event
Please Touch Museum First-ival at Memorial Hall 2026
Parkside·outdoor·Free
An outdoor World's Fair throwback on the lawn of Memorial Hall, where America's first World's Fair happened in 1876.
At a glance
- Price
- Free
- Ages
- All ages
- Location
- Parkside
- Setting
- outdoor
- Time
- ~2 hours
- Signup
- Drop-in
What to know
- •Free outdoor celebration, 11 AM to 1 PM
- •On the lawn of historic Memorial Hall (1876 World's Fair)
- •Once Upon A Nation storytelling
- •Pride Bands Alliance performance
More details
As part of Philadelphia's 52 Weeks of Firsts, the city's 250th-anniversary series, the Please Touch Museum throws an outdoor First-ival on Saturday, May 23, 2026, 11 AM to 1 PM, on the grounds of Memorial Hall, the surviving great hall from the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the first World's Fair held in the United States. Expect storytelling from Once Upon A Nation, hands-on family activities, and a performance by the Pride Bands Alliance. The outdoor celebration is free; admission inside the museum is separate. Rain or shine. Memorial Hall sits in West Fairmount Park's Parkside, with on-site parking.
