City announces road closures ahead of tree lighting and holiday parade

The city of Philadelphia is preparing to kick off winter holiday festivities with a tree-lighting ceremony tomorrow and a holiday parade Saturday, Dec. 3. 

Because of these events, the city has announced road closures on Thursday and Saturday, along with parking restrictions and detours on SEPTA routes.

• MORE NEWS
• Where to buy a Christmas tree in Philadelphia
  
• Skate on a pop-up ice rink and sing karaoke at uCity Square's holiday festival
  
• Watch artists carve ice sculptures at Fishtown Freeze
  

On Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. on the north side of City Hall, guests can come out to receive free giveaways before the 7 p.m. ceremony. The festivities will include performances from Julian King, Saleka Shyamalan, Jakeya Limitless and the Ukrainian Children's Choir. 

The holiday parade will take place Saturday evening at 5 p.m., starting at 2nd and Market streets and ending at City Hall. In its second year, the parade is an inclusive celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Chinese New Year. 

Between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, multiple streets will close for the tree-lighting festivities. On Saturday, several roads will be closed from 10 a.m. until the holiday parade ends. All roads will be serviced and cleaned before they are opened to through traffic. The city expects all road closures to be lifted by 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Below is a complete list of road closures, parking restrictions and SEPTA detours for both events. Customers can check the transit systems' real-time system for updates on routes throughout the day. 

Thursday road closures

From 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., the following road closures will be in effect

• JFK Blvd. north parking lane from Juniper St. to Broad St.
• Broad St. from JFK Blvd. to Arch. St.

Thursday parking restrictions

From 8 a.m. until 10 p.m, the following streets will be restricted 

• Broad St. from JFK Blvd. to Arch St.
• JFK Blvd. (northside) from Broad St. to 15th St.
• JFK Blvd. (northside) from Broad St. to Juniper St.
• JFK Blvd. (southside) from 15th St. to Filbert St.
• 15th St. (westside) from Arch St. to JFK Blvd.
• Arch St. (northside) from Broad St. 13th St.

Thursday bus detours

Saturday road closures

Starting 10 a.m., these road closures will be in effect

• 2nd St. from Chestnut St. to Arch St.
• Chestnut St. and Market St. viaduct from Front St. to Market St.
• Market St. from 3rd St. to Front St.

Starting at 1 p.m., these road closures will be in effect

• Front St. from Walnut St. to Market St. 

Starting at 4:30 p.m. until the parade concludes, these road closures will be in effect

• Market St. from Front St. to City Hall
• 3rd St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 4th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 5th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 6th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 7th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 8th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 9th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 10th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 11th St. from Arch St. to Chestnut St.
• 12th St. from Vine St. to Market St.
• 13th St. from Vine St. to Market St.
• Arch St. from 13th St. to Broad St. 
• Race St. from Broad St. to 13th St.
• JFK Blvd. from Market St. to 15th St.
• N Broad St. from JFL Blvd. to Vine St.
• City Hall area from S Broad St. to E Market St.
• S. Broad St. (eastside) from Chestnut St. to City Hall