Meet the Man Tasked With Pulling Off Philly’s Biggest Summer Ever

Michael Newmuis, 2026 director for the City of Philadelphia / Photograph by Quinton Davis, courtesy of the City of Philadelphia

Welcome to Masters of Ceremonies, where, in the lead-up to Philly’s biggest summer ever, I’ll be talking to some of the people behind the scenes making it all happen. From America’s 250th to the World Cup and beyond, you’ll get to know a little bit more about the people working to bring Philly to the world — and bring the world to Philly. 

First up: Michael Newmuis, the City of Philadelphia’s 2026 director.

Over the past few years, Newmuis has worked with over 60 different community partners across the city to plan and align events, working to help pull together and dole out the resources to make it all happen. (That includes working through about $30 million in grants, along with $4.5 from the federal government to restore Independence Hall.) This doesn’t just include the tentpole events of July 4th; the city has been prioritizing spreading through the celebration across neighborhoods, in the form of block parties, tours, and improvements across 20 different commercial corridors. With these plans in action, Newmuis hopes that “even the kid of Mayfair or Mantua can look back and remember activations that happen in their own backyard,” and tells me that spreading the economic benefits (and civic pride) across neighborhoods was a “nonnegotiable that [Mayor Cherelle Parker] had.”

In short, “I like to tell people that I’m really the guy whose job is to make sure that 2026 doesn’t just happen to Philadelphia, but it happens for Philadelphia, and it’s created by Philadelphians,” Newmuis tells me. So here’s what that looks like in practice.

1. What does a typical day look like for you right now in the lead-up to the festivities?
Right now, it’s days away from the 250th, and a typical day starts with a speaking engagement. I’m usually meeting with large rooms of people to make sure that businesses, residents, and stakeholders are all aware of what’s on the horizon, and that there are still opportunities for folks to get involved.

We’re also working through that $30 million grant portfolio and following up with different organizations to see what roadblocks they may have for the programming, and how the city can help. But Mayor Parker’s got a pretty exciting plan for July. Right now, I’ve got a few key projects that are on my desk. One is convening mayors from across the country here for the U.S. Conference of Mayors [on July 1st and 2nd].

What’s that like?
July 2nd is going to be epic. We start that morning at 10 a.m. with mayors from across the country. They’re gonna march towards Independence Hall and then head over to the Museum of American Revolution for national thought leadership with award-winning scholars. Then, the historic district will come alive with the most expansive celebration, the family-friendly Red, White, & Blue To-Do. Then we anticipate that we’ll have a commemorative joint session of Congress taking place, right here in Philadelphia. Congressman Brendan Boyle’s working with Speaker of the House [Mike] Johnson on gathering Congress here in Philadelphia, at Congress Hall for a commemorative session in honor of America’s 250th.

And we’re also working with America 250 on the National Time Capsule. That’ll have artifacts from every single state, and those artifacts will be on display at the Liberty Bell Center leading up to July 4th, when they will be buried at Independence Hall, completing the original master plan for Independence Hall with a national ceremony, that will be followed by Mayor Parker’s Celebration of Freedom morning ceremony, which will be followed by FIFA World Cup Games, and it will close out with the largest free concert in America.

What a day!
Yeah, there’s a lot happening.

Until when is the time capsule going to be buried?
The year 2276. So, the folks who will open it are not yet born, which has all the more meaning, right? Because we are planting the seeds for future generations to look back on and continue that tradition.

America’s 250th birthday will be celebrated in a big way here in Philly. / Photograph by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

2. So, this next question is a little hard because you basically have your hand in all of the major events this summer. But outside of your events, what are you most looking forward to in Philly this summer?
You know, what I’m most looking forward to in Philly this summer is bringing people closer together. Making sure that, at a time when folks can sometimes feel less than unified, Philadelphia is demonstrating what unity looks like in a bold way. Because isn’t that what these events do? They bring people closer together, around shared experiences. Our residents will be meeting visitors; our visitors will be experiencing the founding principles of our nation. Our nation will be seeing, through Philadelphia, a bright light of what unity looks like.

3. I love that. So this kind of segues into my next question, which is this: It’s 2076. Philly’s getting ready to celebrate the country’s tricentennial (which is much easier to say), and future planners are looking back at 2026 and saying, “Let’s try to do something like that again.” What are they referring to?
They’re referring to the strategic investments we made across Philadelphia that position the people of Philadelphia and our businesses for better success over the future years. We did so much more than focus on bunting on a stage. We looked at key corridors, like Market East, and made a $1.85 million investment to get it ready for prime time, but also increased its business attraction. We looked at the gateways to our highways, and beautified them, and cleaned them. We worked across 60 different partners to make sure that the celebration was built from the community level up, not just from the top down, and we did it all with a very short two-year runway.

I’m excited about the Market East pop-ups.
Well, here’s what else you’re gonna see in Market East: As part of that $1.5 million investment that the city made through Center City District, we’re installing 40 new trees. Brand new bus shelters. We’re taking over 6,000 square feet of empty storefronts and transforming them into a mural through Mural Arts to make the street feel more warm and inviting. City Hall to Independence Hall is quite literally the road to the semiquincentennial, which is why we’re making such a concerted investment to get that ready for prime time.

4. If you could talk to a tourist in town this summer, what would you tell them they have to do while they’re in Philly, aside from the big events?
First, I’d tell them to download the Access Philly app so they can sign every single event taking place and understand how to get there, and get opportunities to win tickets to all the experiences.

But if this is their first time here, I’d tell them to definitely, at this moment, go back to the founding cobblestones of where our country was formed. And start around Independence Hall: What’s so special about that building is not only the story of our founding, but that in Philadelphia, we know 1776 was just the beginning in the flight for a more perfect union. And that’s in seeing the Annual Reminders for LGBT. It’s seen through the women’s suffrage movement. It’s seen through fights of Octavius Catto and others who died for Black individuals to vote. It’s all here in the streets of Philadelphia, and it’s all being brought to life this year in a bold way.

Michael Newmuis hopes that tourists here for America’s 250th will see that “in Philadelphia, we know 1776 was just the beginning in the flight for a more perfect union.” / Photograph by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

5. What’s a less cliché Philly souvenir you’d recommend someone to take a little piece of the city home with them?
That’s a good question. You know my first response? Take some Famous 4th Street Deli cookies back home with you. Especially the chocolate chip cookies because your friends and family will thank you.

6. That’s a really good one. What about food in general? What favorite Philly restaurant — or one specific Philly food — would you tell visitors to be sure to eat at while they’re here? Besides the chocolate chip cookies.
If you want an elevated experience, check out Vernick. It’s my go-to. If you want the best view of the city, Bok Bar. And, you know, you can’t forget the cheesesteaks. And I’m partial to Angelo’s — especially because my dear friend Seth Braunstein’s over there.

7. More Philadelphia questions: What’s your favorite Philly memory?
My favorite Philly memory is dedicating a key corridor in the Gayborhood in honor of Jeff Guaracino, who put Philly on the map and made it the number one tourist destination for LGBT visitors. Jeff Guaracino Way — Mark Squilla and I dedicated the street in his honor. Another is the Eagles’ victory night on Broad Street, when they won the Super Bowl the first time, storming Broad Street with my fiancée and seeing more and more people flood the streets for such joy and fandom. That was my favorite memory in Philly, ever.

8. I mean, I gotta put both in. They’re both so different, and so perfect. Now, favorite Philly mascot, past or present?
This question breaks my heart. It splits my heart, because I love them all. But I gotta say Gritty, because he embodies all that makes Philly great. You don’t have to have the most perfect finesse to deliver the greatest comeback victory. Because isn’t that what Philly’s all about? “No one likes us, we don’t care.” No city in the world can embrace a mascot the way Philly can embrace our own.

9. You’re making a Philly playlist: What song is kicking it off?
“Philadelphia Freedom.” Elton John.

10. Bringing it back to 2026: There’s been so much talk about what this year will be like for visitors, how we’re hosting the world. But what do you hope it means for Philadelphians and what we’ll carry forward with us in terms of a lasting mark or collective memory?
My hope is that the 250th will set a new narrative for what Philadelphia already is, but also what we’re moving towards. We’re a city that is inspiring each other and inspiring the nation at a time when people are hungry for something to look up to and be a part of. And we are inviting everyone to that table, just as we have since 1776.