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Last updated on 5 prosinca, 2025
On July 4, 1776, the United States of America was born here in Philadelphia. And come 2026, the landmark 250th anniversary of the country will be celebrated across the city and region.
The Semiquincentennial in Philadelphia is centered around Independence Day, featuring the Wawa Welcome America festival and Red, White, & Blue To-Do.
Several enormous sporting events come to Philly in 2026, including the MLB All-Star Game, FIFA World Cup 26, NCAA Men’s March Madness and PGA Championship.
Additional big events include 52 Weeks of Firsts and the TED Democracy flagship event, plus citywide art showcases A Nation of Artists at the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and ArtPhilly’s What Now.
And like every milestone national anniversary before, new institutions will open, including the First Bank of the United States museum, a reimagined Tun Tavern and FloatLab at Bartram’s Garden.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to special 2026 events, festivals and exhibitions in Greater Philadelphia — and check back often! New announcements and event updates are added regularly.
Want to learn about the city’s major annual events, exciting exhibitions, can’t-miss festivals and more in 2025 and 2026? Check out our big roundup here.
Now open
A new cultural destination comes to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with the opening of Calder Gardens, a gallery and garden dedicated to native Philadelphian Alexander Calder, one of the 20th century’s most influential artists (and inventor of the mobile).
The site features an 18,000-square-foot reflective metal building housing a rotating selection of the artist’s masterworks — including mobiles, stabiles, sculptures and paintings — illuminated by natural light, and a tree-filled meadow-like landscape surrounding it. Deep Philly roots abound, as Calder’s grandfather crafted City Hall’s William Penn statue, and his father designed Swann Memorial Fountain.
Where: Calder Gardens, 2100 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
The Penn Museum celebrates the first Americans — the Indigenous tribes that lived here long before the Founding Fathers touched pen to paper — with the opening of this expansive gallery.
Curated in close collaboration with several Indigenous consulting curators, the new gallery explores “the political, religious, linguistic and artistic self-determination” of America’s Indigenous peoples. Over 250 artifacts and art pieces showcase Indigenous history and culture from tribes throughout the country, including the Delaware/Lenape tribe, the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe, the Lingít tribe, and more.
Where: Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA
Through Saturday, February 21, 2026
This brand-new exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts celebrates the life and works of artist, teacher, political activist and lifelong Philadelphian Sam Maitin.
The exhibition features banners, prints, studies and other works, and is presented in conjunction with Penn Libraries’ Maitin in Philadelphia: Mayor of the Arts poster exhibition, running through December 19, 2025.
Maitin spent his life promoting the arts and social causes, and his works have been seen all around Philly for decades — including bus shelters, hospital walls, educational institutions and public spaces throughout the city.
Where: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Through Saturday, August 15, 2026 (select dates)
The University of Pennsylvania offers a slew of events to mark the Semiquincentennial, with numerous programs popping up throughout the year at Penn Libraries.
Join Penn’s Common Press for The Typography of Independence, a year-long program celebrating the historic paper-making and printing techniques that gave America a tangible copy of the Declaration of Independence.
In January, participants at the Reinterpreting the Declaration: A Creative Typesetting Workshop get hands-on experience in typesetting, getting to rearrange and edit the words of the Declaration just as historic typesetters would have done.
And in May, program participants of the 12-Hour Declaration of Independence: Community Typesetting workshop work together over two days to prepare the hand-set metal type to create a replica of the historic document for community members to print their very own copy.
Where: Common Press, Fisher Fine Arts Library, Lower Level, 220 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Through Thursday, December 31, 2026
Heroes to some, villains to others, the infamous Doan Gang once roamed what is now Bucks County during the earliest days of the American Revolution, plotting, scheming and plundering their way through a world divided.
This immersive exhibition at Doylestown’s Mercer Museum explores the Doans’ legendary exploits, from espionage and robberies to mythical lost treasures. Learn how these local outlaws plotted and schemed through a divided world, and why their loyalty to the British rule made them enemies of the Founding Fathers.
Where: Mercer Museum, 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, PA
Through Sunday, January 3, 2027
“When in the course of human events …” The document from which that seminal phrase originates is the centerpiece of the Museum of the American Revolution’s 2026 programming. The Declaration’s Journey exhibition traces the history of America’s founding charter and its continuing influence, inspiring over 100 independence movements worldwide.
The Declaration’s legacy is explored through records, art and artifacts, including Thomas Jefferson’s chair, a Marquis de Lafayette-annotated draft of the French Declaration of Rights, the prison bench where Martin Luther King Jr. penned “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” a spinning wheel from Gandhi and more.
Where: Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 | 6 p.m. & midnight
Philadelphia kicks off 2026 with a bang (actually, many, many bangs!) at the annual fireworks display along the Delaware River waterfront. The free rain-or-shine fireworks displays along the Delaware River light up the night on December 31, 2025, at 6 p.m. and midnight.
The Visit PA New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront features bigger and brighter bursts of color exploding in the night sky this year against a beautiful backdrop of the illuminated Benjamin Franklin Bridge or, if viewed from Camden, the Philadelphia skyline.
A special bonus for this year’s event: The National Liberty Museum’s replica Liberty Bell moves to the waterfront to literally ring in 2026 and to mark the kick-off to the year-long celebration of 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For your opportunity to ring the bell, grab tickets to Cherry Street Pier’s kid-friendly New Year’s Eve Kids Countdown or adults-only Party on the Pier.
Where: Numerous locations, including Race Street Pier, Race Street & N. Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
52 Weeks of Firsts honors 250 years of Philly pioneering by celebrating the city’s many historic achievements — every week, all throughout 2026.
Featured Philadelphia “firsts” include inventions like the Slinky, cultural milestones such as Mother’s Day and significant locations like the first African Methodist Episcopal church.
The free celebrations take place at the original location of each first (or in spaces that represent where these significant milestones occurred) and include guest speakers, a sculpture, monthly marquee events and historic deep dives by Once Upon a Nation.
Where: Various locations including Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 419 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Throughout 2026
What better way to celebrate the Semiquincentennial than by letting freedom ring?
Bells Across PA — a statewide art exhibition in partnership with America250PA and Mural Arts Philadelphia — is showcasing festively painted Liberty bell replicas in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, with Philadelphia alone set to display 20.
Philly’s large fiberglass Liberty Bell sculptures will be installed at commercial corridors and public parks, with each bell’s design capturing the spirit and identity of a different neighborhood. Artists from across Pennsylvania, from acclaimed professionals to talented amateurs, can submit designs for consideration throughout 2025.
The finished bells will be unveiled in 2026 as part of Philadelphia’s beautification efforts for the nation’s 250th birthday, with other potential projects including commemorative benches, seasonal installations, decorative banners and more.
Where: Locations TBA, Philadelphia, PA
America’s most famous seamstress and her historic home celebrate the Semiquincentennial with an awesome lineup of events and programming.
Don’t miss immersive tours and historical re-enactments led by the Founding Mother herself; a new exhibition showcasing rarely seen artifacts, like Betsy’s spectacles and Bible; an extra-special Semiquincentennial-themed Flag Fest (June 6-14, 2026), movie nights (summer); and more. Stay tuned for more details.
Where: Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Throughout 2026 (dates vary by event)
Montgomery County’s Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center commemorates the 250th with a full year of events, programs and exhibits, focusing on the area’s rich Revolution-era history. On the calendar:
For the full list of events, check out the official website.
Where: Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA
During its 2025-2026 season, Penn Live Arts focuses on the theme of “American Unfinished,” with artist performances embodying America’s journey from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to today, showcasing themes of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Through May 30, 2026, when you attend a performance, stop by the Feintuch Family Lobby for reflection on the season’s themes at The Listening Cabinet, an interactive exhibit containing a trove of discussion questions to ponder.
Two highlights of the season include:
Of course this is how the ”Mural Capital of the World” would celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Mural Arts has a blockbuster lineup of public art projects and murals in the works for 2026, in addition to lending its artistic expertise to other 2026 events like 52 Weeks of Firsts and Bells Across PA (both mentioned below). This is just a taste of what the organization has planned:
Where: Various locations in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Opens January 2026
Founded on principles of equality, Philadelphia is a welcoming and inspirational place for LGBTQ+ travelers, offering inclusive arts and nightlife, vibrant shopping and dining, and a long history of LGBTQ+ activism. Philly begins a new chapter of inclusion in 2026 with the opening of one of America’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ visitor centers.
The Philly Pride Visitor Center in Midtown Village is slated to offer souvenirs, attraction ticketing, itinerary planning and other travel information, with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ and ally businesses, destinations and cultural institutions. The center also highlights Philly’s role in LGBTQ+ rights and history.
Where: 12th Street & Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA
Direct from Broadway, Suffs channels the vibe of Hamilton, taking the audience on a musical journey through the suffragettes’ struggles for the women’s right to vote.
Creator Shaina Taub made history when she became the first woman to independently win Tony Awards for best score and best book.
Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
Where would our country be without nurses? The Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing sets out to begin answering that question with the Nursing the Revolution exhibit.
Nursing the Revolution looks at how revolutionary nurses were in shaping a young America’s healthcare landscape, exploring the huge role nurses played during the American Revolution and showing that nursing did not begin with Florence Nightingale, as many widely believe.
The public is invited to view the exhibit (otherwise open to Penn students, faculty and staff) by making an appointment. Email [email protected] to schedule a visit.
Where: Barbara Bates Center for the History of Nursing, Floor 2U, Claire M. Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
Unrivaled — an offseason professional women’s basketball league that features 3-on-3 games — returns this January.
Founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the league gives top players a new option for offseason play — and after a successful first season in Miami, the league has decided to hit the road. First stop: Philadelphia.
Four clubs face off in fast-paced back-to-back games, each played on a compressed full court with a custom ruleset, and each featuring some of the best players in the WNBA.
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
How are theme parks made? This world-premiere exhibit, brought to you by The Franklin Institute and Universal Destinations & Experiences, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the innovation and world-building that goes into each Universal amusement park.
Spanning 18,0000 square feet and eight immersive galleries, the experience showcases over 100 vehicles, props and other original artifacts from world-famous rides, attractions and live shows, including Jurassic World, DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda, and Universal Monsters. And in true Franklin Institute form, the display has an educational focus, playing up all the technology, engineering and artistry involved in theme park design.
Where: The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA
A city staple since 1829, the annual Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Philadelphia Flower Show — the oldest and largest indoor horticultural event in the world — draws tens of thousands to the Pennsylvania Convention Center each year. The floral spectacle, returning in 2026 for its 197th year, brings together hundreds of florists, landscapers and designers for one of the city’s most anticipated yearly events.
Beyond the displays, the show hosts major juried competitions, tons of gardening talks, demonstrations, special events, celebrities, a sprawling market, live performances and plentiful food and drink options.
The theme for the 2026 Philadelphia Flower Show: Rooted: Origins of American Gardening. While the 2025 theme looked at the future and 2024 celebrated the present, the 2026 theme coincides with the Semiquincentennial and looks back at horticultural legacies and cultural practices that shaped our current gardening landscapes.
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
February & May 2026
The nation’s only museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution gets a major upgrade just in time for the country’s big anniversary with the addition of two brand-new galleries.
Opening in February 2026, the new America’s Founding Gallery tells the story of the early fights for and days of American independence, while the second, the Separation of Powers Gallery, opens in May 2026 and focuses on the three branches of government and the balance between the federal government and states’ rights.
Additionally, an original copy of the U.S. Constitution — one of only 14 surviving copies — and a rare first printing of the 17 constitutional amendments as they were debated by Congress will be on display throughout 2026.
Where: National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Opens Saturday, March 14, 2026
An abandoned 19th-century bank in Old City has been transformed into an immersive, 6-story work of art called Ministry of Awe (MoA) — just in time for the big Philly 250 celebration.
The building-wide work of art inside the former bank celebrates “human-ness” with installations, interactive sculptures, immersive soundscapes, live performances and murals. Global artist and creative mind behind the transformative art experience, Meg Saligman, collaborated with more than 100 artists to create the massive work.
MoA will offer timed-ticket entry six days a week. Sign up to get notified when tickets go on sale.
Where: Ministry of Awe, 225 Church Street, Philadelphia, PA
March 20 & 22, 2026
A college basketball hotbed for over a century, Philly will feel March’s madness first-hand in 2026 as Xfinity Mobile Arena hosts a slate of first- and second-round games during the 87th NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The six early-round games — hosted by St. Joseph’s University — will feature eight top programs from around the nation fighting for a spot in the Sweet 16. This will mark the 29th time Philadelphia has played host to men’s tourney games since 1939, including Christian Laettner’s famous game-winner in 1992 and the 1976 and 1981 Final Fours.
We all know how the American Revolutionary War ended. Now, a brand-new exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum explores how our new nation built its economy back up in the aftermath.
Featuring roughly 150 rarely seen objects and artifacts, Seeking Profit and Power: Philadelphia, China Trade and the Making of America examines how the dream of America survived (and thrived) through new economic relationships and international trade alliances — and how China helped build America into the global superpower it is today.
Where: Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with exploring the nation’s western territories after the Louisiana Purchase. But did you know that Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences is home to nearly all the explorers’ original journals and preserved specimens related to their botanical research in its Lewis & Clark Herbarium?
For 2026, the institution highlights that collection in the new Botany of Nations exhibit, tracing the team’s journey through the stories and science of the plant knowledge with which they returned, imparted on them by the continent’s Indigenous nations.
Where: The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
April 2026 to September 2027
With storied histories of their own, the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (the country’s very first art school and museum) delve into the richness and diversity of American art history.
The two institutions team up with avid art collector (and Phillies’ managing partner) John Middleton and his wife and partner Leigh for this blockbuster exhibition titled A Nation of Artists. Threading together 300 years of American art, the collection features over 1,000 portraits, sculptures, furniture, photographs and more across both museums. Viewers find some of art’s biggest names — including Mary Cassatt and Charles Willson Peale — exhibited side-by-side with oft-overlooked Black, Indigenous, immigrant and historically underrepresented artists and contemporary talents.
A Nation of Artists debuts as a cultural milestone celebrating the nation’s creative and artistic legacy at the Philadelphia Art Museum (April 12, 2026 to July 5, 2027) and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (May 2026 through September 2027).
Where: Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
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Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
Opens Friday, April 10, 2026
Over the last 250 years, few things have become as synonymous with America’s Independence Day celebrations as the loud crack and colorful sparks of a fireworks display. But the origins of the dazzling light shows are much, much older — going as far back as the second century B.C.
The Science History Institute in Old City illuminates the history and chemistry of fireworks in an explosive new exhibition, featuring historic rare books, fine art, the latest in modern-day pyrotechnic technologies and more.
Where: Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Nearly a half-century before Hamilton, Broadway was privy to another iconic show focused on the Revolution. And in 2026, Walnut Street Theatre will host a new production of the 1969 classic 1776: The Musical. The award-winning retelling recounts the story — set right here in Philadelphia — of Adams, Franklin and Jefferson as they fight for independence against a deadlocked Continental Congress, with humor, romance and nail-biting tension.
Need more historical significance? Walnut Street Theatre remains the oldest continuously operating theater in the entire English-speaking world, opened just 30 years after the events depicted.
Where: Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Opens Thursday, April 23, 2026
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History marks the Semiquincentennial by overhauling its space to include two new permanent exhibit spaces and a 4,500-square-foot special exhibition space.
Set to open in April, the space’s first special exhibit, The First Salute, takes a look at never-before told stories of the Jewish community’s connections to the American Revolution. The exhibit features rare artifacts, original films and immersive videos.
Two new permanent exhibits open throughout 2026. Colors of Creation, a family-friendly exploration of the creation story, opens in July. A second permanent exhibit documents contemporary antisemitism, opening later in 2026.
Where: Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA
The 2026 PGA Championship, one of professional golf’s four major tournaments that make up the Grand Slam, will crown its new champion at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Delaware County, on its par-70, 7,237-yard course in May 2026.
This marks the first time a Philadelphia-area club has hosted the Championship since Gary Player captured the 1962 event, also held at Aronimink. Past PGA Championship winners have included Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.
Where: Aronimink Golf Club, 3600 Saint Davids Road, Newtown Square, PA
19th-century Romantic-era composer Gustav Mahler brought larger-than-life, emotionally intense symphonies to the forefront of classical music — and was one of the leading composers of his generation.
Greater than the already-great sum of its parts, Mahler’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 5 (described as a “foaming, roaring, raging sea of sound”) comes to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, performed by pianist Aaron Diehl and The Philadelphia Orchestra and featuring new music from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey.
Where: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
What is it like to actually live and create art and performance in the City of Brotherly Love? That’s the idea behind the brand-new What Now creative festival — presented by arts and culture organization ArtPhilly — which features 10 days of multidisciplinary arts including thought-provoking musical concerts, theatrical shows, dance performances, visual art exhibits and new museum experiences.
The fest, focusing on Philly’s history, neighborhoods and artistic legacy, makes all of Philadelphia a stage with performances, exhibitions and projects taking place across a selection of iconic museums, landmarks and venues.
Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz legend Wynton Marsalis graces the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall for a captivating concert showcasing Marsalis’ newest classical works — right alongside Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 7.
Joined by The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the famed trumpeter unites both orchestras together as one in this powerful world premiere.
Opening Spring 2026
North Broad Street’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will open its first new, as-yet-unnamed permanent collection exhibition in over two decades. The selection will showcase 250 to 350 works from its 16,000-strong repository.
The permanent exhibition is expected to pull from seven main themes: Indigenous Futures, Accessible America, Artists as Activists, Extractive Ecologies, American Empire, Queer America and PAFA & American Art. The gallery will be located in the circa-1876 Furness & Hewitt building, which is currently closed for renovations.
Where: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
A bear of a project is underway at the Philadelphia Zoo. The nation’s oldest zoo is transforming its ursine habitat with a $20 million expansion and renovation of the popular Bear Country exhibit, expected to open in spring 2026.
Visitors will be able to get even closer to the action with a new third bear habitat, an extension of the Zoo360 exploration trail allowing the bears to rotate through all the habitats, new glass viewing areas where guests can come nose-to-nose with the bears, new spaces to view keeper training and more.
Where: Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
Spring & Summer 2026
For 20 weeks throughout the spring and summer of 2026, Philly puts its individual neighborhoods in the limelight with a celebratory Neighborhood Tour Series.
Every week, a different neighborhood is highlighted with tours that visit local restaurants, shops, parks, historical landmarks and other beloved cultural treasures. Each tour is led by an experienced guide, with routes and scripts created in partnership with local historians and residents of the communities.
The Neighborhood Tour series is part of Philly’s Ring It On! initiative, in conjunction with Bells Across PA (more on that above).
Spring 2026 through Winter 2027
German-speaking people played a significant role in the founding of our nation — from politics to military to religion — and Historic Trappe in Montco commemorates the nation’s 250th anniversary with three milestone initiatives across its three historic properties.
The Speaker’s House, the former home of Frederick Muhlenberg, the first speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, opens to the public in 2026 in all its restored glory; the Muhlenberg House offers tours of the elegant home where indentured German and enslaved African servants once lived; and the Center for Pennsylvania German Studies hosts a landmark exhibition that highlights the lived experiences of Pennsylvania Germans, featuring original journals, family bibles, firearms, redware and more.
Where: Historic Trappe, 301 W. Main Street, Trappe, PA
June – September 27, 2026
A towering large-scale installation by artist Paul Ramírez Jonas, Let Freedom Ring — presented by the Association for Public Art — allows participants to write the end of an all-American song.
The interactive bell tower sculpture plays the patriotic tune My Country ’Tis of Thee — only up to the very last note, when onlookers can pull a lever to ring a 600-pound bell and complete the song. The message? We can only realize the unfinished promises of our nation’s founding when we work together as a society.
Where: Cherry Street Pier, 121 N. Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
Light up the night at historic Franklin Square with the must-see Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Old City.
2026’s fantastical light display celebrates the Year of the Horse with dozens of massive, intricate and handcrafted lanterns and installations constructed by Chinese artisans, plus cultural performances and plenty of international food and drink.
Stay tuned for more info on the 2026 theme, which highlights countries represented at FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia.
Where: Franklin Square, 200 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Visit Philadelphia and TED are collaborating to create TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures — a one-day event at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Held in honor of America’s 250th birthday in 2026, this flagship event marks the culmination of Visit Philadelphia’s three-year partnership with TED Democracy.
The full-day event will feature more than a dozen brand-new TED Talks from the Marian Anderson Hall stage, as well as interactive activations, performances, culinary pop-ups and networking opportunities. Sign up for the TED Democracy newsletter list to be the first to hear about ticketing options.
June 14 – July 4, 2026 (select dates)
The eyes of the world will be on Lincoln Financial Field (home to the NFL’s Eagles) in 2026, one of just 11 U.S. stadiums to hold matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. The Linc will host five Group Stage “pool play” matchups — featuring national teams from semi-randomly assigned groups — leading up to a July Fourth Round-of-16 Knockout Stage tilt for the right to advance to the Quarterfinals.
Philly will also host a FIFA FanFestival at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park featuring giant game-watch screens, food, music, parties and more.
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, 1 Lincoln Financial Field Way, Philadelphia, PA
Lemon Hill, 1 Lemon Hill Drive, Philadelphia, PA
Originally built as part of America’s bicentennial festivities in 1976, Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts hits the big 5-0 this year. In celebration of both the anniversary milestone and America’s 250th anniversary, the beloved open-air music venue is collaborating with some of the big hitters of Philly arts and culture during A Hundred Years On with The Philadelphia Orchestra & The Crossing.
This world-premiere performance — penned by acclaimed composer Peter Boyer and award-winning librettist Mark Campbell and performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Grammy Award-winning choir The Crossing — transports you back in time to the 1876 Centennial Exposition, which introduced such innovations as the telephone and typewriter to the masses.
Other 2026 celebrations at Highmark Mann include the premiere of BalletX’s The Four Seasons Reimagined (June 2026), 50 Years of Music in the Park with The Philadelphia Orchestra (July 2026) and a vibrant community-led mural installation in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia (summer 2026).
Where: Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
The cornerstone of Independence Day festivities in Philadelphia is always the annual Welcome America festival.
The multi-week celebration commences on Juneteenth and culminates on July Fourth. Events in past years have included a parade and festival during the Red, White, & Blue To-Do; a reading of the Declaration of Independence; the country’s largest July Fourth parade; and a headline concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway followed by a massive fireworks show above the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Stay tuned for more about the 2026 iteration of Welcome America.
Where: Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
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Parade begins at 2nd and Market streets, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
Summer 2026
Wanna hear a story? Expert wordsmiths with a knack for the overlooked and hidden history of Philadelphia man sites across the Historic District during the warm-weather months.
Costumed History Makers regale visitors with memories from their past, while specially trained, uniformed storytellers are stationed at benches near historic sites, bringing to life free three- to five-minute tales.
In honor of the milestone year, Once Upon a Nation adds several additional storytelling benches to its roster — bringing the total to a whopping 13 — and an expanded cast of History Makers.
Summer & Winter 2026
Washington Crossing Historic Park — the site of George Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware — honors the bravery, dedication and lasting legacy of the general and the Continental Army.
In addition to its regular lineup of living history programs, guided tours and more, the park is set to host three major community-wide events in 2026: an expanded Independence Day celebration and fireworks display and two reimagined December Crossing Reenactments.
The park also debuts some exciting new enhancements to the visitor experience, including upgrades to its Visitor Center Gallery and renovations to its historic buildings. Stay tuned to the official website for more information.
Where: Washington Crossing Historic Park, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA
As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we cannot forget that Jefferson’s words — “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” — did not extend to all Americans in 1776.
Each year, the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade & Festival honors the anniversary of when the last enslaved African Americans were informed of their freedom on June 19th, 1865.
One of the largest in the nation, Philly’s Juneteenth Parade typically features 25,000 attendees, 2,000 participants and over two-dozen floats parading through West Philly.
The day culminates with music, vendors, a youth pavilion and more at the Juneteenth Festival at Malcolm X Park. Stay tuned for more details about 2026’s event.
Where: Various locations including Malcolm X Park, 5100 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA
This national historic park — a gift from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the American people in honor of America’s last big birthday — toasts its Golden Jubilee with a weekend of festivities.
Bookended by opening and closing ceremonies on July 3 and July 5, 2026, Valley Forge’s birthday celebrations really get going on July Fourth with celebratory musket and cannon firings, birthday and thank-you card signings, and — the main event — a party at Washington’s Headquarters with live music and a reenactor portraying Anna Morris Holstein, who helped pave the way for the site’s preservation.
Bonus: Keep an eye out for special Semiquincentennial exhibits and events throughout the national park all year long.
Where: Valley Forge National Historical Park, 1400 N. Outer Line Drive, King of Prussia, PA
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
The Midsummer Classic returns to Philly for the first time in 30 years when the 96th Annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game comes to Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026. Stars from across the National and American leagues will descend on Philly for the fifth time in the event’s existence — and first ever at “The Bank” — with the city previously hosting in 1943, 1952, 1976 and 1996.
Ahead of the game, All-Star Week festivities will also include the Home Run Derby, All-Star Futures Game, All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, MLB Draft and the All-Star Village fanfest. Stay tuned for more info on these events.
Where: Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Way, Philadelphia, PA
The borough of Newtown in Bucks County honors America’s 250th birthday with an action-packed day of events in early August 2026. The free, family-friendly event features historical displays, graveyard tours at the Old Presbyterian Church of Newtown, period music at the Historic Newtown Theatre and more.
Throughout the day, more than 60 reenactors, including British soldiers, William Penn and the notorious Doan Gang, bring Newtown’s rich history to life at sites across town.
Where: Various locations throughout Newtown including Newtown Theatre, 120 N. State Street, Newtown, PA
Break out the spandex! The Philadelphia Cycling Classic is back after a decade-long hiatus as part of Philly’s monster year celebrating America’s 250th.
The internationally renowned race — a beloved tradition in the city for more than 30 years — returns for the first time since 2016 with both men’s and women’s races.
A 14.4-mile circuit course will take riders down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway through Lemon Hill and up the “Manayunk Wall,” a grueling hill featuring a 17% grade. Ouch. Catch us rooting from the sidelines.
Where: Begins at Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA
December 2026
Yo, Adrian! The original Rocky film turns 50 in 2026, and the Italian Stallion’s hometown is celebrating the golden anniversary of the movie’s release with a year of Rocky-themed events.
A collaboration between the Philadelphia Visitor Center and the Sly Stallone Shop — along with dozens of Philly sites and attractions like the Philadelphia Art Museum (with its iconic Rocky Steps) — the all-ages fest features a series of activities, special events and activations dedicated to Rocky and other real-life Philly athletes. Stay tuned for more info.
Where: Various locations including the Rocky Statue, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA
Opening 2026
From Memorial Hall in 1876 to the African American Museum in 1976, Philadelphia has a long history of institutions constructed for milestone anniversaries. The most prominent for 2026 is a yet-unnamed museum on the site of the First Bank of the United States, which will be publicly accessible for the first time in a half-century.
The new museum in Independence National Historical Park will focus on the role of the bank — opened in 1797 under Alexander Hamilton as the nation’s first centralized national bank — and its importance to early American economic development.
Where: First Bank of the United States, 120 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
The country’s best city for public art is about to get a new interactive showpiece. FloatLab, a 75-foot-wide floating art installation, is set to open in 2026 along the southern shoreline of Bartram’s Garden in Kingsessing.
The walkable piece, to be illuminated at night, will be held steady by a system of ballast chambers below a ring-shaped surface which will remain level as tides move. The subaqueous sloped lower platform will place visitors at direct eye level with the river while standing dry slightly below it, with an elevated ring offering views from above.
Where: FloatLab at Bartram’s Garden, 56th Street Plaza, 3000 S. 56th Street, Philadelphia, PA
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