Saturday, October 03, 2026
11:00 - 1:00pm EST
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.

We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. 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.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, March 27 - Sunday, April 05, 2026
All Day
A week of immersive history, storytelling, and hands-on discovery.
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.
Friday, May 01 - Sunday, May 31, 2026
All Day
Date to be confirmed—please check back for updates. This discussion examines the practice of adaptive reuse and how it has transformed historic structures and landscapes of trauma into spaces that serve new public purposes while honoring their past.
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, 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.
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
Monday, June 01 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
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, 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.
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, 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.
Friday, June 19, 2026
All Day
Details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
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.
Wednesday, July 01 - Friday, July 31, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
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.
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
Tuesday, September 01 - Wednesday, September 30, 2026
All Day
Date and details to be confirmed—please check back for updates.
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.
Thursday, September 17 - Monday, September 21, 2026
All Day
Thursday, October 01 - Saturday, October 31, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
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!
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.
Sunday, November 01 - Monday, November 30, 2026
All Day
Details to come, check back for updates.