Sylvester Stallone To Declare Dec 3 'Rocky Day' In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Sylvester Stallone will be outside the Philadelphia Museum Art for the grand opening of the new Rocky Shop and to declare Dec. 3 "Rocky Day" in the city this weekend.

Rocky himself will be at the event at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Parkway Visitor Center, which sits adjacent to Eakins Oval near the museum. The grand opening event, hosted by the Visitor Center in partnership with VISIT PHILADELPHIA and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will feature a resolution from the City of Philadelphia declaring Dec. 3 "Rocky Day" in Philadelphia.

The Rocky Shop is the only physical location where visitors and fans can purchase licensed apparel and souvenirs from the Rocky franchise, licensed exclusively by Sly Stallone Shop, the official brand of Sylvester Stallone.

The event commemorates the 47th anniversary of the original premiere of "Rocky" in 1976.

"This day is an amazing day for me, and the people who have taken in Rocky into their hearts," Stallone, Academy Award-nominated actor and screenwriter and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, said. "When I come to Philly and stand on the steps, it touches my soul like it did when I was a child. This is a very special place in a very special city… Believe me, there’s no other place like it in the world!"

The Rocky Shop offers an assortment of licensed merchandise from the Sly Stallone Shop, including the iconic replicas of costumes from the Rocky series, Rocky Philadelphia T-shirts, Rocky hats, and additional souvenir items such as collectibles and photo frames. Select items will be available for visitors attending the grand opening event at a satellite Rocky Shop location on The Oval.

"This is an incredibly exciting moment for the tourism and hospitality industry in the city, and we are truly honored to have Sylvester Stallone join us for the grand opening of the Rocky Shop," Kathryn Ott Lovell, President & CEO, Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, said. "Visitors from around the world come to Philadelphia to visit the Rocky Statue and run our iconic steps. The Rocky Shop not only enhances their time spent on the Parkway, but their entire stay in Philadelphia through the visitor services we provide at our Outpost."

The Rocky Shop and The Parkway Visitor Center Outpost are supported by Stallone, along with contributions from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, VISIT PHILADELPHIA, and the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation.

In addition to supporting the establishment of the Parkway Visitor Center Outpost with a $100,000 personal contribution, Stallone will donate his portion of proceeds earned from merchandise sales at the Rocky Shop to support the restoration of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s East Terrace and the famous Rocky Steps.

Visitors can stop by the Rocky Shop and Parkway Visitor Center Outpost from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Thursday through Monday for retail, information and tickets to major city attractions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and cultural attractions along the Parkway.