Made In America 2019: Your Guide to Road Closures, Parking, and Public Transit
Everything you need to know to either get to, or stay away from, Jay Z’s annual music festival.
Made in America 2019 brings its usual slate of road closures. Photo courtesy Made in America.
You’ve just made it past the public-space-encroaching party that is Dîner en Blanc, and guess what? Now there are more crowds on the way! Jay Z’s annual Made in America festival is coming back, and once again, it’ll be held on the Parkway (even after last year’s snafu in which Mayor Kenney temporarily evicted Jay Z, only to change his mind.)
Sure, the festival doesn’t technically begin until Saturday, August 31st, but the real opening act — street closures! — kicks off this Sunday, a full week earlier.
This year’s festival includes headliners Cardi B and Travis Scott. Megan Thee Stallion — of “hot girl summer” meme fame — will be performing, too. And for slice of local flavor, there’s Tierra Whack and Lil Uzi Vert, whose Bugatti you may have seen around town.
Speaking of cars: These are the roads you should avoid as the festival revs up.
Made In America Road Closures
Phase 1 : Beginning 7 a.m. on Sunday, August 25th
- Two lanes of Eakins Oval in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Phase 2: Beginning 7 a.m. on Monday, August 26th
- Spring Garden Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Phase 3: Beginning 7 a.m. on Tuesday, August 27th
- Parking prohibited on Pennsylvania Avenue from 22nd Street to 23rd Street (south side) and Park Towne Place from 22nd Street to 24th Street (north side)
Phase 4: Beginning 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 28th
- Inner lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 20th Street and Eakins Oval
- Cross traffic on numbered streets will be permitted
Phase 5: Beginning 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 29th
- Outer lanes on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 22nd and 23rd Streets
Phase 6: Beginning 10 a.m. on Friday, August 30th
(This is where it really starts to get fun.)
- Outer lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 2oth Street and Eakins Oval
- Inner lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 20th Street and Eakins Oval
- 23rd Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- 22nd Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Park Towne Place
- 21st Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Winter Street
- Kelly Drive outbound from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Fairmount Avenue
- Outer lane of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive adjacent to Paine’s Park
- Starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 30, due to the closure of the outer lanes on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, traffic headed inbound (to Center City)—from Spring Garden Street Bridge or Martin Luther King Drive—must exit Eakins Oval on the 24th Street ramp. Traffic headed inbound on Kelly Drive must exit Kelly Drive at Fairmount Avenue.
Phase 7: Beginning 3 a.m. Saturday, August 31th
- The entire width of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, beginning at 20th Street extending through Eakins Oval (25th Street)
- Behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art
- The rear of the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be accessible to museum guests via a special route (Fairmount Avenue, to Pennsylvania Avenue, to 25th Street/Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive)
- 21st Street, between Winter and Spring Garden Streets
- 22nd Street, between Race Street and Fairmount Avenue
- 23rd Street, between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Fairmount Avenue
- 24th Street, between Fairmount and Pennsylvania Avenues
- Spring Garden Street Tunnel
- Spring Garden Street Bridge
- The City will make every effort to keep this bridge open during Philadelphia Museum of Art operating hours, but it may be forced to close during periods of heavy pedestrian traffic
- Kelly Drive, between 23rd Street and Fairmount Avenue
- Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between the Falls Bridge and Eakins Oval
- 2100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Whole Foods store and 21st Street
- Note: The eastern half of the block, from the Whole Foods Market to 20th Street, will remain open to allow access to the store
- I-676 westbound off-ramp at 22nd Street
- I-676 eastbound off-ramp at 23rd Street will be open
Streets will be opening back up at slightly different times, but all will be back to normal by rush hour on Tuesday, September 3rd. Everything from the phase 7 closures will be reopened earlier, by the morning of September 2nd.
Parking Restrictions
Lil Uzi Vert probably shouldn’t drive his Bugatti to his performance, is all we’re saying here. The following spots are all No Parking zones, from 3 a.m. on August 31st to 5 a.m. on September 2nd:
- Pennsylvania Avenue, between 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue (south side of street)
- Winter Street, between 20th and 22nd Streets (both sides of street)
- 20th Street, between Vine and Callowhill Streets (east side of street)
- 21st Street, between Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Race Street (both sides of street)
- 22nd Street, between Winter and Spring Garden Streets (both sides of street)
- Park Towne Place, between 22nd and 24th Streets (both sides of street)
- Spring Garden Street, between 22nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
- Race Street, between 19th and 20th Streets
Public Transit
If you’re headed to the festivities over the weekend, you’ll probably want to take Uber, Lyft, or a taxi. But if traffic gets completely snarled, rest assured that SEPTA is running as well. Both the Market Frankford and Broad Street Lines will have their regular overnight service on Saturday. The Race-Vine and City Hall stations on the BSL have good access to the festival entrance. On the MFL, your station will be 15th Street.
Regional Rail
On Saturday and Sunday evenings, Regional Rail will also be providing late-night service departing from Jefferson, Suburban, and 30th Street stations. If the concert runs late, trains will be held for 20 minutes after the concert ends. Consult SEPTA’s events schedule, or the system status page. Keep in mind, too, that parking is free on the weekend at all SEPTA Regional Rail lots.
Bus
Bus riders should know there will be a few disruptions, too: Routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, and 48 will be detoured from their normal routes through the Benjamin Franklin Parkway area beginning at 10 a.m. on August 31st through 5 a.m. on September 2nd. Again, consult the system status page for specifics.
Pre-Concert Activities
Despite the traffic chaos surrounding them, the museums along the Parkway will be open. The Philadelphia Museum of Art can be accessed through its west entrance. Sadly, the Rocky Statute will be off-limits.
The Barnes will also be open through the weekend, and in fact has its once-monthly free admission date on Sunday, September 1st. There’s nothing like staring at a bunch of Renoirs to get you in the mood for a Cardi B concert.
