As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday next year, Philadelphia will play a special role as the birthplace of America. From community initiatives to major sporting events, the City of Brotherly Love will take center stage in 2026.  

Temple Now spoke with festival and event expert Ira Rosen, associate professor of event and entertainment management at Temple’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, about the significance of this milestone year and what it means for Philadelphia’s global visibility as a destination city. 

Temple Now: Why is it significant that Philadelphia is at the center of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations?    

Ira Rosen: When we go back 250 years ago in 2026, this is where it started. No other city in the United States can lay claim to the fact that the Declaration of Independence was signed in their city. Other cities will celebrate in a big way, but nobody should do it the way that Philadelphia does it. One of the July Fourth taglines the city used to use was ‘Celebrate America’s birthday in America's birthplace.’ They don’t use that hook anymore, but it’s certainly a valid statement because, again, it’s something that nobody else can claim. We all know that this is the birthplace of our nation, and Philadelphia should be celebrating the 250th like no other city in the United States. 

TN: Philadelphia has hosted big national moments before, like the bicentennial in 1976. How do you see this milestone comparing?   

IR: Philadelphia is used to hosting enormous events. We’ve had the bicentennial in 1976 and a huge celebration of the bicentennial of the Constitution in 1987. We’ve had papal visits, the Democratic National Convention, Republican National Convention, National Football League Draft, for example. I think every time we do major events, we learn from them. Obviously, mayors have changed many times since then, and Mayor Parker is really embracing the celebration, not only in Center City but beyond. So much of what happened in those past events was concentrated in the historic district with spillover into Center City. Mayor Parker has mandated that we will celebrate this semiquincentennial in every neighborhood, and activations will happen throughout the city, not just in Old City and Center City. So that’s very different from other major events that the city has hosted. She is incredibly committed to making sure that every neighborhood benefits from this celebration. 

TN: What makes Philadelphia uniquely positioned to tell America’s story during this anniversary? 

IR: History is all around us, but it’s such a central core of what we as Philadelphians celebrate. Independence Hall is not just an iconic building that everybody in the country knows about, it’s here in one of our neighborhoods. Although it has international significance, we as Philadelphians kind of forget that it’s in our backyard sometimes because we walk past it every day or drive past it every day or see it every day. I think we take it for granted in a lot of ways. But this upcoming year gives us this opportunity to take a step back and invite the world to come celebrate our birthday with us. 

TN: With the global spotlight turning to Philadelphia, what does this moment mean for Temple? 

IR: I can’t emphasize enough what a great moment in time this is for us. The 250th provides us with so many opportunities for Temple students to learn right in our backyard about hosting major events. At STHM, we are talking a lot about it in our classes; we’re having guest speakers from the planning committees to share their experiences with our students.  

We know that President Fry is deeply committed to community engagement and strengthening Temple’s partnerships with our North Philadelphia neighbors. As the 250th celebration approaches, there will undoubtedly be many opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to be actively involved in events and initiatives across the city. The international eye will be on Philadelphia. As a major university in the heart of the city, this is a great opportunity to showcase Temple, and I’m truly excited for all that’s ahead in the coming year. 

TN: What kind of impact do you expect the 250th anniversary to have on tourism in Philadelphia and beyond? 

IR: It’s going to be enormous. The impact on tourism is going to be significant for a lot of reasons because there’s just so much going on. It’s not just the 250th birthday. FIFA World Cup, NCAA March Madness, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and PGA Championship are coming, and all kinds of enormous international conventions are coming next year, so the potential impact on tourism and hotel occupancy rates and everything is going to be really strong.  

Both Mayor Parker and Governor Shapiro understand the value of international tourism, not only for the Philadelphia area but for the greater Philadelphia region, the surrounding counties and beyond. If hotels are booked in the city, people will look at the surrounding areas and travel. The economic benefits beyond Philadelphia are going to be enormous around the commonwealth.  

Fun fact, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, Kaitie Burger, earned her master’s from STHM, so we know she and members of the administration are paying attention to this. As I say to people, Owls are everywhere, especially in our industry. 

TN: How might this celebration affect local businesses, hotels and restaurants? 

IR: The city is making a huge effort to make it very easy for everybody to participate in this celebration. They are looking at how anniversary events can have a solid economic impact in all our neighborhoods.  

Additionally, because of the mayor’s commitment to the neighborhoods, small businesses around the city are being encouraged to participate. We want to get people to come out not just from Old City or Center City, but to go out and see the murals all around the city, shop at small businesses, dine at local restaurants, and visit neighborhood galleries and cultural institutions. This is a citywide initiative, and it’s going to be promoted that way. 

TN: What else do you think Philadelphia needs to do to maximize its visibility as a destination during the anniversary? 

IR: Behind the scenes, there are millions of dollars in infrastructure projects going on, which will benefit the city and Philadelphia residents far beyond 2026. Some of these include installing new benches, improving lighting throughout the city and making road improvements, to name a few.  

The city and the planning committees want to make sure that the city is perceived as clean and safe for our residents and tourists. Statistics show that crime is down; the city is getting safer, the city is getting cleaner and we want people to know that. Perception is reality. We want tourists to know that Philadelphia is an attractive destination. It is a working, thriving environment. There is a lot of marketing going on to promote the 250th in Philadelphia, but there is also a lot happening at the operational level, the infrastructure level, working with city officials, event producers and consultants, and more to be proactive in ensuring that 2026 is a well-organized, vibrant and enjoyable celebration for all who live in the city and visit Philadelphia. I’m very optimistic about what we’re going to see. 

TN: How do you hope this milestone will shape Philadelphia’s reputation as a cultural and historic destination beyond 2026?   

IR: There’s always been a very deliberate effort to look at the next thing. The huge tourism push in Philadelphia really started in the 1990s with then-Mayor Rendell. If you look at all the events in the past 25 years that Philadelphia has hosted, every time we do one, the bar gets raised a little bit higher. All of the major events that we have hosted successfully in the city of Philadelphia only help us grow our reputation. 

We are constantly changing and constantly improving. How do we build on the events in 2026 and launch them into something even further to continue that momentum? Because we still have to fill hotel rooms in 2027 and 2028 and all of those years beyond. It’s taking what we’ve done well and really marketing our successes into the future.