PA is gearing up for the nation’s 250th birthday — a huge opportunity for economic growth in the Commonwealth

Momentous occasions create momentous opportunities — not just for participants, but for the places where these occasions happen.

There’s a reason every time a new Olympics or World Cup bid is announced, regions go all out in a competition to host. 

Hosting a championship game, putting on a big-deal convention, unveiling a significant new attraction — intentionally bringing people together in one place while the world watches — is a one-time chance to make an enduring impact. With the right planning, a moment can become more than a moment. It can spur meaningful investment, boost economies, grow communities, elevate reputations and spread civic pride.

Examples abound: Barcelona, Spain, was a sleepy, post-industrial coastal town before the Olympic Games arrived in 1992. Paris was sans Eiffel Tower before it held the 1899 World’s Fair. 

In just over six months, Pennsylvania will have its moment when the United States marks its Semiquincentennial — the nation’s 250th birthday. Next year holds immense possibilities for our commonwealth. If we do it right, Pennsylvanians will reap the benefits of our Semiquincentennial for years to come. 

Our commonwealth is naturally the preeminent convener for 2026. We are the birthplace of the nation. Our Founders met in Philadelphia to write and sign (and read aloud for all to hear) the Declaration of Independence. 

Pennsylvania is also home to Gettysburg, the most seminal battlefield of the U.S. Civil War. And Valley Forge, where General Washington and his troops spent some of the most ravaging months of the Revolutionary War. In Bucks County, this same group crossed the Delaware River to change the course of that war, paving a way to the world’s first modern democracy. When Pennsylvania hosted the World’s Fair, we showed the world the very first telephone.

To showcase our past and our present, a powerful coalition of the commonwealth’s principal Semiquincentennial planners and organizers is diligently working on programming, marketing and all manner of logistics. In 2026, Pennsylvania will host the:

• PGA Championship (Delaware County)
• NFL Draft (Allegheny County) 
• FIFA World Cup 26 and FIFA Fan Festival (Philadelphia County)
• MLB All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend (Philadelphia County)
• Little League World Series, 250th anniversary edition (Lycoming County)

And that’s just sports. Across the commonwealth, from Wayne to Washington, Bucks to Butler counties, locals and visitors will be packing sidewalks and stadiums for major music festivals and small-town street fairs, back-in-time historical reenactments and groundbreaking museum exhibitions. In addition to feting the Declaration of Independence and watching Washington cross the Delaware, we will solemnly commemorate the 25th anniversary of Flight 93 and raise our voices in “Let Freedom Sing” concerts.

The Semiquincentennial is Pennsylvania’s opportunity to take — or to lose. So far, according to Econsult, next year presents an opportunity for an additional $1.3 to $2.5 billion of net economic impact in Southeastern Pennsylvania alone.

Tourism is a top-five industry for Pennsylvania. In a typical, non-centennial year, visitation supports the jobs of more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians and delivers $80 billion in economic impact. Without the industry, the average Pennsylvania household would pay an additional $900 in taxes annually. And with tourism, every $1 invested returns at least $5 in regional economic impact.

But this formula is similar in other states and other cities that are planning big things for 2026. New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington, D.C., all want the Semiquincentennial to be their game changer too. So, it’s Pennsylvania’s time to step up and shine.

And here’s one more thing about hosting amazing, once-in-a-generation events: Do it right, and the people who come to Pennsylvania will come back for more. As any tourism expert knows, a satisfied visitor is a return visitor. Let’s build up Pennsylvania, one of our top industries and its residents by investing in the very near future. We promise: it’ll be worth it.