance for each Eagles home game.

The Dapper Dog truck begins its season-long residency at the Linc this Sunday during the Eagles home opener and will feature a signature hot dog from each week’s visiting team’s city, along with selected hot dogs from its menu.

The food truck fun doesn’t end with Dapper Dog. On a weekly rotating basis, it will be joined by other renowned and popular food trucks from around the city. This week, Jose Garces’ Guapos Tacos will be serving up its Mexican menu.

In addition to the Headhouse Plaza’s exciting new dining options, Lincoln Financial Field will be home to two new appropriately named signature sandwiches created by Aramark’s executive chef, exclusive to the stadium:

• Inside LB – Hot London broil with a horseradish cheddar cheese and natural jus served on an onion roll.

• Chop Block – Chopped brisket with a jalapeno slaw and Linc BBQ sauce served on a corn dusted Kaiser roll.

The new food truck fare and signature sandwiches join a host of local favorites that Eagles fans have enjoyed for years including cheesesteaks from Tony Luke’s and Rick’s Steaks, The Schmitter from McNally’s Tavern and the super-popular crab fries from Chickie’s & Pete’s — which are available at 13 different locations throughout the stadium.

Also, Lincoln Financial Field is the NFL’s reigning most vegetarian friendly stadium, as designated by PETA last year, and has added veggie wraps and hummus with carrot and celery sticks to its menu which already features veggie steak sandwiches, vegetarian hot dogs, black bean burgers, and garden burgers.

So to recap, that’s new delicious food trucks in Headhouse Plaza, two new signature sandwiches and new vegetarian options added to an award winning vegetarian menu. Anyone else hungry?

Eagles fans’ first opportunity to taste test the new dining options will be this Sunday at the Eagles home-opener against the rival New York Giants.

Go Birds!

Home Opener — Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
When: Sunday, September 25, 1 p.m.
Where: Lincoln Financial Field
More info: www.philadelphiaeagles.com

Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls, which kicks off tonight, is the world's first haunted attraction that visitors can explore with flashlights.
(Photo courtesy Eastern State Penitentiary)

No matter the weather this weekend, the next three days are set to be some of the most steadfastly busy the city has seen in recent months.

And today is officially the first day of fall! Meaning, among other things, that fall festival season is upon us, with several marquee examples taking place this weekend. Temperatures are at that perfect balancing point between summer and fall. Vacationers and students are back.

Take advantage of it all, with our top picks:

Friday, September 23

Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden

Fairmount Park’s Museum Without Walls at Capriccio At Café Cret

Square Peg Artery & Salvage’s 3-Year Anniversary Party

Terror Behind the Walls — Opening Day!

TFI After Dark at the Franklin Institute

Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant First Birthday Bash (Fri, Sat, Sun)

USArtists Fine Art Show & Sale at PAFA (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Art After 5: Jessi Teich at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Center City District Restaurant Week — Closing Day!

Indie Pop Dance Party at the Mann Center

Arcadia Boutique’s 4th Birthday Party

The Philly F/M Festival (Fri, Sat, Sun)

POPPED! Music Festival at Temple’s Liacouras Center (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Yards’ Smoke ‘Em if Yous Got ‘Em Fest

Sausage Fest at Standard Tap (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Fall Open House at BUS STOP Boutique

Chita Rivera: My Broadway at Bristol Riverside Theatre (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Saturday, September 24

POPPED! Food Bazaar at the Piazza at Schmidts

Girard Fest 2011

Before the Bridge Music Festival

Campus Philly College Day 2011

New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival (Sat, Sun)

National Public Lands Day

The Philadelphia Collection — Closing Day!

Brandywine Harvest Festival (Sat, Sun)

PHS Fall Garden Festival

Philadelphia Hero Thrill Show

3rd Annual Oktoberfest at Brauhaus Schmitz

“Moving Planet: Philadelphia” at Love Park

Fonthill Park Walk

“Fantastic Forests” at the Wagner Free Institute of Science

SugarHouse Anniversary Block Party

Sunday, September 25

Team Philly vs. Team Melo at The Palestra at University of Pennsylvania

49th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade

The DANMARK on the Philadelphia Waterfront

Lyric Fest at the Academy of Vocal Arts

Aspects of Love at the Walnut Street Theatre

Zaha Hadid: Form in Motion at the Perelman Building

11th Hour Theatre Company’s Bomb-itty of Errors — Closing Day!

Mixing Metaphors: The Aesthetic, the Social and the Political in African American Art

17th Annual HopeCuts Fundraiser

The Friendship Circle of Philadelphia Benefit 5k Walk-a-Thon

Taste of Fall

Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Quilt Art: International Expressions at the Michener Museum

Woodmere Art Museum’s Owl’s Eye Hay Maze

Eagles home opener!!

Last year's inaugural event drew 30,000+ attendees for a fun-filled weekend of dining, shopping and learning about greener living. (Photo courtesy Manayunk Development Corporation)

The Manayunk EcoArts Festival returns this weekend, a two-day celebration of artistic, sustainable and local green initiatives.

At the festival, vendors will line the streets, including artisans utilizing natural techniques like woodwork, soap making, and natural fabric dying, as well as dozens of businesses and non-profits with a green bent showcasing their wares and knowledge. There will also be a free clothing swap, recycling bin distribution and so much more.

Check out our guide to the festival before attending, so you’re fully prepared:

Arts Vendors

Dozens and dozens of artists will be displaying their work for your admiration and purchase. All use natural ingredients, recycled materials or other eco-friendly approaches to art. Areas of masterwork include fiber, glass & ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, painting & drawing, photography and wood & sculpture. The full list of exhibiting artists is available here.

Music

Verde Styles, a clothing line centered on the idea of improving the environment, will feature local DJs spinning throughout the day with light and sound equipment powered by bicycles in a system built by HP and Temple University’s Department of Engineering. Stop by the Eco Experience Tent on the corner of Main and Cotton Street to hear these sustainable tunes.

Eco Car Show

Stop by the Eco Car Show to view and test drive one of six cars with 28 MPG or more: Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Passat, Volkswagen Golf TDI, Ford Focus and Chevy Volt. Test drives will take place on the corner of Main & Lock Streets.

Information on eco-educational workshops, kids’ activities and more, below.

2nd Annual Manayunk Eco-Arts Festival
When: Saturday, September 24 from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday, September 25 from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Where: Main & Levering Streets to Main & Lock Streets
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.manayunk.com

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Northern Liberties is the place to be this Saturday, with food trucks staked out at the Piazza and two festivals on Girard Avenue featuring live bands, crafts and family fun. (Photo courtesy Piazza at Schmidts)

Due to forecasted weather conditions and possible flooding at FDR Park, the POPPED! Music Festival has been moved to Temple’s Liacouras Center.

The much-anticipated local food bazaar will now fittingly be at the Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties on Saturday from 3-9 p.m., the site of the smash-success Philadelphia Vendy Awards.

It’s also impeccable timing, and location, given the fact that the Girard Fest, put on in conjunction with the Philly F/M Festival, are taking over Northern Liberties and Girard Avenue this very same Saturday with live music, craft vendors, a beer garden, family fun and more.

The new rendition of the Popped! Food Bazaar, curated in part by Philly Homegrown, will feature the following food trucks:

• Sweetbox
• Hardena’s
• Nomad Pizza
• Gigi’s & Big R
• Made in the Shade
• King of Rock-and-Roll Treats

It’s completely free, you just pay as you go for food and treats from each vendor. So if you’re planning to attend the Girard Fest or Philly F/M Festival activities, be sure to stop by the Piazza for some amazing food.

With food, drink and entertainment taken care of, Northern Liberties is the place to be this Saturday.

POPPED! Food Bazaar
When: Saturday, September 24, 3-9 p.m.
Where: The Piazza at Schmidts, North 2nd Street at Germantown Avenue
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.food.visitphilly.com

You officially have plans tonight. Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden is tonight, Friday, September 23, from 5-8 p.m.

We’ve teamed up with the Four Seasons Hotel and Victory Brewing Company to bring back the With Love Beer Garden for one last hurrah.

Since it’s too wet outside, the celebration will be moved indoors to the Ballroom Foyer, which is just next door to the outdoor Courtyard. But don’t let that dampen your spirits.

Summer Love Ale will be on draft, for the final time this year, served along with Prima Pils and Victory’s Festbier.

The Four Seasons will also have some Oktoberfest-inspired treats from the kitchen. Chef Gonzalez will offer bratwurst with sauerkraut; Wiener schnitzel with braised red cabbage; German potato salad and hot soft pretzels with cheese or mustard.

We can’t wait. See you there.

Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden
When: Friday, September 23, 5-8 p.m.
Where: Ballroom Foyer at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, 1 Logan Square
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.visitphilly.com

Previously: Save The Date: Oktoberfest Celebration At The With Love Beer Garden Set For Friday, September 23; Don’t Miss Your Last Chance To Enjoy Victory Summer Love Ale In A Gorgeous Outdoor Setting

Located just steps from Center City at 1004-26 Spring Garden Street in the former Spaghetti Warehouse location, Union Transfer meets Philly's need for a mid-sized live music venue. (Photo by Shane McCauley courtesy Union Transfer)

Union Transfer, the new music venue located at 10th & Spring Garden opened to acclaim this week and promises a whole lot more awesome sets to come.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah opened at the venue. They’ll be followed by The Felice Brothers, Mogwai and Shellac through the end of this month. Other shows to look out for: RJD2 on October 14, Tragedy (all metal tribute to The Bee Gees) on October 15 and Odd Future (OFWGKTA) on October 22.

Located just steps from Center City at 1004-26 Spring Garden Street in the former Spaghetti Warehouse location, the concept was developed by an all-star group (The Bowery Presents, an independent promotion company based in New York City; Sean Agnew of R5 Productions; and Avram Hornik and Mark Fichera of Four Corners Management) to meet Philadelphia’s need for a mid-sized live music venue. Fun fact: Union Transfer is named after the original train depot station that occupied the building.

This general admission, all-ages venue accommodates 600, and up to 1,000 with the stage pushed back. Tickets range from just $14–$25, plus there are three full bars. Check out the full schedule here, and a video tour of the spot here.

Union Transfer
1004-26 Spring Garden Street
www.utphilly.com

Previously: Coming Attraction: Union Transfer, A New 1,000-Capacity Music Venue Set To Open On Spring Garden Street This September

The gorgeous Ridgeland mansion will play host to a local beer, wine and food-filled event this Sunday. (Photo courtesy The Wellness Community of Philadelphia)

This Sunday is “Taste of Fall” in West Fairmount Park, featuring food, beer and wine tastings, live music and plenty of activities for adults and children alike.

This autumnal outdoor affair, sponsored by The Junior League, will offer selections from both local farms and gourmet food vendors, plus showcase the work of artisan and craft vendors.

This second annual event will take place rain or shine, and is sure to provide an enjoyable afternoon for all. In addition to enjoying all the wonderful offerings provided by “Taste of Fall,” be certain to set some time aside for a walk around The Suzanne Morgan Center at Ridgeland, which normally houses The Wellness Community of Philadelphia and will be made-over for the day’s celebrations.

Tickets are $60 for adults, $30 for young adults (ages 13-20) and $20 for children (ages 5-12). Tickets are available online.

Taste of Fall
When: Sunday, September 25, 1-5 p.m.
Where: The Suzanne Morgan Center, West Fairmount Park, 4100 Chamounix Drive
Cost: $60 for adults, $30 for young adults, $20 for children
More info: www.jlphiladelphia.org

The new lighting — composed of 55-foot tall light masts stretching along a 2.5-mile stretch of North Broad Street — will be installed over the next year along with the planting of 285 new trees. (Renderings courtesy Avenue of the Arts, Inc.)

Avenue of the Arts Inc. has unveiled a bold new “Promenade of Lights” design for North Broad Street that will consist of a 2.5-mile stretch of 29 light masts — each towering 55 feet in the air — lining the center of the street, from Spring Garden on the south to Norris Street on the north. The new lighting will be complemented by 285 new trees planted on the sides of the street that will provide greening, definition and screening.

The new streetscape improvement plan is intended to help re-establish North Broad Street economically, aesthetically and culturally, aiming to develop the stretch into a nighttime landmark for the city. This is actually the first step in a $50 million initiative to reinvigorate North Broad Street. Eventually, Avenue of the Arts hopes to light the street from Washington Avenue on the south to Glenwood Avenue on the north.

Another major draw coming to North Broad in the near future will be the star-studded restaurant cluster at 600 N. Broad Street, with super-restaurateurs Marci Vetri and Stephen Starr both planning projects.

And the October 1 grand opening of PAFA’s Lenfest Plaza also signals the start of a new era for North Broad, with the plaza, along with the recently opened Convention Center expansion, set to become a new anchor for North Broad Street and strengthening its connection with the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The new lighting and plantings are not set to be complete for at least a year. But with palpable movements being made towards that direction, it’s an exciting time for an increasingly exciting neighborhood.

Avenue of the Arts, Inc. [Official Site]

International sensation Du Yun heads to the Mann Center for the Performing Arts this Friday, September 23 to headline the music venue’s first ever Indie Pop Dance Party.

Not only will Du Yun perform her original, new multimedia work, Angel’s Bone: An Imaginary Tale of Facts, but the audience will have the unique opportunity to join performers on stage, making for a truly interactive and intimate musical experience.

Kicking off at 9 p.m. with a paint drummer performance, the event’s finale will be a DJ Battle of the Bands and a dance party with Philly’s own Lee Mayjahs? and New York electronic artist Phil Moffa. Enhancing the spectacular performances will be specially designed costumes by local designer Ron Wilch of Fashion Lab.

Tickets include the performance and a dance after-party, as well as free parking. A cash bar will be open for the evening (proper ID is a must).

Indie Pop Dance Party at the Mann Center
When: Friday, September 23, 9 p.m.
Where: 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue
Cost: $20/person or 2 for $30
More info: www.manncenter.org

The Night Markets just keep getting better and better; the most recent Night Market installment took place in Mt. Airy in August and it was amazing. (Photos by R. Kennedy for GPTMC)

This is something you won’t want to miss: the next Night Market, the super popular roving outdoor evening food bazaar, is destined for Chinatown, Thursday, October 6 from 7-11 p.m.

One of Philadelphia’s most vibrant and eclectic culinary hotbeds is getting much-deserved limelight for the fourth installment of the Night Market series that began on East Passunk in South Philly back in October 2010 and continued to increased acclaim in University City and Mt. Airy.

This edition will feature food trucks you’ve never seen before and Asian foods you’ve never tasted before, plus live music, lion dancing and Asian arts.

Also be sure to look out for the Philly Homegrown photo booth where you can strike a pose with your favorite local food props.

Check out all our previous coverage on the Night Markets here, and stay tuned for more details.

Night Market #4: Chinatown
When: Thursday, October 6, 7-11 p.m.
Where: 10th and Race Streets
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.nightmarketphilly.org

And don't forget to stop by the Philly Homegrown booth where you can strike a pose with your favorite local food props... (Photo by E. Mencher for GPTMC)