PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s tourism agencies sounded the alarm Monday at a City Council hearing on plans for the 250th anniversary of the country.
City officials talk a lot about 2026, the year the city will host part of the FIFA World Cup, the baseball All-Star game, and a year-long celebration of independence.
With all the planning going on, though, neither the city nor the state has budgeted any money for the city’s celebration so far. It’s all being done with philanthropic and corporate donations.
The Parker administration says it’s planning to include funding in the 2026 budget — just six months before the party starts.
Kathryn Ott Lovell of the Philadelphia Visitor Center says time is of the essence.
“When you hear 2026, all of us have thought it’s so far out into the future. It is not. It is imminent. We have one budget cycle left at the city and state level,” she said.
Witnesses at the hearing were hesitant to name a dollar figure but estimated more than $100 million would be needed for World Cup events and $60 million for the 250th celebration. World Cup host City Executive Meg Kane noted the investments would generate nearly $800 million for the local economy but only if the city and state deliver.
“We successfully competed to host,” Kane said. “We invited the world to come and now we must rise to the generational occasion and deliver. Not just for the success of 2026 but for the success of Philadelphia in 2027 and beyond.”