Standard Admission
Some furry (and some creepy-crawly) creatures once lived behind Eastern State Penitentiary's walls. Some prisoners kept pets in solitary confinement, and a colony of feral cats occupied the property when the prison was abandoned. Officers once patrolled the grounds on horseback, and kept German Shepherds for security.
Families will discover unique stories about animals all weekend long! Kids will learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary’s most famous four-legged resident, Pep the Dog; participate in an animal-themed activity; and find out how animals continue to play a role in prisons today.
Beginning at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. each day, a representative from New Leash on Life USA, a Pennsylvania prison dog training program, will speak to visitors about his experience training dogs as an inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford (SCIG), and how it ultimately affected his life and career. This 15-minute presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A and will culminate in a dog training expo. Several dogs, trained by local inmates, will demonstrate for visitors the commands and tricks they have learned through the New Leash on Life USA program. Visitors to the historic site can meet the dogs and, if interested, can adopt any dogs that haven't yet found homes.
Family Weekend activities are available 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23.
Family Weekend activities are included in admission. Tickets are available online or at the door, subject to availability.
General Admission: $15.00
Historic Site Members: Free
Photographers have Eastern State Penitentiary to themselves in the beautiful dusk light. Tripods, models, and hand-held lighting equipment are all welcome during these hours. $15 admission for any person entering.
Tickets on sale now. Available online or at the door, subject to availability.
Standard Admission
The penitentiary is open from 10 am until 5 pm. Eastern State is located just three blocks from the Ben Franklin Parkway, site of the some of the best fireworks in the nation! So tour Eastern State, have dinner at one of the great neighborhood restaurants, and stay for the fireworks! Happy Independence Day!
Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC
Cabaret and Reenactment Free
One of Philadelphia’s most popular summertime events! Eastern State Penitentiary teams with The Bearded Ladies cabaret group to present one of Philadelphia’s largest free theatrical performances, which culminates with a playful reenactment of the Storming of the Bastille (influenced more by Monty Python than the actual French Revolution).
Following the performance, the many wonderful restaurants surrounding the penitentiary come alive with French-themed entertainment as well as food and drink specials. Come early and take a tour of Eastern State (standard admission), or stay late and take a twilight tour following the reenactment.
More information is available on our website.
General Admission: $15.00
Historic Site Members: Free
Photographers have Eastern State Penitentiary to themselves in the beautiful dusk light. Tripods, models, and hand-held lighting equipment are all welcome during these hours. $15 admission for any person entering.
Tickets on sale now. Available online or at the door, subject to availability.
Standard Admission
Some furry (and some creepy-crawly) creatures once lived behind Eastern State Penitentiary's walls. Some prisoners kept pets in solitary confinement, and a colony of feral cats occupied the property when the prison was abandoned. Officers once patrolled the grounds on horseback, and kept German Shepherds for security.
Families will discover unique stories about animals all weekend long! Kids will learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary’s most famous four-legged resident, Pep the Dog; participate in an animal-themed activity; and find out how animals continue to play a role in prisons today.
Family Weekend activities are available 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18.
Family Weekend activities are included in admission. Tickets are available online or at the door, subject to availability.
An audience enters Cellblock 7. An eerie woman in rags and tatters begins to sing "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night..." She pulls back a curtain to reveal a rag tag group of men playing out a journey to America, land of promise, like a silent movie. Vaudeville-inspired clowns enact a troubled union leader's life story: A rail car ride. A mysterious drugstore murder. An unnamed woman whose reputation is in jeopardy. Prison riots break out while men sing the music the inspired the turn of the century working masses. Ultimately, all that is certain is that Joe Hill cannot escape his date with a firing squad.
Philadelphia independent theater company Swim Pony returns to Eastern State Penitentiary for a new staging of their 2006 original musical, The Ballad of Joe Hill. Based on the life and 1915 execution of the labor organizer, Swim Pony’s original production was a hit at the 2006 Fringe Festival. This new production features a complete restaging of the piece in the cellblocks of Eastern State Penitentiary.
Please note: Dates are tentative.
Select Nights
Separate Admission
A massive haunted house in a real prison! Called “One of America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by The Travel Channel and consistently ranked among the top 10 haunted attractions in the country. All proceeds benefit historic preservation at this National Historic Landmark.
Visit terrorbehindthewalls.com for details and to purchase tickets online.
Movie Title TBD
General Admission: $10
The Secret Cinema will select a film to screen at Eastern State Penitentiary for the 14th straight year.
Doors open at 7:00 pm. Seats are limited. Tickets are available online or at the door, subject to availability.
This event is part of Eastern State's ongoing Searchlight Series of events addressing issues in contemporary corrections.
Free with Valid Student ID
Campus Philly is partnering with the City of Philadelphia and its College Day cultural institutions to host Campus Philly College Day, a day of discounts and giveaways for college students.
As a participating attraction, Eastern State Penitentiary offers free admission to college student with valid IDs.
CODEBREAKER tells the remarkable and tragic story of one of the 20th century's most important people. Alan Turing set in motion the computer age, and his World War II codebreaking helped turn the tide of the war.
Instead of receiving accolades, Turing faced terrible persecution. In 1952, the British Government forced him to undergo chemical castration as punishment for his homosexuality. In despair, Turing committed suicide. He was only 41 years old.
Documentary elements seamlessly interconnect with drama scenes in CODEBREAKER to offer a three dimensional picture of Turing, his accomplishments, his tragic end, and his lasting legacy.
Doors open at 7:00 pm. Seats are limited. Tickets are available online or at the door, subject to availability.
This event, presented in conjunction with LGBT History Month, is part of Eastern State's ongoing Searchlight Series of events addressing issues in contemporary corrections.
Standard Admission
Eastern State is one of the most photogenic locations in America. Each year photographers travel from as far away as California and Canada to photograph the penitentiary.
Each member may submit one color and one black and white Eastern State Penitentiary photograph for our 2013 Members’ Photo Contest. Entries must arrive at the historic site by 10:30 am, Saturday, October 1. Photos will remain on view throughout the weekend. Visitors to the historic site can cast votes for their favorite images throughout the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon at 4:30 pm, two sets of winners will be announced in the color and black and white categories. A guest curator will select one set of winners, and the results of the weekend’s voting will be announced.
Nearly 700,000 inmates are released from prison each year. What happens when they come home?
Pull of Gravity is an intimate portrait of three men in different stages of reentry from prison to society, offering compelling insights that can help shape responses from family members, parole officers, law enforcement officials, and the social networks upon which reentry is dependent.
Doors open at 7:00 pm. Seats are limited. Tickets are available online or at the door, subject to availability.
This event is part of Eastern State's ongoing Searchlight Series of events addressing issues in contemporary corrections.
