Why you might hear bells sounding throughout Philly on Friday

Bells will toll across Philadelphia on Friday afternoon to highlight the city’s gun violence epidemic on National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

To end its year-long season, Penn Live Arts’ Toll the Bell, a sound and arts installation focused on bringing awareness to gun violence in Philadelphia and the country, will ring bells and make other sounds at more than 40 locations across the city beginning at 1 p.m..

The event kicks off with an interfaith vigil the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at 36th and Walnut Streets at 12:30 p.m., with prayers and remarks by various religious leaders. After the service, those gathered will walk to the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, on South 38th Street, as the bells toll.

The sounds will begin at 1 p.m. and continue for five minutes in honor of the one in five Americans who have lost a family member to gun homicide and in memory of those who have died.

Organizers of the event say it’s meant to serve as a reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence in Philadelphia and beyond, and highlight the work that many are doing to combat the epidemic.

“The event serves as a warning and a sonic device to disrupt the environment for Philadelphians, inviting them to stop and reflect on this tragic issue,” Toll the Bell said in the statement.

There have been 88 gun homicides and 338 non-fatal shootings in Philadelphia so far this year, according to data compiled by the District Attorney’s Office.

Locations where bells and sounds will be played as part of the event can be found on this map.