ArtPhilly 2026: 100+ Events Across Philadelphia for Semiquincentennial

The inaugural ArtPhilly festival runs May 27–July 2, 2026, featuring over 30 projects and 100+ events across Philadelphia. Founded by philanthropist Katherine Sachs, the interdisciplinary biennial includes music, theater, dance, visual art, spoken word, and cooking. Artists interpret the complexities of America's 250th anniversary. Key projects include indira allegra's 'Sail Through This to That,' exploring the life of Ona Judge (who escaped Martha Washington's enslavement in 1796) and Dominique Rem'mie Fells; the work features sails on the 57-foot schooner North Wind at Spruce Street Harbor. 'John Coltrane En Motion' rescored films with Coltrane's music. Anna Deavere Smith wrote 'The Basil Biggs Project' about her ancestor. 'Dinner with Dinah' reimagines an enslaved woman's life at Stenton Mansion. Colette Fu created a large-scale pop-up book of Chinatown. The Philadelphia Museum of Art reinstalled its American art galleries, collaborating with PAFA and Middleton Family Collection on 'A Nation of Artists' (1,000+ works). Meantime, an ISA-founded nonprofit, activates vacant storefronts on Market East with a $1.85 million city grant. New art fair Elsewhere debuts June 4–6 at YOWIE Hotel with 26 galleries.