Special Events in Philadelphia

     If you happen to be in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, don't miss the Mummers New Year's Parade. A tradition for over a century, this crazy parade features lavish floats, string and brass bands and more shenanigans than a circus. More than 15,000 Philadelphians decked out in ornate costumes and clown outfits show up for this event. The parade lasts for 10 hours, so don a red nose and a rainbow wig and join the party.
     In March, put on your green outfit for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, the third largest of its kind in the nation. The Philadelphia Irish make merry with more than 100 floats and 10,000 marchers.
     In May, celebrate warmer weather at the Rittenhouse Square Flower Market. For this annual festival, the fashionable Rittenhouse district offers up music, dance and displays by artists, galleries and boutiques. Up to 50,000 people also enjoy food tastings and a chefs' demonstration tent.
     Philadelphia begins celebrating Independence Day early--in June. There's a lot to celebrate; Philadelphia is the birthplace of a nation, after all. The Sunoco Welcome America! Festival (a.k.a. America's biggest birthday party) attracts some 3 million visitors and features more than a week's worth of family-friendly fun. At this event, you can sample international cuisine, enjoy entertainment and musical shows and experience more than 40 special events commemorating the United States' birth. After the sun goes down, the sky explodes with the biggest, boomingest fireworks show--sure to inspire more than a few rousing rounds of "Stars and Stripes Forever."
     In September, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe takes over the city. The 2-week festival draws tens of thousands of visitors, features more than 1,500 artists and presents more than 500 performances. Divided into two distinct parts, the Fringe and the Live Arts feature the best of edgy performances and self-produced artists in theater, dance, literature, music, puppetry and the visual arts.
     Philadelphians know how to celebrate the winter holidays. The streets sparkle with lights, the air fills with carols and the scent of wassail and pine, and treasured traditions take over the city's communities, parks and concert halls. After the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which dates back to 1920, Santa kicks off the Philadelphia Holiday Festival. The season's festivities include tree lighting ceremonies at City Hall and in neighborhoods across the area, holiday railway rides, light shows, musical performances and New Year's Eve fireworks. The 5-week long merriment concludes on New Year's Day with the annual Mummers Parade.