The Fairmount Park/Studio 7 Sunday Stroll

By PYV staff writer

Each week Philly Yardy Vibes will focus on a particular social scene occurring in Philadelphia, as well as the rest of the tri-state area. This week’s focus is on a tradition in Philly that goes back over five decades. Every Sunday in Fairmount Park, in front of the Please Touch Museum, countless numbers of Jamaicans, other Caribbean folks, and Americans gather to unwind from the stressors of the previous week.

This gathering is also a punctuation mark to springboard them into the start of the new week, as they refresh their minds, bodies, and soul. The individuals that gather include all age ranges, from friends to entire families. This scene can be described as a cross between a dance hall party and a massive picnic. There are many pockets of people in the park doing their own thing from playing dominoes to dancing to sweet reggae music, as a natural mystical vibe connects them. The vibes flowing through the air seem to cleanse each person of their stress, as the gentle breeze symbolically washes over everyone.  While some people bring their own foods and beverages, there are also vendors selling jerk chicken, festivals, and other delicious Jamaican treats. The gathering usually starts around 5 PM to 6 PM and runs until around 9 PM, at which time most of the crowd flock over to Studio 7 lounge at 60^th and Spruce streets.

The Sunday vibes would continue at Studio 7, as the crowd parties until the bar closes. Last Sunday, DJ Bubbles turned up the vibes and did not disappoint. The bartenders made perfect drinks that kept flowing. By midnight, the bar was completely packed, as it seemed like every man and every woman was locked down in a rub-a-dub style. By the end of the night, whoever was not completely de-stressed at the park was certainly completely de-stressed at Studio 7 lounge.