"It is the hope and intention to make it more than an occasional flea market or the Sunday Farmer's Market, but a regular place for gathering, celebrating, and enjoying life." Susan Burt Collins, vice president of the New Market & Head House Conservancy, wrote that line in the Society Hill Civic Association's July/August 2026 newsletter, when the restoration at 2nd and Pine was still being finished.
Now the work is done, and the calendar from late October to late November is the first real test of that goal. Three events in three weeks are scheduled under the Shambles, each run by neighborhood and food organizations that already host events around 2nd Street.
What changed on the building at 2nd and Pine
On August 17, the Conservancy said it had "just completed" a $1.625 million renovation of the Head House and Shambles. That's higher than the $1.5 million first phase The Philadelphia Inquirer reported when construction started in May. The Conservancy's later figure includes the full city grant secured by Councilman Mark Squilla.
W.S. Cumby Construction did the work from plans by John Milner Architects. According to the Conservancy's renovation page, the scope covered:
- Repairs to the Head House roof
- Restored, repainted and lighted cupola woodwork
- Brick repointing and repainted shutters
- Replacement windows and a renovated interior office
- A ground-floor bathroom for special events
- Restoration of the historic clock and new clock faces
Two items on that list matter most for the coming weeks. The ground-floor bathroom is built for special events. It's the kind of basic setup that makes a four-hour evening event workable under a 1745 colonnade. The cupola woodwork was lighted as part of the main contract, and the Conservancy says neighbors' contributions are also enabling it to illuminate the Head House façade. All three fall events run into the evening.
The clock got new faces in July. The Conservancy's July 15 update said the clockworks themselves were expected to go in the following week. The renovated second-floor office, 560 square feet with a kitchenette and six windows, is listed for lease. The Conservancy says it "will look favorably upon offers that also include some type of civic contribution." Even the office is being used to support the neighborhood plan.
Paul Levy, a volunteer board member and the founding CEO of the Center City District, told The Philadelphia Inquirer in May that the goal was "to be able to program it as a regular space for families with kids, for events."
Three events in three weeks
| Date | Event | Hours | Who's behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Halloween at Headhouse | 4 to 8 p.m. | Listed by Queen Village Neighbors Association; South Street District calls it SHCA's event |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | Headhouse Sunday Cider Stroll | 3 to 7 p.m. | The Food Trust and Philly Cider Week |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | South Street Holiday Night Market and tree lighting | 4 to 8 p.m. | South Street District |
Halloween comes first. The Queen Village Neighbors Association calendar describes a walk through a spooky Shambles with trick-or-treating, at 2nd and Pine, from 4 to 8 p.m. The South Street District refers to it as "SHCA's Halloween at Headhouse." So the event draws on the civic groups on both sides of the neighborhood line at once. For families, this is the event that matches what Levy described in May.
Three weeks later, the South Street District's Holiday Night Market takes over Headhouse Plaza on Saturday, November 21, from 4 to 8 p.m. It includes a tree lighting, Santa, live entertainment, vendors, and seasonal food and drink. When the listing was posted, the vendor lineup was still to be announced.
November 1 is the longest day on the calendar
The Cider Stroll falls in the middle of those three weeks, and the way it's scheduled shows how much activity the Shambles can now hold in a single day. The Headhouse Farmers Market runs year-round, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2nd and Lombard. Philly Cider Week describes the stroll as a fundraiser that starts after the market wraps up. The plan includes cider, local food, live music, a raffle and family activities. Everyone is welcome, and you have to be 21 or older to drink.
That means nine hours of programming under one roof on November 1, with an hour in between to reset.
The Food Trust's event page gives these details:
- Entry is free, and you pay as you go
- An optional Cider Passport costs $30 and gets you a 2-ounce pour from each cidery, with proceeds going to The Food Trust
- Named so far: Ploughman, ANXO, Manoff and Brother Monk for cider, plus Okie Dokie Donuts, with art from Alicia Levantini and tarot from Madison Vincent
- More vendors are still to be announced
If you're already at the market that morning, you can make a full day of it. Shop between 10 and 2, take the hour off, and come back at 3 when the colonnade turns into a cider tasting.
The storefronts facing the Shambles
The 400 block of South 2nd Street, between Pine and Lombard, looks straight at the colonnade. Its restaurants serve as the dining rooms for these events.
Provenance at 408 S. 2nd Street posts Tuesday through Saturday dinner hours. Halloween and the November 21 tree lighting both land on Saturdays, so both fall on nights Provenance is open. The Sunday Cider Stroll falls outside its posted days. Pizzeria Stella at 420 S. 2nd Street takes pickup orders online, which works well for a family heading home from trick-or-treating. Bloomsday Cafe at 414 and Malbec Argentine Steakhouse at 400 are on the same block. Both appear on the Society Hill Civic Association's July/August 2026 donor list.
Around the corner, Bistro Romano at 120 Lombard Street posted menu additions for mid-October 2026 and calls itself "Celebrating 39 years on Lombard." That's longer than the Conservancy has existed. The Conservancy formed in 2025 to take over the landmark from the South Street Headhouse District, which had leased it from the city for $1 a year.
What's still unfinished is underfoot
The first phase stopped short of the ground. The SHCA newsletter notes that the Shambles' brick columns still need repointing and the slate roof needs more repairs. The newsletter also names the Conservancy's "first big push": replacing the cobblestones on both sides of the Shambles, laid in the 1960s, with brick. The Conservancy says the next phase is about walking surfaces "to make the Sunday markets and other events more accessible," along with upgrading and maintaining the landscaping and planters. It's asking for contributions of $250, $2,500 or $25,000.
So the strollers, trick-or-treaters and cider crowds this fall will be crossing the same 1960s cobblestones the market has used for decades. The Conservancy's site has the donation page and its updates, and its office is at 200 Pine Street.
After November 21, the season moves east to the river. Independence Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest opens at 101 South Columbus Boulevard on November 27 and runs through February 28, 2027. Meanwhile, the Sunday market keeps running at 2nd and Lombard all winter.
If a Saturday at the Shambles has you thinking about which Society Hill blocks are within an easy walk of the Head House, Conchetta Park would be glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
