PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several Philadelphia cultural institutions are abandoning plans to hold a Children’s World Fair next year.
The event, which was slated to take place between May and July of 2026, was expected to attract up to one million visitors to Fairmount Park and bring in an estimated $7 million. That time frame would have coincided with the World Cup and U.S. semiquincentennial events in Philadelphia.
In a joint statement, leaders of The Please Touch Museum, Mann Center for the Performing Arts and Philadelphia Zoo said there was not enough time or funding to execute their vision.
“No doubt, there was great enthusiasm from both public and private partners in this exciting, first-of-its-kind concept, especially given the potential for CWF to inspire children to become changemakers of the future while positioning the city as a champion and convener of children who want to build their world – and their futures – together,” the institutions said in a statement. “However, the highly competitive and challenging funding landscape surrounding 2026 and the remaining time available to execute on our original vision simply made moving forward impossible.”
The fair would have been held in the Centennial District, the same location as the 1876 World’s Fair. The three institutions would have presented activities exposing kids to cultural and technological activities.
The city last week transferred $17 million to fund semiquincentennial events, with a large portion of that cash going to preparations for the World Cup matches.
The news was reported first by the Philadelphia Business Journal.