{"id":199727,"date":"2025-09-04T14:16:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/199727\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T14:16:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:16:18","slug":"5-things-were-most-excited-about-for-phillys-250th-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/199727\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things We\u2019re Most Excited About for Philly\u2019s 250th Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNews<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

From block parties to public art, Philadelphia\u2019s plans for America\u2019s big birthday put neighborhoods and culture at the heart of the celebration.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tGet a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning \u2014 great with coffee!\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"America<\/p>\n

Mayor Cherelle Parker leads the group in a \u201cOne Philly, A United City\u201d chant during the city\u2019s press conference announcing plans to celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary in 2026. \/ Photograph by Quinton Davis courtesy of City of Philadelphia<\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s gearing up for what feels like our biggest year ever, since 2026 brings the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game and America\u2019s 250th anniversary. And yesterday the city let us in on what that epic year will look like, as they unveiled what they\u2019re calling \u201cRing It On! One Philly, A United Celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n

It just rolls off the tongue, doesn\u2019t it? The second half of that title is a callback to Mayor Cherelle Parker\u2019s unifying chant, \u201cOne Philly, A United City,\u201d which she, of course led the press conference in during her announcement. And the first half is a little nod to the Liberty Bell \u00a0\u2014 which makes sense, seeing as we\u2019re the birthplace of America, liberty, and all that good stuff \u2014 and not, sadly, an exploration of why Philly is sexy, cute, and popular to boot<\/a>. But I digress.<\/p>\n

The City of Philadelphia both figuratively and literally rang in the celebration today \u2014 they borrowed the Sixers\u2019 bell for the occasion and dressed it up with \u201cRing It On!\u201d signage \u2014 and filled us in on the massive semiquincentennial initiative that will put neighborhoods at the center of our focus, and Philly at the center of the country\u2019s. There\u2019ll be art! There\u2019ll be parties! And hopefully there\u2019ll be good vibes and thoughtful improvements that last far beyond 2026.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the goal, anyway. Think of it as the new ABCs \u2014 the City of Philadelphia is summarizing its 250th celebration plans up with three main goals: Activation, Beautification, and Celebration.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what that all means, and what we\u2019re most excited about for Philly\u2019s 250th celebration.<\/p>\n

\"America<\/p>\n

Photograph by Quinton Davis courtesy of City of Philadelphia<\/p>\n

A Year of Neighborhood Festivals<\/p>\n

\u201cActivations\u201d is the city\u2019s term, but what it really means is a full calendar of festivals, concerts, and neighborhood events. Some will be brand-new, while others will be bigger, better versions of celebrations Philly already loves.<\/p>\n

How many parties, you ask? Two hundred and fifty!<\/p>\n

Philly loves a block party, and for the 250th, the city is supersizing the tradition with what they\u2019re calling \u201cBlock Party Bonanza.\u201d Two hundred fifty block party applicants will receive \u201cLife, Liberty, and Happiness\u201d kits filled with 250th-themed decorations, giveaways, toys and games, and more to help their event along.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 25 winners of the \u201cMost Beautiful Block\u201d contest will get next-level parties featuring DJs, food vendors, inflatables, and more. (In keeping with the celebration\u2019s overarching goal of highlighting the neighborhoods, they\u2019ll tap into local businesses to provide these.)<\/p>\n

You can keep up with what\u2019s happening and where, with a public calendar of 2026 Ring It On! events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cRing It On\u201d bells were given to press conference attendees. \/ Photograph by Laura Swartz<\/p>\n

Beautified Corridors Worth Strolling<\/p>\n

Something that really excited us about the 250th celebration is that it seems focused on highlighting and improving the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, not just celebrations in expected tourist destinations like Old City. Philly is, after all, \u201ca city of neighborhoods.\u201d So 20 commercial corridors (selected by City Council) will get a glow-up, thanks to new benches, seasonal planters, decorative banners, and other streetscape improvements. The goal: clean, welcoming spaces that invite people to shop, stroll, and linger. It\u2019s a citywide facelift that will benefit small businesses and residents long after the fireworks fade.<\/p>\n

Liberty Bell Scavenger Hunt!<\/p>\n

Remember when the DNC came to Philly in 2016, and there were suddenly a bunch of colorful donkey statues around the city? We were all-in on Donkeys Around Town<\/a>, trying to find all 57 \u2014 one for each state, plus territories.<\/p>\n

Well, get ready to relive the magic. At the state level, America250PA is launching Bells Across PA<\/a>, which will see decorated fiberglass Liberty Bell sculptures placed in each of Pennsylvania\u2019s 67 counties. And Philadelphia County is taking it even further, since the city will be teaming up with Mural Arts to install 20 of these Liberty Bells, each uniquely designed to reflect the identity of a Philly neighborhood. Together, they\u2019ll form a kind of artistic treasure map for residents and visitors to explore.<\/p>\n

\"America<\/p>\n

Michael Newmuis, 2026 director, City of Philadelphia \/ Photograph by Quinton Davis courtesy of City of Philadelphia<\/p>\n

Tours That Go Beyond Independence Hall<\/p>\n

A 20-week \u201cNeighborhood Tour Series\u201d will spotlight different communities across the city, from their food and shops to historic landmarks and green spaces. Each tour will be created in collaboration with locals, so instead of cookie-cutter history lessons, visitors will hear stories straight from the people who live there.<\/p>\n

Part of that is creating a workforce development program to train tour guides in all the neighborhoods, which has the added benefit of offering hospitality job experience and opportunities to residents who may not have thought of their own little corner of Philly as a destination worth exploring.<\/p>\n

A Brighter Future<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was the water ice and pretzel lunch, or all the chanting, or the fun bell giveaways, or the fact that Gritty, the Phanatic, and Phang were there, but we couldn\u2019t help but feel excited and hopeful about what\u2019s to come in 2026 and beyond. (And, yes, the city\u2019s 2026 director, Michael Newmuis, is a superstar with a warm smile, but it\u2019s more than that, people!)<\/p>\n

Next year is such a lightning-in-a-bottle opportunity for Philadelphia, and whether it\u2019s Live Aid in 1985<\/a>, the Pope\u2019s visit in 2015, the NFL Draft in 2017, or any one of our recent championship celebrations, Philly really shines when we\u2019re thrust into the national spotlight. Somehow it all comes together and turns out better than we expected (or feared, depending on your disposition).<\/p>\n

And what makes Ring It On! (yeah, I\u2019m embracing it) even more promising is that the city seems to recognize the opportunity that such a monumental year presents, and is planning accordingly to take full advantage of it. Focusing on Philadelphia\u2019s individual neighborhoods means money and attention funneled into those neighborhoods: improvements we now have a good excuse to make (and raise money for), civic pride that could uplift not just a calendar year but a generation. Something tangible that\u2019ll stick around after we\u2019ve swept up the confetti. And hope, in a time when we so desperately need it.<\/p>\n

So Ring It On, 2026 \u2014 we\u2019re ready for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News From block parties to public art, Philadelphia\u2019s plans for America\u2019s big birthday put neighborhoods and culture at…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":199728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-199727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-pa","10":"tag-pennsylvania","11":"tag-philadelphia","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-united-states-of-america","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115146456307851692","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}