A Time for Liberty: Eastern State Announces Free Yearlong Semiquincentennial Programming for 2026

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Eastern State is marking the milestone with a powerful, yearlong initiative: A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future. This free, inclusive series of programs will run throughout 2026 and is designed to spark reflection, dialogue, and civic engagement around the evolving ideas of liberty and justice in America.

Rooted in Eastern State’s own origins as the nation’s first penitentiary—a bold experiment built on belief in human dignity and the possibility of change—A Time for Liberty invites visitors to consider how the principles that shaped the site nearly 200 years ago continue to influence our understanding of justice today.

According to Dr. Kerry Sautner, President & CEO of Eastern State, the goal is to create accessible ways for people of all ages to engage with meaningful questions about freedom, accountability, and the future we are shaping together.

The yearlong slate includes festivals, panel discussions, pop-up exhibitions, and national learning resources. Highlights include:

• The Great Escape: Stories of Resistance and Creativity (March 27–April 5)
A weeklong exploration of resilience and resistance at Eastern State, featuring Speakeasy and Tunnel Escape Mini Tours, talks on Al Capone and Prohibition-era policing, and a sitewide secret letter activity.

• Philly Saves: Adaptive Reuse of Sites of Memory and Trauma (May 2026)
A deep dive into how communities steward and reclaim historic sites—including prisons, schools, factories, and more—for healing and civic dialogue.

• Wednesday Nights Kickoff: Interfaith Dialogue on Reentry and Reform (May 27)
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders will discuss how faith traditions have shaped American ideas about rehabilitation and reintegration since the country’s founding.

• Freedom through Faith: Judaism at Eastern State and Beyond (Opens July 2)
This new exhibit explores how religious freedom—framed as an “unalienable right”—was practiced inside the penitentiary, particularly among its Jewish population.

Additional 2026 highlights include Justice 101 conversations, a Juneteenth program with Professor Hasan Jeffries, and participation in 52 Weeks of Firsts with the Philadelphia Historic District.

Across the year, A Time for Liberty will feature:

Supported by partners across Philadelphia and beyond, A Time for Liberty promises a meaningful, reflective, and community-centered celebration of the nation’s Semiquincentennial.

For updates and the full calendar of events, visit easternstate.org.