TED Philadelphia series marking 250th anniversary to begin this week

The first event in a years-long partnership between Philadelphia’s tourism agency and TED to mark America’s 250th anniversary, or Semiquincentennial, is set to be held Tuesday evening.

Comedian, writer and public speaker Baratunde Thurston and National Public Radio President and CEO Katherine Maher are headlining an inaugural ‘fireside chat’ at the National Constitution Center.

Visit Philadelphia and TED in May announced plans to launch a speaker series about democracy in the lead-up to the Semiquincentennial, which will be commemorated with numerous events throughout the city in 2026.

“This is all about bringing together thought leaders from across the country to take part in important discussions about democracy’s past, present and future and there is no better city to host these talks than where it all started almost 250 years ago,” Visit Philadelphia President and CEO Angela Val said in a statement.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thurston and Maher will deliver “TED Talks,” the popular monologues that garner the organization millions of views on its YouTube page. Then, journalist and author A.J. Jacobs will moderate a panel discussion and question-and-answer session, organizers said.

Tickets were free, though the event has reached capacity. Watch parties are being held at the Fallser Club in East Falls and at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Center City. Go to visitphilly.com/features/ted-democracy to RSVP.

Subsequent TED Democracy Fireside Chats are scheduled to be held in September and November. Exact dates, times and speakers are not yet available; however, organizers have said Gov. Josh Shapiro will be participating in one of the discussions.

TED and Visit Philadelphia intend to run a three-part speaker series about democracy around the world next year, followed by a daylong symposium in 2026. As part of 250th anniversary festivities, Philadelphia will also host six men’s soccer World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game and a souped-up July 4 celebration, among other events that year.