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May 7, 2025, 5:30 pm – July 2, 2025, 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights
Wednesday evenings, May 7 to July 2. $17 online in advance, $20 at the door. Enjoy immersive experiences, interactive events, and exclusive behind-the-scenes access to one of Philadelphia’s most unique landmarks. With a different theme each week, Wednesday Nights provide a fun and meaningful night out—combining history, culture, and entertainment in a one-of-a-kind setting.
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May 21, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Historic Preservation
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). In honor of National Historic Preservation Month, learn more about what it takes to preserve this nearly 200-year-old landmark. Go behind the scenes with preservation staff and explore rarely seen areas— both before the sun sets and by flashlight after dusk. Engage in eye-opening conversations and interactive activities including a hands-on restoration demonstration.
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May 23, 2025 – May 26, 2025
Memorial Day Weekend 2025
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary (ESPHS) from Friday, May 23 through Monday, May 26, as we commemorate Memorial Day and the ways we remember the history of Eastern State.
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May 24, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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May 25, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
May 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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May 28, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Music & Open Mic
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Share your talents and gather in community. A stage set up in the center of the historic site will feature local musicians, spoken word artists, and storytellers sharing narratives related to justice, freedom, and resilience. Plus, sign up for an open-mic slot to add your voice to the evening.
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May 31, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Public Tour with Artist Talk
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase timed tickets online to secure your spot. Join us for a special iteration of our Guide-Led Tour & Discussion featuring a Q&A with artist Mark Loughney.
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May 31, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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June 1, 2025, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
In-Person Scout Day: Architecture
$21 per person. Advance registration required. Eastern State invites members of Scouting America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and all youth to join us for In-Person Scout Day: Architecture. Led by our engaging staff, learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary's history, the building's unique design, the ethics of prison architecture, and careers in architecture and historic preservation.
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June 4, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Behind Bars & On the Big Screen
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Explore the surprising intersection of cinema and incarceration in the early 20th century. Step into this little-known history through film screenings, engaging discussions, and more. Consider how film has long influenced and reflected ideas about imprisonment, rehabilitation, and social change.
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June 7, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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June 11, 2025, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Public Tour with Artist Talk
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase timed tickets online to secure your spot. Join us for a special iteration of our Guide-Led Tour & Discussion featuring a Q&A with artist Mark Loughney.
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June 11, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Escape & Resistance
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Experience an evening of immersive storytelling, live-action challenges, and history reimagined. As the sun sets over the historic site’s towering walls, uncover real accounts of daring escape attempts, test your problem-solving skills in a hands-on challenge, and step back in time to the era of Prohibition.
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June 14, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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June 18, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Justice & Journalism
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Uncover the role of investigative journalism in shaping our understanding of the criminal justice system through live storytelling, panel discussions, and interactive exhibits.
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June 19, 2025, 10:45 am – 2:30 pm
Juneteenth 2025
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary this Juneteenth for a meaningful day of reflection, learning, and community connection.
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June 21, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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June 25, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Reentry Simulation
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Reflect on some of the many structural challenges people face when returning home from prison through a hands-on learning experience.
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June 28, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
June 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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June 28, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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June 30, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wawa Welcome America: Pay-What-You-Wish Museum Night
Pay what you wish. A $1 service fee applies to each Pay-What-You-Wish Ticket. Advance reservations strongly recommended. As part of this year's Wawa Welcome America festival, enjoy an exclusive, pay-what-you-wish evening of Wednesday Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. Join us for a fun and meaningful night out—combining history, culture, and entertainment in a one-of-a-kind setting.
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July 2, 2025, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday Nights: Independence & Incarceration
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Consider the complex paradox of American freedom inside the walls of this prison-turned-historic-site. Listen to special readings of "The Declaration of Sentiments” and reflect on civil rights, mass incarceration, and social justice.
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July 5, 2025, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Public Portrait Session with Mark Loughney
From 12 pm – 4 pm, visitors are welcome to sit for a portrait drawn by Mark Loughney, artist of "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration."
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July 26, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
July 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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August 30, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
August 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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September 21, 2025, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
CollegeFest 2025
Free daytime admission* for Campus Philly CollegeFest registrants. *Please note, a $1 service fee applies to each ticket. Timed tickets required. Students, sign up for CollegeFest and enjoy free daytime admission to Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site!
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September 27, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
September 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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October 26, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
October 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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November 8, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
November 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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November 15, 2025, 10:30 am – 4:00 pm
In-Person Scout Day: Architecture
$21 per person. Advance registration required. Eastern State invites members of Scouting America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and all youth to join us for In-Person Scout Day: Architecture. Led by our engaging staff, learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary's history, the building's unique design, the ethics of prison architecture, and careers in architecture and historic preservation.
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December 7, 2025, 11:00 am – 2:15 pm
Virtual Scout Day: Architecture
$17 per participant. Online via Zoom. Advance registration required. Eastern State invites members of Scouting America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and all youth to join us for Virtual Scout Day: Architecture. Led by our engaging staff, learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary's history, the building's unique design, the ethics of prison architecture, and careers in architecture and historic preservation.
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December 27, 2025, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
December 2025: ASL Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Included with admission, subject to availability. Purchase tickets online to secure your spot. An Eastern State educator leads a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion in partnership with an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter from Hands UP Productions.
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