The city is capitalizing on the most famous Philadelphian who never lived with a six-day festival honoring Rocky Balboa.
RockyFest, as the celebration will be called, is designed to offer fans "the ultimate Rocky experience" through themed tours, date nights and movie marathons. It's the latest tourism push centered on the boxing film franchise, following the launch of "Rocky Day." The city dedicated Dec. 3, the date of the original 1976 "Rocky" film's release, to the underdog fighter in 2023 with the character's real-life avatar, Sylvester Stallone, in attendance.
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The next "Rocky Day" will serve as the starting point for the inaugural festival. From Dec. 3-8, the city will host numerous ticketed events tied to the movies — though only one will take place at the scene of Rocky's famous climb. The Philadelphia Museum of Art will welcome fans to a "RockyU" seminar led by Paul Farber, host of "The Statue" podcast, on Dec. 6. The class will focus on Farber's area of expertise: the bronze Rocky statue at the base of the museum that tourists visit every year, along with the terrace steps. Students will receive an official certificate after attending the session, or the next one at the Independence Visitor Center on Dec. 7.
Philly PHLASH will also roll out the first public Rocky bus tours for the festival. The 90-minute ride will stop at Mighty Mick's Gym, the Italian Market and Laurel Hill Cemetery, the resting place of Rocky's wife Adrian and his brother-in-law Paulie. Tours will depart from the Rocky Shop on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Fans can also check out two romantic destinations from the movie. The Penn Ice Rink, where Rocky and Adrian had their first date, will host a special Dec. 6 date night with signature drinks and a Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest. Singles can also try speed dating skating. The Philadelphia Zoo, where Rocky proposed, will host its own date night Dec. 7.
A pet-friendly "yappy hour" at Cherry Street Pier on Dec. 5 will nod to Rocky's beloved bull mastiff Butkus and benefit the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. Fans can also catch all six "Rocky" movies at the Philadelphia Film Center, which will be screening the complete franchise Dec. 6-8.
Mural Arts will create a mural series highlighting "real life Rockys" based on nominations from the community, to be unveiled during RockyFest. Details on the nomination process have not yet been released.
The Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, which organized the festival, is teasing an additional "signature public event" that's still in the works. Whatever it is, the PVCC will have to outdo it in 2026, when "Rocky" turns 50.
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