Ben Franklin Parkway's 100th Birthday: What You Need To Know

PHILADELPHIA - For a century, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway has been one of Philadelphia's most iconic thoroughfares. It hosts concerts, races, rallies, parades (go Birds!), festivals, and much more.

And on Friday, Oct. 26, the city will celebrate 100 years of the parkway with a 2018 Parkway Soiree event from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Below are details on the centennial celebration:

Event Activities & Information

The Parkway Soirée is a block-party birthday festival that is presented by the Parkway Council, in partnership with PECO and PNC Bank, and featuring Night Market Philadelphia.

The Parkway 100 finale promotes 100 family-friendly activities and experiences in the Parkway Museums District.

The centerpiece block party begins with the cutting of the Parkway centennial cake at 5 p.m. in Franklin Hall at The Franklin Institute, with music and singing led by students from Friends Select School.

Guests can then grab dinner from some of Night Market Philadelphia’s favorite sweet and savory food trucks parked in Logan Square, or at the Vintage BYO Picnic at Sister Cities Park.

Live music, strolling entertainers, Square Dancing in the Square around the picturesque Swann Memorial Fountain presented by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, public art and photo tours, and kids’ music jam sessions are all part of the fun.

Several Parkway museums and cultural institutions will offer extended hours and special programming to celebrate the centennial, such as pay-what-you wish evening admission, dino-dancing and a Dino Drafts beer garden at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University; and performances by Ballet X and the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School, and a rooftop beer garden at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central Library.

Attendees will also have a last opportunity to see the Library’s Corridor of Culture: 100 Years of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway exhibition in the West Gallery or check out the new exhibition Philadelphia: The Changing City on view in the Rare Book Department. Moore College of Art & Design hosts the West Philadelphia Orchestra, a 14-piece brass band, along with exhibitions on view indoors in the Galleries at Moore, and interactive outdoors fun, including caricatures and chalk drawings by talented Moore students.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents its popular Final Friday programming (admission), with a spotlight on the three generations of Calders on the Parkway, including Alexander (Sandy) Calder’s Ghost, which hangs in the museum’s Grand Stair Hall. There will be activities on the East Terrace, too.

The Rodin Museum will be open late so visitors can explore works by the master sculptor, and the Rodin Garden Bar will be back by popular demand for one night only, offering beer, wine, and light fare for purchase in the Parisian-themed gardens.

The Barnes Foundation will host a Young Professionals Night: Modern Muse, inspired by the pioneering, female impressionist painter Berthe Morisot–the subject of its new international exhibition, Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist (admission).

The Franklin Institute and the exhibition, "Vikings: Beyond the Legend," will also be open with evening hours (admission).

Road Closures

The following streets will be closed beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26 in connection with the Parkway Soiree event:

• 2000 Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Eastbound Outer Lanes Only)
• 2000 Winter Street (Local Access Only)
• Logan Circle (South Side/Eastbound Only)
• 1900 Race Street
• 1800 Vine Street (Logan Circle to 18th Street)

Outbound (westbound) lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Logan Circle will remain open throughout the evening.

Roads will be opened as they are serviced and cleaned. All event-related road closures will be lifted no later than 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26.

Traffic delays can be expected during the event.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area by using alternate routes, and allow for extra driving time in areas near the event.

Please refrain from double-parking, which creates congestion, limits traffic flow and is illegal.

Parking Restrictions

Temporary "No Parking" signs will be posted in connection with the closures listed above, with parking prohibited in posted areas on Friday, Oct. 26 between of 2 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Motorists are advised to obey all posted signs.

AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek, File