Philly will host 52 parties to celebrate 52 historic firsts in 2026
The weekly, citywide, yearlong celebration, organized by the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee, will honor America’s 250th birthday Philadelphia is home to a lot of American firsts. First Slinky. First ice cream soda. First Thanksgiving Day Parade. First Mummer. Totally us. First Zoo. First penitentiary. First children’s hospital. First flower show. First African American Methodist […]
Artifacts from Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, and Gandhi are coming to Philly for America’s 250th
Many of the new artifacts carry the weight of history, but also the freedom stories and intimate histories of the families that long preserved them. Kenneth B. Morris Jr.’s family treasures have always been American treasures. Morris, 62, is the great-great-great-grandson of abolitionist and orator, Frederick Douglass, and great-great-grandson of famed educator and founder of […]
Can We Still Throw an Epic 250th Birthday Party?
So far, Philadelphia’s schemes to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial have had their fair share of setbacks and doubters. Is it too late to make next year’s celebration of America our best yet? Everyone, no matter who you are — whether you were born here, whether you came here from another country because you were being […]
Time for a civic ‘Tush Push’
We need an all-hands-on-deck, brotherly and sisterly shove to get us over the goal line in readying Philadelphia for the Semiquincentennial celebrations. Lately, we’ve been detecting a particularly Philadelphian phenomenon relating to next year’s Semiquincentennial. It might be best characterized as premature disappointment syndrome — a pessimism that great things can’t happen in Philadelphia. Yes, […]
Philadelphia will kick off America’s 250th birthday with a birthday bash for the Navy and the Marine Corps
The week-long commemoration is scheduled to be the largest national event honoring the military and veterans for America’s 250th birthday. When George Leone began thinking about America’s 250th birthday in 2026, the retired New Jersey Superior Court judge and former Philadelphia assistant district attorney did not want to see Philly blow its chance in the […]
Late for the Party: Philly’s preparations for America’s 250th anniversary lost momentum amid COVID and other challenges. Is it too late to pull off a great party in the nation’s birthplace?
Philadelphia has always gone big for America’s birthday. In 1876, to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in our “greene countrie towne,” as William Penn called it, we built a small city in Fairmount Park and hosted 10 million people from 37 countries. In 1926, the crowds thinned, but […]
Mayor Parker proposes $40 million in initial funding for Philly’s 250th anniversary
The initial city funding would address the most urgent costs of Philly’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America. Some councilmembers feel it doesn’t go far enough. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker presented City Council on Thursday with an initial $40 million funding proposal to help pay for Philadelphia’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America […]
Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes nearly $65 million for state Semiquincentennial celebrations
Shapiro advocated for millions for next year’s major tourism events including the nation’s 250th birthday, FIFA World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game, and early rounds of NCAA’s March Madness. Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed nearly $65 million in funding Tuesday toward Pennsylvania’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America in 2026, also known as the […]
The Museum of the American Revolution will display Thomas Jefferson’s chair and Martin Luther King’s prison bench
The exhibit, starting later this year, represents the first time the two iconic objects have been displayed side-by-side. When envisioning its major exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the Museum of the American Revolution sought out objects that represent the document’s enduring power, complexity, and unfilled promise. Two of […]
What will Philly look like in 250 years? Help describe the city’s future
With residents from across the city, we’re crafting a semiquincentennial vision statement to take us to 2276 and beyond. As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States — a movement that was created, debated and consecrated in Philadelphia — let’s look ahead another quarter millennium. What will Philadelphia […]
