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| What Philly's Talking About |
| | Do Philly’s July Fourth Celebrations Deserve an A or an F? | Philly’s biggest weekend of the year was met with delays and even the cancellation of a concert and a parade due to extreme heat, wind, and rain. Not even the city’s highly anticipated $15.5 million concert was spared, resuming performances after midnight following an hours-long delay. Considering all of these obstacles, was the semiquincentennial a success or a bust? [🎧 City Cast Philly] | | Stars and Stripes Almost Go Up in Smoke | Five people were charged with failure to disperse after police prevented protesters from burning an American flag near Washington Square Park on Saturday. Although burning the American flag is protected under the First Amendment, Philadelphia prohibits the act on public streets due to safety concerns. [🔒 The Inquirer] | | Philly’s Forbidden Swimming Hole Still Attracts Visitors | Despite it being against park rules to swim at Devil’s Pool, that doesn’t stop locals from going to Wissahickon Park to float in the (polluted) waters. Volunteers say that Fourth of July is the day that attracts the most trash and are asking for help keeping the creek and park clean. [🎧 City Cast Philly, Billy Penn] | | | DOJ Files Reveal Epstein Tried To Recruit Women From Penn | Under the guise of mentorship, billionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein attempted to coerce a woman attending Penn’s law school to recruit women for his sex trafficking operation. While the woman’s lawyer states she did not comply with Epstein’s demands, she did experience physical and verbal abuse at his hands. [The Daily Pennsylvanian] |
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| |  | Presentation of the national flags of Côte d’Ivoire and Curaçao at Philadelphia Stadium on July 25, 2026. (Siani Colón / City Cast Philly) |
| Philadelphia hosted its final FIFA World Cup 2026 match last Saturday, ending in a victory for France. Although the tournament continues through July 19, we’ve seen the last of fan takeovers on our streets, and Philadelphia Stadium is reverting to the Linc (and hopefully returning parking prices to less astronomical levels). So how did we do hosting one of the biggest global sporting events? | - Big Turnout: Philadelphia Stadium saw over 409,000 fans across six matches, five of which were sold out. [6ABC]
- Surprisingly No Beer Shortage: Fans consumed more than 290,000 beers, 55,000 hot dogs, and 26,500 cheesesteaks at the stadium. The most popular snack? Soft pretzels. [CBS Philly]
- Not Everyone Benefited: While some local businesses saw game-day bumps, other businesses near Philly’s Fan Fest cited reduced foot traffic and confusion over parking permits as reasons for lower sales. [🔒 The Inquirer]
- Fun’s Not Over: Philly’s Fan Fest will remain open at Lemon Hill until July 19, the day of the finals. Catch performances from Leon Thomas on July 8, Wisin on July 12, and The All-American Rejects on July 13. Register here. [Philadelphia Soccer 2026]
| | If the World Cup has sparked your interest in soccer like it has for me, you may be wondering, “What now?” Philly has an active soccer community that will continue to welcome newcomers long after the competition ends. | - Support Philly’s Soccer Team: Our Major League Soccer team, the Philadelphia Union, has its next home game on July 22. If you want to watch them play when they’re not in Chester, visit the team’s official pub affiliates for watch parties and special perks. [Philadelphia Union]
- Branch Out and Support Another League: If you’re interested in the Premier League, supporters regularly gather at these Philly bars. And Brauhaus Schmitz hosts Bundesliga fans. [Manchester City Football Club, Philly Bundesliga Fan Coalition]
- Local Cups To Watch: CASA Soccer’s Icarus Cup returns on July 11, with group stages at various satellite sites and knockout rounds at the Drexel Vidas Complex. It’s a big one with 81 teams participating. The Philly Grassroots Cup, organized collaboratively by CASA and Safe-Hub, is currently ongoing and concludes July 19. [CASA Soccer League]
- Where To Play: Adult pick-up games are organized by local groups such as Street Soccer USA - Philly, Philadelphia Falcons, Volo Sports Philadelphia, and CASA.
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| — Siani Colón | Correction: Monday’s newsletter referred to judicial action on the city’s “ICE Out” legislation. The court ruling only forbids Philadelphia from enforcing one law in the legislative package — that law banned ICE agents from wearing masks, covering badges, or using unmarked vehicles. |
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