Navy Week will take place in Philly for the first time since 2011

For the first time in more than a decade, Navy Week is coming back to Philadelphia.

Set to take place Oct. 9-15, the event will bring about 75 sailors from the U.S. Navy to town for a week of community engagement, volunteering, and educational events. Navy Week, which the Navy Office of Communication Outreach has organized in cities around the country since 2005, has not taken place in Philly since 2011.

“Seapower and America’s Navy are more important now than ever before,” office commander Anthony Falvo said. “The U.S. Navy remains our nation’s most powerful instrument of military influence and Navy Week allows us to showcase how the Navy serves America at sea, in the air, and ashore.”

As part of the Navy Week’s planned events, sailors will appear at landmarks around the region. Appearances will include a running of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps on Oct. 9, sailors whipping up cheesesteaks at Pat’s King of Steaks on Oct. 10, and a Navy birthday proclamation and flag raising at City Hall on Oct. 13.

Throughout the week, sailors will also participate in community service events in the area with groups including Philabundance, the Police Athletic League, and Heroic Gardens.

The Navy Band Northeast is coming along, too, and will appearances throughout the week at locations including the Betsy Ross House, the U.S. Mint, Independence Seaport Museum, and the Museum of the American Revolution. The band will also perform at a special flag raising and Navy Birthday proclamation at City Hall on Oct. 13 in honor of the Navy’s 248th birthday.

History buffs, meanwhile, will get a chance to get an up-close look at the USS Cooperstown when it arrives in Philadelphia on Oct. 10 at Penn’s Landing for open tours. Officially commissioned into the Navy’s fleet in May, the USS Cooperstown is among the Navy’s newest ships of a class of vessels it uses in near-shore operations.

“As the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, it is always our honor for Philadelphia to welcome back home the U.S. Navy and the members of the military family – past, present and future,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We encourage residents across the region to welcome the Navy here to Philadelphia and hope everyone has the opportunity to attend at least one of these events to celebrate the great work of the U.S. Navy.”

In total, Navy Week will feature about 75 events. A full list of planned events is available on the NAVCO website.