Declaration Days at the Museum

Join the Museum in historic Philadelphia for the Semiquincentennial celebration of America's founding. From Wednesday, July 1 – Sunday, July 5, 2026, the Museum will host Declaration Days, highlighting the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with in-gallery talks, historical interpretation, and hands-on demonstrations.

Declarations Theater, inside "The Declaration's Journey" exhibition
The Declaration's Journey
Daily | Patriots Gallery
The Declaration's Journey, presented by Griffin Catalyst, explores the history and global impact of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 to today and showcases how it became one of the most influential documents in modern history.

Learn More
A girl with a white t-shirt and red, white, and blue flowered lei holding a red-and-white striped cup that says Rita's.
Red, White, & Blue To-Do
July 2 | Museum Plaza and in the Historic District

Join the Museum and over 20 partner organizations from Philadelphia’s Historic District for the second annual Red, White, & Blue To-Do. The day’s highlights include the Pomp & Parade at 11 a.m., Wawa Welcome America’s All-American Block Party (on 3rd Street in front of the Museum) from 12-2 p.m., and musical performances on our Plaza and throughout the district.

A woman in 18th century dress stands behind a table of typesetting implements while a staff member looks at them
Meet the Revolution with Michele Gabrielson
July 2-3 | Rotunda
At a time when women were not allowed to participate in government, Mary Katherine Goddard left her literal mark on history by placing her name on the Declaration of Independence. Join us as educator and historical interpreter Michele Gabrielson brings Goddard, printer and postmaster of Baltimore during the American Revolution, to life. Through the use of primary sources and storytelling, this informal drop-in program, complete with material culture items related to printing, explores Goddard’s multifaceted role as a printer who used the press to influence the Revolutionary cause.

Common Press Printmaking Workshops and Papermaking Demonstrations
July 2-4 | Rotunda and on the Museum Plaza
The Museum will also host a printing workshop and papermaking demonstration with Common Press for visitors to learn how paper was made and printing presses were used to spread the word about independence. In the printing workshops on July 2 and 4, come print your own one-word response on a portable printing press using wood type, in honor of the 250th birthday of the first printing of these words in Philadelphia in 1776 (the last print will be made at 1:45 PM). In the papermaking demonstration on the plaza on July 3, enjoy a hands-on demonstration of how used cloth and rags collected from the local Philadelphia community became the sheets of paper that the Declaration was printed on.

In-Gallery Talk: The Promise of Equality
Daily at 12 p.m. | Meet in Oneida Atrium
Join a Museum educator in the Declaration of Independence gallery to discuss the promises of the Declaration and how different people, like Elizabeth Freeman and William Findley, seized the opportunity to advocate for equal rights in 1776 and afterwards. Plus, learn more about the connections between these Revolutionary-era events and figures to later movements advocating for equal rights in America.

In-Gallery Talk: Declaring Independence
Daily, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. | Patriots Gallery
Join an educator to learn more about how people learned about the Declaration of Independence and examine six original printings on display in the exhibition!

Discovery Cart: Season of Independence
Daily, 11-3 p.m. | Rotunda
Join a Museum educator to learn more about the spread of support for American independence through the colonies from January 1776 through the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Plus, don’t miss our in-gallery touchscreen and online interactive exploring the spread of support and to encounter the perspectives of real men and women on all sides of the debate.

Revolution Place
Daily | First floor
The Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, will be open daily to explore the Museum’s lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s through hands-on exploration in four key recreated historical environments, including a military encampment, a tavern, a home, and an 18th-century meeting house. Don’t miss a themed craft to create-your-own flag inspired by Revolutionary-era symbols, shapes, and colors.

Guided Gallery Tours & Neighborhood Walking Tours
Daily | Onsite and in the Historic District
Additional Ticket Required for Tours
Explore the Museum and its historic neighborhood with an expert guide! Tours include 90-minute outdoor walking tours that explore iconic sites in the Museum’s historic Old City neighborhood, hour-long tours of our core galleries, hour-long early-access guided tours for a private experience, and audio tours.