As part of this year’s Wawa Welcome America festival, enjoy an exclusive, pay-what-you-wish evening of Summer Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site on Saturday, June 27 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm (last entry 8:00 pm).
This event—like all Summer Nights programs—provides a fun and meaningful night out, combining history, culture, and entertainment in a one-of-a-kind setting. Take a curated, self-guided audio tour via QR code. Engage with exhibits, art installations, and pop-up talks highlighting the history of Eastern State Penitentiary and the impact of prisons today. Reflect and connect in The Fair Chance Beer Garden, presented in partnership with Triple Bottom Brewing Company.
Plus, uncover the role of investigative journalism in shaping our understanding of the criminal justice system. Through live storytelling, panel discussions, and interactive exhibits, this program brings together award-winning reporters, formerly incarcerated writers, documentary filmmakers, and justice advocates to examine the power of storytelling in exposing injustice and driving reform.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of programs at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site 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.
Reservations are strongly recommended. Click here to reserve tickets online.
Please note, a $1 service fee applies to each Pay-What-You-Wish Ticket and will be added to your pay-what-you-wish price at checkout. This non-refundable fee helps cover the administrative costs of offering this program to the public. There will be a standby line outside the penitentiary for those without tickets. Standby guests will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on availability. Guests in the standby line are not guaranteed entry
Visit EasternState.org for more information.
