Special Events
Parades, festivals and fireworks are frequent in Philadelphia, where every season brings something special. You will find something for everyone to enjoy throughout the year. The following are some of Philadelphia's largest annual events.
Philadelphia Flower Show
Early to mid-MarchEleven acres of lush gardens, lavish floral settings and inspirational displays by top landscape designers and educational organisations make this the largest, most prestigious indoor flower show in the world.
Sunoco Welcome America!
End of June through July 4One of the grandest Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. features more than a week of 50 free events, including fireworks, concerts, neighborhood festivals, historic reenactments, and parades. Celebrate the U.S.A.'s birthday where the U.S.A. began!
Philadelphia’s Holiday Festival
Thanksgiving through New Year's DayBy the time America's oldest parade proceeds down Benjamin Franklin Parkway on November 27, the City is already in the full swing of the holiday season. In Center City, the celebrations range from a four-story light and organ show at Macy's to the Pennsylvania Ballet's rendition of The Nutcracker. Venturing out to the countryside, merrymakers of all ages love the Longwood Gardens Christmas lights and fountain shows, as well as the gingerbread displays and competition in Peddler's Village.
New Year’s Day Mummers Parade
January 1
A Philadelphia tradition dating back to 1901, the Mummers Parade
features an array of intricate and elaborate costumes worn by four
divisions: the Comics, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades. In
the afternoon, the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) hosts the Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale,
with a show at noon and a judged competition at 5:00 p.m. The
festivities go on all day, from the parade to street festivities
throughout South Philadelphia, making it one of the longest
celebrations in the United States.
City of Sports
The madness starts in March when the Wachovia Center hosts first and second round games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In April, the City's world champion Philadelphia Phillies will raise the 2008 World Series pennant
above Citizens Bank Park in their opener on April 5 against the Atlanta
Braves. Later in the month, Franklin Field will host the annual Penn Relays,
featuring eminent track and field stars from high school, college, and
professional levels. In May, the Schuylkill River serves as the
backdrop for the Dad Vail Regatta - the largest intercollegiate rowing event in the country.
The competition will stay heated all summer long. In June, Philadelphia hosts the final legs of the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling
for both men and women - celebrating its 25th anniversary this year -
internationally heralded as America's elite cycling events. During the
second week of July, Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, PA, will
host the 2009 US Women's Open for golf.
With the start of autumn, sports fill the air when the Eagles, Sixers,
and Flyers all embark on new seasons. Outside of the professional
arena, the fleet-footed will partake in the Philadelphia Marathon in November, while the 110th Army/Navy Game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field on December 12 - the 82nd time Philadelphia has hosted the storied rivalry between America's two military academies.
