Groups planning Philadelphia’s festivities for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence told lawmakers Monday that they need significantly more public funding to hold the celebrations.
Organizers, during a City Council hearing, stressed that there needs to be a “sense of urgency,” with 2026 looming and only one city and state budget cycle remaining for dollars to be allocated.
“Time is of the essence,” said Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation. “We are six weeks away from 2025.”
To mark the anniversary, also known as the Semiquincentennial, Philadelphia is hosting six FIFA men’s World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game, a TED speaker series, a souped-up July 4 celebration and dozens of other, smaller events.
Philadelphia Soccer 2026 executive Meg Kane, who is coordinating the World Cup hosting duties, projected that more than $100 million is needed from City Hall and Harrisburg for all 250th-related activities.
Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has committed $3.5 million for renovations to Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill area — the future site of a 40-day FIFA fan festival — and Kane requested an additional $6 million to cover operating expenses for the soccer competition.
Representatives from arts and culture organizations estimated that the sector requires $50 million in government support. An additional $50 million is being requested for marquee events to mark the occasion.
Wawa Welcome America needs to double its budget for the Fourth of July concert and related activities. Funding is also being sought to establish “gateways” for neighborhood-level celebrations and repairs to Independence Hall.
Efforts so far have been mainly supported by nearly $15 million in philanthropic donations. But no dollars have been included in previous state or city budgets for Philadelphia’s Semiquincentennial, absent some money for World Cup expenses, Ott Lovell said.
Michael Newmuis, the city’s 2026 director, said the Parker administration is preparing a “robust budget proposal for 2026 initiatives.” However, he declined to specify a total, saying numbers will be released when Parker unveils her spending proposal early next year.
He said Philadelphia will be asking state leaders to reimburse overtime costs for police officers, firefighters and other first responders.
“I think in a dream world, I would love to see an investment between $50 and $100 million from the city and state combined,” Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said at a news conference prior to the hearing. “And that doesn’t even include what we’re going to ask the federal government to put us in a position to make sure all of our spaces look amazing.”
Thomas called for the hearing, which lasted two-and-a-half hours and was held at the Independence Visitor Center.
Among those who testified was state Rep. Jared Solomon, of Northeast Philadelphia. He noted that Philadelphia undertook significant infrastructure and institutional investments for previous anniversary celebrations.
For the centennial, in 1876, Memorial Hall, now home to the Please Touch Museum, was constructed, and, to mark the 1926 Sesquicentennial, Philadelphia built FDR Park and the since-demolished JFK Stadium, also referred to as Municipal Stadium.
“Right now, as we all sit here today, in Philadelphia, we are on schedule to do zero,” Solomon said.
Councilmembers pushed planners to ensure that the benefits of 2026 reach beyond Center City and Old City, and particularly stretch into some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
Quetcy Lozada, whose district includes Kensington, wants the city to make sure visitors do not come to gawk at the neighborhood’s well-known issues with homelessness and addiction. Videos of Kensington have previously gone viral on YouTube, TikTok and elsewhere.
“We can’t say that we’re going to identify federal, city and state dollars to prepare the city for 2026, and we can’t identify those same dollars to make sure that we restore quality of life in the city of Philadelphia in the Kensington/Harrowgate community,” Lozada said during the hearing.
Councilmember Rue Landau suggested that Philadelphia’s lasting legacy from the Semiquincentennial could be improving conditions in the neighborhood and becoming a leader in solutions for those dealing with housing insecurity and drug use.
