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Sylvester Stallone is coming to Philly for inaugural ‘Rocky Day’

The first-ever citywide holiday will also dovetail with the grand opening of The Rocky Shop, the only brick-and-mortar where fans can by officially licensed "Rocky" merch from Stallone's brand.

Sylvester Stallone talks with reporters in Philadelphia at a premiere for the director's cut of "Rocky IV" on Nov. 11, 2021. Stallone will appear at the Museum of Art at the new Rocky Shop on Dec. 3, 2023, for the declaration of the city's first-ever 'Rocky Day."
Sylvester Stallone talks with reporters in Philadelphia at a premiere for the director's cut of "Rocky IV" on Nov. 11, 2021. Stallone will appear at the Museum of Art at the new Rocky Shop on Dec. 3, 2023, for the declaration of the city's first-ever 'Rocky Day."Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

Break out your gray sweatpants and Converse: Rocky Balboa is coming to town.

Well, the actor who created him is.

Sylvester Stallone will be at the new Rocky Shop next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps at 11 a.m. Sunday for the grand opening of the apparel shop — and the official declaration of what will now be known as Rocky Day citywide.

Superfans may already know why the day is significant: Rocky was released Dec. 3, 1976. The film — which Stallone wrote — would go on to win an Oscar for Best Picture. It also spawned five sequels of varying quality, a spin-off series, and a cottage industry of Balboa-themed races, podcasts, apparel, and armchair critics who still debate the movie’s Philly-ness.

“This day is an amazing day for me, and the people who have taken in Rocky into their hearts,” Stallone said in a statement from the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation.

“When I come to Philly and stand on the steps, it touches my soul like it did when I was a child,” Stallone said. “This is a very special place in a very special city. … Believe me, there’s no other place like it in the world!”

The store (and the ensuing local holiday) are a collaboration between the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation and Stallone, who personally pitched the idea to Mayor Jim Kenney years ago.

» READ MORE: A ‘Rocky Shop’ has opened next to the Art Museum

The Rocky Shop, at the base of the steps and near the Rocky statue, will be the only brick-and-mortar location that sells licensed Rocky merch from Stallone’s brand and will include such things as robes and boxing trunks emblazoned with the words Italian Stallion, replica props, collectible Rocky statues, and other movie-themed merchandise.

Stallone gave $100,000 to launch the project, and a percentage of first-year sales from the Rocky Shop will support the restoration of the Art Museum’s East Terrance and iconic steps.

Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corp., previously told The Inquirer that the Rocky Steps and statue draw an estimated 4 million visitors each year, making it Philly’s second-most-visited tourist attraction, behind just the Liberty Bell.

Stallone commissioned the statue in 1982 after filming for Rocky III wrapped, causing a long debate about whether it should be placed near the Art Museum’s East entrance, in South Philly, or adjacent to the the museum steps, where it currently stands.

“Visitors from around the world come to Philadelphia to visit the Rocky Statue and run our iconic steps,” Ott Lovell said in a statement. “The Rocky Shop not only enhances their time spent on the Parkway, but their entire stay in Philadelphia.”