Philadelphia, host of 2016 DNC, no stranger to world stage

Philadelphia holds it own among American (and world) cities when it comes to hosting major events.

Monday’s start to the Democratic National Convention will be the latest in a long history of world stages the City of Brotherly Love has shined atop over the past few years. The DNC is the city’s second major nominating convention of the century — the RNC that nominated George W. Bush was held here in 2000.

Prior to that, the city was a frequent host to conventions, though none since the 1948 conventions, both held in Philly to nominate Thomas Dewey and Harry Truman. Conventions were held in the city five other times, all during the 19th century.

The sports world also often turns its eyes to Philly, and not because of the play of local teams which relatively rarely host championships (the last being the 2008 World Series won by the Phillies). The MLS and NHL drafts have each been here over the last few years, as well as the NCAA Eastern Regional, the college hockey Frozen Four and a bevy of other national events.

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The biggest draft in the world, the NFL’s, is reportedly heading to Philly in 2017 (despite the fact that the Eagles have no picks in the first round). The team has also repeatedly been in talks to bring a Super Bowl to the city, though none are currently in the works.

Music and arts also star in the city, with enormous concert events — like 2005’s Live 8, the fourth largest music event in world history at 1.5 million attendees.

All of this is remembered in the wake of the papal visit back in September, which commanded around one million onlookers to the city.

The DNC, which will wrap up after Hillary Clinton accepts her party’s nomination Thursday night, is just another display of Philly’s ability to welcome the world and act as a host just as well as any city in the world. Just try to avoid the traffic — it won’t be pretty.