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Philadelphia 2026: Everything you need to know about the 250th birthday celebrations, All-Star Game, FIFA World Cup and more
The U.S. semiquincentennial and the MLB’s Midsummer Classic are just the tip of the iceberg. Also in the mix? TED Talks, March Madness and the PGA Championship.
A collaboration between the city and PHILADELPHIA250, Ring It On! will feature a series of economic and cultural investments meant to last beyond the semiquincentennial.
During a Ring It On! kickoff on Sep. 3, Mayor Cherelle Parker emphasized that communities will act as participants as well as co-creators under three main pillars: activations, beautifications and celebrations, with the aim of boosting civic pride, strengthening local economies and creating lasting improvements.
Here’s a look at what’s known so far:
Activations
The city is planning a yearlong calendar of festivals, attractions and experiences rooted in community to help engage residents, attract visitors and promote local businesses.
Beautifications
Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce and community stakeholders, in collaboration with City Council district offices, will lead physical improvements to commercial corridors.
Beautification project examples floated by the city include decorative banners and benches, large planters and other streetscape improvements.
Celebrations
The city is planning a series of public programs that aim to uplift Philadelphia stories, voices and culture.
The following will be among the featured celebrations:
Bells Across PA: Local artists will co-create 20 large replica liberty bells along with community members as part of this America250PA program, in partnership with Mural Arts. Once finished, the bells will be displayed along commercial corridors and pubic parks.
Block Party Bonanza: “Life, Liberty, and Happiness” kits with 250th-themed decorations, toys, games and more will be given to 250 block party applicants. “Super” block parties will also be awarded to the city’s 25 most beautiful blocks, as part of a citywide contest. The effort is a partnership between PHILADELPHIA250, the city’s Office of Clean and Green, and the city’s Streets Department.
’City of Neighborhoods’ tour series: Over the spring and summer, the city will elevate a different community each week as part of a 20-week tour co-created by residents and community historians.
Many of the city’s semiquincentennial celebrations will fall under the umbrella of the nonprofit PHILADELPHIA250. Here’s what’s planned so far.
Neighborhood Gateways
In neighborhoods across the city, 250th-themed activity centers will welcome visitors and residents with family-friendly events and programs.
Legacies for the 250th: Community-led projects
Historically, Philadelphia has celebrated landmark anniversaries with special monuments like
Memorial Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the LOVE sculpture.
For the nation’s semiquincentennial, PHILADELPHIA250 is taking a “by the people, for the people” approach, highlighting scalable, community-led projects.
Three projects were selected through PHILADELPHIA250’s Leave a Legacy grant competition. From shared prosperity and people’s histories to revolutionary action and the pursuit of happiness, the grantees touch on the country’s “original founding values,” said Danielle DiLeo Kim, executive director of PHILADELPHIA250, in 2022.
Here’s a look at the grant winners:
Our Market: Preserving local heritage through storytelling
Generations of Italian Americans, Black residents, immigrants from Southeast Asia and Ortiz’s own family have lived and worked along the South Ninth Street market, which dates back more than 100 years.
A sign directs shoppers at Tran’s Produce stand to scan the QR code to listen to the stories of the stand’s owners on South 9th Street. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
“This is our home, this is our place. We belong here,” Ortiz told WHYY News in 2022. “We all belong to this place.”
As part of its effort to preserve the market’s cultural legacy, Our Market will help residents, business owners and vendors become the storytellers of their own history. The grassroots model will be shared with other communities facing similar challenges.
Smith Memorial Playground’s revolutionary action figures
To empower children as future changemakers, North Philadelphia’s Smith Memorial Playground will lead kids in creating action figures based on community activists and heroes.
Smith Playground summer camp participants, and Boys and Girls Club members take the first photos in from of the ‘MVP’ Ora Washington statue. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Danielle Smith, the playground’s development director, came up with the idea as a way to teach kids about people directly impacting their communities, like action figure prototypes FarmerJawn and Ya Fav Trashman.
“Children are community stakeholders,” Smith said in 2022. “They have a voice and it matters.”
Organizers say the program will extend to other education and recreation sites across the city.
Special Olympics Pa.’s ‘City of Inclusion’
Special Olympics Pennsylvania aims to make Philadelphia the nation’s first “City of Inclusion.”
The initiative seeks to ensure neighborhoods and businesses make necessary accommodations in education, employment, health, housing and access to services.
Pedestrians and two operators of power chairs are able to cross at the same time at the intersection of Broad and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Of large U.S. cities, Philadelphia has the highest disability rate. About 246,000 Philadelphians, or 16% of the city’s population, have a physical, emotional or cognitive disability, according to Chase Trimmer, director of the fellowship program at SOP.
Support systems for people with disabilities often exist in silos, Trimmer said in 2022. “We seek to bring people together — government, the private sector, agencies, self-advocates — to really create a more inclusive city of Philadelphia,” he said.
In 2026, MLB’s “Midsummer Classic” will return to Philadelphia, echoing the bicentennial celebrations of 1976, when Veterans Stadium hosted the game.
When is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The game is scheduled for July 14, 2026.
Has Philadelphia hosted the All-Star Game before?
Yes. It will be the city’s fifth time but the first at Citizens Bank Park. Veterans Stadium hosted in 1976 and 1996. Shibe Park hosted in 1943 and 1952.
The National League bested the American League in all but one Philly-hosted All-Star Game: the 1943 game at Shibe Park.
2026 All-Star Game: How can I get a ticket?
Ticketing details have not been announced. Traditionally, tickets are reserved for season ticket holders.
FIFA’s 2026 Men’s World Cup — a massive 104-game tournament featuring 48 teams across 16 host cities in three countries — includes several matches in Philadelphia.
Which World Cup 26 games will be played in Philly?
Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will host five group-stage matches and one knockout-stage fixture, the latter of which will be held on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Here’s a look at the schedule:
Group Stage fixtures
Sunday, June 14 | Match 9 – Group E
Friday, June 19 | Match 29 – Group C
Monday, June 22 | Match 42 – Group I
Thursday, June 25 | Match 55 – Group E
Saturday, June 27 | Match 68 – Group L
Round of 16 fixtures
Saturday, July 4 | Match 89 – Winner of match 74 vs. Winner of match 77
How can I snag a World Cup 26 ticket in Philly?
VISA cardholders may enter FIFA’s World Cup 26 ticket lottery from Sept. 10, 2025, through Sept. 19, 2025. Randomly selected applicants will be notified before the end of September and assigned a date and time in October to purchase their tickets. More ticket sales opportunities are expected to be announced thereafter.
The Crossing of the Delaware — a turning point in the Revolutionary War — will be top of mind during semiquincentennial celebrations.
In Bucks County’s Washington Crossing Park, visitors will be able to step inside a replica of the boat George Washington used to cross the Delaware River on Dec. 25, 1776. The 40-foot Durham boat will be stationed on dry land and serve as a “gateway into history,” said Jennifer Martin, executive director of Friends of Washington Crossing Park. The FWCP is partnering with the Independence Seaport Museum to bring the boat to life.
The Durham boat is slated to be on site at Washington Crossing by May 2026.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament will include games at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, with Saint Joseph’s University hosting.
The first-round games will take place on Friday, March 20. The second-round games will take place on Sunday, March 22.
How can I snag a ticket to Philly’s March Madness games?
Yes. The 2026 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament will mark Philadelphia’s 29th time hosting. The city last hosted March Madness games in 2022.
Where and when is the 2026 PGA Championship being held?
Newtown Square’s Aronimink Golf Club will host the 2026 PGA Championship from May 11 through May 17.
Has Aronimink hosted a PGA Championship before?
Yes, the Delaware County golf club first hosted the PGA Championship in 1962.
In 2020, the course became the first to host all three of the PGA of America’s rotating major championships: the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship and the Women’s PGA Championship.
How can I snag a 2026 PGA Championship ticket?
Championship+ Grounds Tickets for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday have already sold out. Those interested may purchase Championship+ Grounds verified resale tickets through SeatGeek.
From January through December 2026, the Philadelphia Historic District will host “52 Weeks of Firsts,” celebrating milestones from the city’s history, including the first American flag (1777), the first flower show (1827) and the first Mummers Parade (1901).
Free weekly events will be held throughout the city, with one signature marquee event each month.
With TED Democracy, organizers hope to spotlight Philadelphia’s role as the birthplace of modern American democracy.
The initiative, a collaboration between Visit Philadelphia and TED, will feature a series of high-profile events that explore core tenets of democracy.
The speaker series will include an event in October 2025, with details forthcoming. In 2026, a daylong symposium exploring what democracy means to modern society will serve as TED Democracy’s flagship event.
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