A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future
Thursday, January 01, 2026 to Thursday, December 31, 2026
In the early days of our nation, the idea for Eastern State Penitentiary—the nation's first penitentiary—emerged as a bold initiative to reform the criminal justice system. Framed in 1787, just 11 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Eastern State Penitentiary was built on a radical belief in human dignity and our capacity for change. Its founders sought to answer a question that still echoes through our country today: Have we established justice?
In 2026, as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, Eastern State hosts A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs that invites visitors to wrestle with evolving meanings of liberty and justice.
A Time for Liberty features 5 family-friendly festivals, 9 panel discussions with scholars and systems-impacted leaders, 4 community workshops, 2 pop-up exhibitions drawn from the site's archival collections, and new online learning resources that extend the experience to classrooms nationwide. Visit EasternState.org to learn more.
A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Additional partners to be announced throughout 2026. For more information and updates, visit EasternState.org.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Events in this Series
Voices of Liberation Video Installation
Sunday, February 01 - Saturday, February 28, 2026
All Day
Included with admission. Visit this video installation near the historic site’s central rotunda to hear from prominent civil rights leaders who spoke and wrote from behind bars.
Justice 101: Reconstruction and the Origins of Modern Incarceration
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online only. This program explores how postwar reforms, shifting labor systems, and emerging state and local policies influenced patterns of incarceration and social order in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Justice 101: Prison Gerrymandering
Thursday, March 05, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates. Join us for a conversation on prison gerrymandering, a practice that distorts our democratic process and dilutes the political power of communities across the nation.
Justice 101: The Business of Second Chances: Economic Empowerment for Justice-Involved Women
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Free. In honor of Reentry and Restorative Justice Day, join us for a conversation on the challenges and opportunities for women as they reenter society post-incarceration.
Spring Break: The Great Escape: Stories of Resistance and Creativity at Eastern State
Friday, March 27 - Sunday, April 05, 2026
All Day
A week of immersive history, storytelling, and hands-on discovery.
Justice 101: From Rosa Parks to Joan Little: A screening and conversation about Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Education
Thursday, April 16, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Free event. Advance registration required. Join us for a screening of the documentary “Free Joan Little” followed by a discussion with director Yoruba Richen.
Justice 101: Philly Saves: Adaptive Reuse of Sites of Memory and Trauma
Friday, May 01 - Sunday, May 31, 2026
All Day
Date to be confirmed—please check back for updates. This discussion examines how we steward the physical legacy of our democracy, including prisons, churches, burial grounds, homes, shopping centers, and factories and how these sites can be reclaimed as spaces of civic dialogue, healing, and community life
Memorial Day Weekend Preservation Fest
Sunday, May 24, 2026
10:00am - 4:00pm
Go beyond the typical tour. Learn how the site is preserved, explore rarely seen areas with preservation staff, and get hands-on with restoration techniques. Special mini-tour and interactive activities included with admission.
Wednesday Nights: Faith, Reentry, and Prison Reform
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Join us for a powerful interfaith dialogue on faith, reentry, and prison reform, bringing together Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders to examine how religious traditions have shaped American approaches to rehabilitation, moral responsibility, and reintegration since the nation’s founding.
Justice 101: Erasure of LGBTQ Memory
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Justice 101: The History and Meaning of Juneteenth Today
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Escape & Resistance
Wednesday, June 03, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Preservation Behind the Scenes
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
The Power of Play: Sports and Belonging
Thursday, June 11 - Friday, June 19, 2026
All Day
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site to learn more about the power of sports in fostering a sense of belonging throughout ESP's history and in correctional facilities today.
Wednesday Nights: Music & Open Mic Night
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Juneteenth Festival
Friday, June 19, 2026
All Day
Details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: June 24th
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: The History of the Justice System in England and America
Wednesday, July 01 - Friday, July 31, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Adult Field Day & Sports Night
Wednesday, July 01, 2026
5:30pm - 9:30pm
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
New Exhibit Opening! Freedom through Faith: Judaism at Eastern State and Beyond
Thursday, July 02, 2026
All Day
Join us for the launch of Freedom through Faith: Judaism at Eastern State and Beyond, a new exhibit that will reveal how religious freedom, framed as "unalienable rights," was a foundational promise of the Declaration that was strongly represented and practiced inside America’s first penitentiary, especially among its Jewish population
Justice 101: School to Prison Pipeline
Tuesday, September 01 - Wednesday, September 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Constitution Day: The Justice System in America Today
Thursday, September 17, 2026
All Day
This Constitution Day, we celebrate and reflect on the role of the First Amendment in securing freedom and liberty for all. Join us for this deep dive into prison journalism, art, and free expression for those who are not free.
Democracy for all Week: Freedom of Expression: Journalism, Art and Justice
Thursday, September 17 - Monday, September 21, 2026
All Day
Justice 101
Thursday, October 01 - Saturday, October 31, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
52 Weeks of Firsts
Saturday, October 03, 2026
11:00am - 1:00pm
With soaring stone walls and a radical design, Eastern State Penitentiary created the philosophy of America’s first true penitentiary. Walk the halls where history was made, and experience the human stories of early prison systems.
Fall Festival
Sunday, October 25, 2026
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Free for kids in costume and their caregivers. No reservations necessary. Join us for some fall-themed family fun: trick-or-treating, scavenger hunt, story time, hands-on activities, art making, music, and more!
New Exhibit Opening!
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: Friendship, Support, and Reentry
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
Voices of Liberation Video Installation
Sunday, February 01 - Saturday, February 28, 2026
Included with admission. Visit this video installation near the historic site’s central rotunda to hear from prominent civil rights leaders who spoke and wrote from behind bars.
Justice 101: Reconstruction and the Origins of Modern Incarceration
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Online only. This program explores how postwar reforms, shifting labor systems, and emerging state and local policies influenced patterns of incarceration and social order in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Justice 101: Prison Gerrymandering
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates. Join us for a conversation on prison gerrymandering, a practice that distorts our democratic process and dilutes the political power of communities across the nation.
Justice 101: The Business of Second Chances: Economic Empowerment for Justice-Involved Women
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Free. In honor of Reentry and Restorative Justice Day, join us for a conversation on the challenges and opportunities for women as they reenter society post-incarceration.
Spring Break: The Great Escape: Stories of Resistance and Creativity at Eastern State
Friday, March 27 - Sunday, April 05, 2026
A week of immersive history, storytelling, and hands-on discovery.
Justice 101: From Rosa Parks to Joan Little: A screening and conversation about Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Education
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Free event. Advance registration required. Join us for a screening of the documentary “Free Joan Little” followed by a discussion with director Yoruba Richen.
Justice 101: Philly Saves: Adaptive Reuse of Sites of Memory and Trauma
Friday, May 01 - Sunday, May 31, 2026
Date to be confirmed—please check back for updates. This discussion examines how we steward the physical legacy of our democracy, including prisons, churches, burial grounds, homes, shopping centers, and factories and how these sites can be reclaimed as spaces of civic dialogue, healing, and community life
Memorial Day Weekend Preservation Fest
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Go beyond the typical tour. Learn how the site is preserved, explore rarely seen areas with preservation staff, and get hands-on with restoration techniques. Special mini-tour and interactive activities included with admission.
Wednesday Nights: Faith, Reentry, and Prison Reform
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Join us for a powerful interfaith dialogue on faith, reentry, and prison reform, bringing together Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders to examine how religious traditions have shaped American approaches to rehabilitation, moral responsibility, and reintegration since the nation’s founding.
Justice 101: Erasure of LGBTQ Memory
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Justice 101: The History and Meaning of Juneteenth Today
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Escape & Resistance
Wednesday, June 03, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Preservation Behind the Scenes
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
The Power of Play: Sports and Belonging
Thursday, June 11 - Friday, June 19, 2026
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site to learn more about the power of sports in fostering a sense of belonging throughout ESP's history and in correctional facilities today.
Wednesday Nights: Music & Open Mic Night
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Juneteenth Festival
Friday, June 19, 2026
Details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: June 24th
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: The History of the Justice System in England and America
Wednesday, July 01 - Friday, July 31, 2026
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Wednesday Nights: Adult Field Day & Sports Night
Wednesday, July 01, 2026
$17 online in advance, $20 at the door (subject to availability). Details to come, check back for updates.
New Exhibit Opening! Freedom through Faith: Judaism at Eastern State and Beyond
Thursday, July 02, 2026
Join us for the launch of Freedom through Faith: Judaism at Eastern State and Beyond, a new exhibit that will reveal how religious freedom, framed as "unalienable rights," was a foundational promise of the Declaration that was strongly represented and practiced inside America’s first penitentiary, especially among its Jewish population
Justice 101: School to Prison Pipeline
Tuesday, September 01 - Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Constitution Day: The Justice System in America Today
Thursday, September 17, 2026
This Constitution Day, we celebrate and reflect on the role of the First Amendment in securing freedom and liberty for all. Join us for this deep dive into prison journalism, art, and free expression for those who are not free.
Democracy for all Week: Freedom of Expression: Journalism, Art and Justice
Thursday, September 17 - Monday, September 21, 2026
Justice 101
Thursday, October 01 - Saturday, October 31, 2026
Details to come, check back for updates.
52 Weeks of Firsts
Saturday, October 03, 2026
With soaring stone walls and a radical design, Eastern State Penitentiary created the philosophy of America’s first true penitentiary. Walk the halls where history was made, and experience the human stories of early prison systems.
Fall Festival
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Free for kids in costume and their caregivers. No reservations necessary. Join us for some fall-themed family fun: trick-or-treating, scavenger hunt, story time, hands-on activities, art making, music, and more!
New Exhibit Opening!
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: Friendship, Support, and Reentry
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
Details to come, check back for updates.