Shared Light: Winter Celebrations
Sunday, December 20 - Thursday, December 31, 2026
All Day
This holiday season, learn how people at Eastern State Penitentiary marked winter celebrations like Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Day—finding moments of light, connection, and meaning within the confines of prison life. Plus, reflect on how people observe holidays while incarcerated in prisons today. This limited-time, family-friendly programming is included with admission:
- Drop-In Activities
- Holiday Card Making
Make holiday cards that will be sent to people who are currently in prison. Share a message of hope and warmth during a season that can feel especially isolating for people who are incarcerated.
- Story Sharing
Reflect on resilience, hope, and strength in the face of adversity. Write or share a brief story about finding light during a difficult period, adding your words to a collective display inside the historic site.
- Scavenger Hunt
Complete this winter celebrations scavenger hunt to receive an exclusive sticker prize. Designed with kids and their caregivers in mind, the scavenger hunt packet is available upon entry.
- Holiday Card Making
- Special Tour Programming
- Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
Our daily tour will feature additional content about winter celebrations at Eastern State Penitentiary and in prisons today. Subject to availability. Purchase Guide-Led Tour and Discussion tickets online in advance to secure your spot.
- Mini Tour: Catholic Chaplain’s Office
Join an educator for a 10-minute tour of the Catholic Chaplain’s Office—home to 23 preserved prisoner-made murals—and learn more about the role of faith at Eastern State Penitentiary and the complex relationship between rehabilitation and religion. Subject to availability. No reservations required.
- Guide-Led Tour and Discussion
About the Panelists:
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 Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, 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.
