Great Events for Groups

Philadelphia offers great events for groups all year long. The PCVB's tourism sales department can help tour operators create great packages and itineraries featuring the city's biggest and best events.

For brochures and group information, contact:

Celebrate New Year's in Philadelphia with the Mummers!

New Year's Eve 2008/New Year's Day 2009

New Year's day is a very special day in the City of Philadelphia - it's time for the Mummers Parade, the oldest folk parade in America dating back to 1900. Your group will wake to the celebrations of the world-famous Mummers Parade, filling the streets with 10,000 costumed marchers in feathers and sequins. Your exclusive package will bring your group back into the Pennsylvania Convention Center, for the highlight of the day, the Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale. Enjoy indoor reserved seats for the live featured performance of the most elaborate division of the Mummers Parade.

Make your reservations today so your group doesn't miss this colorful and spectacular combination of a Mardi Gras goes Broadway!

Click here for more information and booking instructions about the Fancy Brigade Finale.

If you have any questions about the New Year’s Eve with the Mummers or the Mummers Fancy Brigade Finale, please contact Jim Brennan at 215-669-4398 or acebren@verizon.net.

Philadelphia Flower Show

March - Annual

Philadelphia gets a head start on spring in March at the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest and most prestigious indoor flower show in the world, featuring 33 acres of lush gardens, lavish floral settings, exhibits, floral designs, demonstrations, events and inspirational displays. This week long show, which takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is a feast for the senses, bursting with ribbons of color, exotic orchids, bouquets of wildflowers turned into art forms, acres of gardens and floral displays, "how-to" demonstrations, gardening lectures, culinary events and the mammoth Show Marketplace. The Show presents the top landscape designers, florists, educational organizations and vendors, as well as thousands of horticultural entries from around the world. The Philadelphia Flower Show is held in conjunction with Flower Show Week, a citywide celebration featuring special flower-themed events, exhibits, menus and discounts at shops.

The World's Largest Garden Party

May - Annual

During the month of May, groups can head to Philadelphia to revel in the grandeur of its abundance of lush public gardens as the city hosts The World's Largest Garden Party - rated the number one event in North America by the American Bus Association. During this month-long festivity, the area's gardens, arboretums and historic houses offer special programs, entertainment, performances, children's activities and more, while showcasing the largest concentration of gardens in North America and the magnificent colors of spring.

Sunoco Welcome America!

Late June to July 4 - Annual

Summertime brings a variety of outdoor festivals and celebrations including Philadelphia's Sunoco Welcome America! Celebrate America's birthday in America's birthplace at this spectacular July 4th extravaganza, which begins in late June and features more than 50 exciting free events including fireworks, dozens of concerts, parades, historic reenactments, and lots of red, white and blue. During the celebration, there's no better way for groups to pay tribute to America's birthday than by visiting Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park. Groups can touch the Liberty Bell, a worldwide symbol of freedom, and tour Independence Hall, the place where the Declaration of Independence was written and the US Constitution ratified.

Mural Arts Program Turns 25

October 2008 - November 2009

Beginning October 2008, the Mural Arts Program (MAP) will kick off a thirteen-month celebration in honor of the work accomplished since it began transforming lives and neighborhoods in 1984. MAP has created more than 2,800 murals and works of public art, which are now part of Philadelphia’s civic landscape and a source of inspiration to the thousands of residents and visitors who encounter them, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “City of Murals.” The Mural Arts Program 25th Anniversary Celebration will serve to raise awareness about the depth and complexity of MAP, and the impact that MAP has had on Philadelphia, its citizens, neighborhoods, and landscape.

During the anniversary year, a series of special mural tours will complement the array of public and group tour offerings that already exist. Tours led by Philadelphia celebrities and free mural tours will be scheduled monthly. Four major art exhibitions that cover a variety of topics will also be created in different locations in the City. Other special events taking place include a Mural Scavenger Hunt hosted by the Young Advocates for Mural Arts.