For two months this summer, Reading Terminal Market will transform an adjacent block of Filbert Street into a pop-up, pedestrian-only plaza featuring local vendors, live entertainment, a bar, and expanded seating.
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Opening June 8, the Plaza at Reading Terminal Market presented by Jefferson (which is the full name that absolutely nobody’s going to call it) will span 15,000-square-feet of the 1100 block of Filbert Street, shutting the road down to vehicular traffic, according to a news release.
The temporary expansion of one of Philadelphia’s most popular sites for locals and tourists comes as the city prepares to welcome visitors for the FIFA World Cup, the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, and MLB All-Star Week. But upgrades to the block — including wider sidewalks that are flush with the street — have been years in the making, dating back to 2019.
Stalls at the plaza will feature more than 15 rotating vendors selling everything from candles to cosmetics and the market will have its own merch cart on site peddling limited-edition soccer gear and Reading Terminal apparel.
Molly Malloy’s, a 15-year-staple of the market, will operate the plaza’s outdoor bar and guests will be serenaded by a rotating lineup of live musicians, just as locals are every day by the buskers who call the sidewalks around Reading Terminal their stage
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The plaza will have lawn games like oversized Jenga to play and photo ops like oversized Adirondack chairs.
“In preparation for the busy summer ahead, we asked ourselves how we could be the best version of Reading Terminal Market possible. The answer was to get creative in utilizing every inch of our available public space to create joy for locals and visitors alike as they experience everything Philadelphia has to offer,” Annie Allman, CEO and general manager of Reading Terminal, said in the release.
The plaza will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and run for eight weeks through the beginning of August. A grand opening celebration will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
At that time, the switch will also be flipped on a $1 million lighting improvement project on the covered portion of the block. Funded by the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the project includes new LED fixtures in the ceiling, added down lights on columns to illuminate the sidewalk, and color-changing fixtures that can be customized for special events.
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