The Portal soon will resume its livestreams of Ireland, Poland and Lithuania in LOVE Park, but not for long. The sculpture is moving to a new — and, for now, unknown — location near Center City in two weeks.
Officials said they were considering three spots, including possible indoor locations. The Portal will remain publicly accessible in an area "where there is regular footfall" that can "accommodate a significant increase in traffic," Portals Director Joseph Callahan said. It will stay in the city for the next two years.
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"I encourage everyone to love the Portal, respect the Portal, share the Portal, and join us on this quest as we have a meaningful impact connecting the world as one without borders, without labels, and without prejudice," he continued.
The Portal will come back to life in LOVE Park in "a matter of days," Callahan said, before the relocation. It has been offline since February, when thieves cut and stole some of the installation's copper wire. Though Callahan characterized the vandalism as "a fraction of a fraction of a percentage" of the Portal's overall experience in Philadelphia, the sculpture has not had equivalent issues in other cities. It did temporarily close in New York, where it was stationed before its October 2024 debut in Center City, over "inappropriate behavior."
Before it went offline, the Portal connected Philly crowds with people outside Portals in Dublin; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland. Callahan confirmed that the Portal would stream those locations when it relaunches in LOVE Park, though there are plans to expand the network to Ethiopia and Brazil.
The Portal, like the rest of Philadelphia, also has big plans for 2026. Callahan said the installation likely would move closer to Independence Hall for the semiquincentennial, and that there could be multiple Portals for the celebration.
"As we prepare for our country's 250th birthday, there is no better stage than for us to exemplify what Philadelphia is made of and to recognize our founding fathers and the 56 men that signed the Declaration of Independence right here in Philadelphia to provide our independence and a better world," he said.
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