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Yo Philly, we did it! The Visitor Center announces the city’s first Rocky festival

Yes, you can still run up the Museum steps but how about a 90-minute bus tour, a movie marathon, and more?

The bronze Rocky statue immortalizing the fictional film boxer Rocky Balboa located next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Apr. 27, 2024. It was created by artist A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for the 1982 movie Rocky III. The statue was gifted to the City of Philadelphia by Sylvester Stallone and after some controversy was removed from the movie location at the top of the museum steps to the Spectrum. In 1990 film producers relocated the statue for the filming of Rocky V, then it went into storage until it was placed in its present location in 2006.
The bronze Rocky statue immortalizing the fictional film boxer Rocky Balboa located next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Apr. 27, 2024. It was created by artist A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for the 1982 movie Rocky III. The statue was gifted to the City of Philadelphia by Sylvester Stallone and after some controversy was removed from the movie location at the top of the museum steps to the Spectrum. In 1990 film producers relocated the statue for the filming of Rocky V, then it went into storage until it was placed in its present location in 2006.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Nearly 50 years after the release of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky Balboa remains an integral part of Philly lore. And this December, tourists and longtime fans will get to celebrate the first-ever RockyFEST.

Following the success of last year’s Rocky Day, which drew thousands of spectators and fans dressed as their favorite boxer, the Philadelphia Visitor Center announced the first RockyFEST on Tuesday. They made the announcement atop the very Philadelphia Museum of Art steps Stallone ran up in the 1976 Academy Award-winning film.

Visitor Center president and CEO Kathryn Ott Lovell said the weeklong celebration, which runs from Dec. 3-8, will feature a series of free and ticketed events, including a 90-minute bus tour. The Rocky Bus Tour will take fans to Mighty Mick’s Gym, the Italian Market, and Adrian Balboa’s fictional grave site at Laurel Hill Cemetery, among other filming locations.

“We’re just excited to give people the opportunity to celebrate Rocky,” Lovell said atop the 72-step steep “Rocky Steps.” “Visitors want to run the steps and get a picture in front of the statue, but this is giving people a much more comprehensive experience.”

The festival aims to expand the fan experience that is already served by The Rocky Shop and Rocky Day, which Stallone attended along with his family and friend, actor Chevy Chase.

During his visit, Stallone called residents of Philly the true heroes.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart — and Rocky’s, too, because we’re very close — to all of you who, believe it or not, are the real-life Rockys, because you live your life on your own terms, you try to do the best you can, and you keep punching,” he said during last year’s celebration.

Through partnerships with Visit Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Film Society, Philly PHLASH, and other organizations, RockyFEST will help recreate Rocky and Adrian’s date nights at University of Pennsylvania’s 1923 Ice Rink and The Philadelphia Zoo. They will also organize a Rocky movie marathon at the Philadelphia Film Center.

The Kennel Club of Philadelphia will host the “Southpaws at The Docks: Pugs and Mugs Yappy Hour” at Cherry St. Pier on Dec. 5 to celebrate the bond between Rocky and his Bullmastiff, Butkus. And historian Paul Farber, director of Monument Lab and host of The Statue podcast, will lead a discussion about the significance of the Rocky Statue on Dec. 6.

“We’re excited about this year’s lineup of events and look forward to welcoming all who journey here to celebrate this cultural icon,” Visit Philadelphia president and CEO Angela Val said in a statement.

RockyFEST guests will be offered free hotel parking and vouchers to The Rocky Shop at the bottom of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, Val added.

Jennifer Nagle, vice president of special projects at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, is confident the festival will draw Philly natives to the lineup of events in addition to out-of-towners. “I’m from South Philly myself, and there’s nothing more South Philly than what we just put together through with this RockyFEST, Nagle said. “It’s long overdue.”

For more information and tickets to the inaugural festival, visit phlvisitorcenter.com/rockyfest.