Things We’re Looking Forward to in 2018
2018 will be an exciting year at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation! We are bringing you new facilities and programs, and bringing back some of your favorites.
Dates and details are TBA, so check back for updates. Here's a glimpse into the year ahead!
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is excited to provide a new recreation opportunity in West Fairmount Park! Treetop Quest, a new aerial adventure park, will open off of Chamounix Drive this spring. In recent weeks, Treetop Quest has been hard at work, clearing invasive plants and preparing the site for guests to visit in 2018.
This aerial adventure park will connect guests to nature in an adrenaline-packed experience. You’ll navigate Tarzan swings, tackle various obstacles, and zip-line from tree-to-tree through courses of varying difficulty. In addition to the exciting aerial elements, other improvements to the park will serve as an asset to all visitors. This area will have new hiking trails, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, and nearby restrooms.
Read more about the exciting project on our blog!
Rendering courtesy of Friends of the Rail Park
An innovative green space is coming to Philadelphia! The Rail Park is a partnership between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Friends of the Rail Park, and Center City District. The park will be welcome bikes and pedestrian traffic as it weaves throughout the city and will eventually connect 10 distinct neighborhoods. In total, the greenway will revitalize three miles of unused rail lines into a usable, beautiful, public space for all. There are three sections to the project: the Viaduct that soars overhead, the Cut that weaves between the streets, and the Tunnel that dives underground. The Viaduct is phase 1 of construction, which began in November and has an expected spring launch date.
Learn more about this project!
This year the Benjamin Franklin Parkway turns 100! The Parkway Council Foundation kicked off a year-long celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in September 2017 with the We Are Connected Festival, and events will continue through October 26, 2018. You might recognize some of these public programs like the Winter Fountains and Fireflies Pedicabs, but check out everything that’s going on by visiting the Parkway100 website!
Learn about the history of the Parkway on our blog.
The much anticipated return of LOVE Park is coming this spring! The renovated Center City park will boast plentiful green space. Lawns and gardens will be complemented by modern water features, and of course, Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE statue. By fall, there will also be a new restaurant in the Welcome Center building.
Renewed Programming at Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
Last summer, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation joined forces with the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center Board to offer innovative educational programs at the Southwest Philadelphia facility.
2018 will be an exciting year for youth leadership programs, special events, festivals, specialty camps, watershed programs, and much more!
Stay up to date with programs at the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center on Facebook!
In partnership with Connor Barwin and the Make the World Better Foundation Smith Playground at 24th and Snyder streets in South Philadelphia is getting a makeover! The project includes an overhauled football field with artificial turf, new basketball courts with solar-paneled shade structures, a playground, its first-ever fitness trail, and even a spiffed-up rec center with a kitchen. PPR is excited to be able to double our programming at this site.
In August 2017, we held a ribbon cutting for the renovated athletic courts and are looking forward to the completion of the project later this spring!
This fall, the East Park Reservoir will reopen to the public as the Discovery Center. This 50-acre piece of land in Fairmount Park near the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood has been closed to the public for more than 45 years. With a little bit of imagination and the help of our non-profit partners the National Audubon Society and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School, this vast public asset will become home to outdoor education programs for youth and important scientific research about the colonies of migratory birds that have made the reservoir their home.
Learn more at the Discovery Center website.
Return of Signature Events
The third annual season of our mobile beer garden, Parks on Tap, will kick off this spring. We’re excited to be back and provide fresh food, beer on tap, wine, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages to communities in their own backyard! Parks on Tap will travel to a different park each week before concluding the season in early fall. Our goal is to bring people together and activate the city’s parks. Last year, between May and October, we did just that! Parks on Tap welcomed 100,000 people to over 20 different locations in Philadelphia’s park system.
Learn more about these family-friendly events at Parks on Tap’s website!
The Oval will make a return for its sixth year this summer! We’re looking forward to bringing back free, interactive programming to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in celebration of its 100th year!
Stay tuned for events like movie nights, fitness classes, and more!
Last year, we sent more than 150 kids to overnight camp in the Pocono Mountains, and we’re ready to do it again! Camp Philly is back for the second year. We will host two week-long sessions from August 12 to 17 and August 19 to 24.
Check out our highlight video from 2017!
Philadelphia International Unity Cup
The Unity Cup is back and better than ever! The World Cup-style soccer tournament will take place earlier in the season this year. We will kick off the games in August and host our championship game in October.
Between February and April, there will be five general team info sessions held across the city for anyone who is interested in learning how to sign up a team.
Stay tuned to the Unity Cup website for updates!
