Sit where the city sits
The benches and diagonal walks fill daily with office lunches, dog walks, first dates, and readers. People-watching here is not a tourist activity — it's what the park is for.
Rittenhouse Square Guide · Verified August 2026
Things to do in Rittenhouse Square.
The honest answer is that the Square's main activity is simply being in it — this is Philadelphia's living room. But the park keeps a real calendar, from a farmers market that runs twice a week to an art show held since 1928, and a short walk in any direction holds enough for a full day. Here's how locals use it.
In the Park
What the Square is actually for.
Find the sculptures
A French bronze lion, a goat whose 1914 original was polished gold by generations of children, and a 1911 fountain figure with a story worth knowing — the Square doubles as a small sculpture garden.
Walk the perimeter
One lap past the Church of the Holy Trinity, the mansions-turned-institutions, and the 18th Street café row is a fifteen-minute architecture tour.
Picnic from the market
On Saturdays, the farmers market at 18th & Walnut supplies the picnic; the lawns supply the rest.
The sculptures deserve their own stop — read the public art guide
The Annual Calendar
The Square's traditions, by season.
Rittenhouse Square has kept some of its rituals for more than a century. Dates below are from the organizers' own sites, verified August 2026.
Rittenhouse Farmers Market
Saturdays & Tuesdays, year-round
Run by Farm to City at 18th & Walnut. Saturdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (10 a.m. start in winter); Tuesdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show
June & September
Founded by artists in 1928 — the organizers call it the oldest outdoor art show in the country. Two shows in 2026: June 5–7 and September 18–20.
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
May
The Walnut Street corridor's street festival, run by the Rittenhouse Row business association — held May 2, 2026.
Fall Fine Craft Show
October
The craft counterpart to the art show, on the Friends of Rittenhouse Square calendar for October 9–11, 2026.
Holiday Tree Lighting
Early December
The Friends of Rittenhouse Square light the park's tree in early December — the 2025 ceremony was December 5 — and it stays lit into January.
The Flower Market tradition
Since May 20, 1914
The first Rittenhouse Square Flower Market was held May 20, 1914, and grew into a beloved children's-charity benefit. Check the Friends of Rittenhouse Square calendar for current-year plans — we don't publish dates we can't verify.
A Short Walk Away
When the bench isn't enough.
The Square sits at the center of one of Center City's most walkable stretches. These are the stops we send guests to first.
Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008–2010 Delancey Pl
Rare books and manuscripts — including Joyce's Ulysses manuscript — in twin townhouses on one of the city's prettiest blocks.
Walnut Street & Rittenhouse Row
Walnut St, 15th–21st
The retail spine along the park's northern edge; the Rittenhouse Row association defines its district as running from the Avenue of the Arts to the Schuylkill.
Mütter Museum
19 S 22nd St
The College of Physicians' famous medical-history collections, an eight-minute walk west.
Schuylkill River Trail
West of 25th St
The riverfront boardwalk and trail for a morning run or the long way to the Art Museum.
Academy of Music
240 S Broad St
Opera and Broadway tours in the oldest opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose, a six-block walk east.
For restaurants, coffee, and the full guest-oriented rundown, see the restaurant guide and the neighborhood guide
Know Before You Go
Park basics.
The short version of the official rules, from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation:
- The park is free and open to the public — there is no gate and no ticket.
- Philadelphia Parks & Recreation applies a 10 p.m. curfew across the parks system.
- Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet; off-leash pets are prohibited.
- Alcohol is not permitted outside city-permitted events, and smoking is prohibited on Parks & Recreation property.
More visiting questions — safety, parking, getting here — are answered on the main Rittenhouse Square guide
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Every historical claim on this page traces to the sources below. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.
- 1Farm to City — Rittenhouse Farmers Market
Operator's schedule for the Saturday and Tuesday markets at 18th & Walnut.
- 2Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show
Organizer's site: founded 1928, self-described oldest outdoor art show in the country; 2026 dates.
- 3Friends of Rittenhouse Square — Events
The park conservancy's calendar: tree lighting, craft show, and seasonal events.
- 4Pennsylvania Center for the Book — “The Galvanizing Garden”
Penn State's essay on the Square, documenting the first Flower Market on May 20, 1914.
- 5Philadelphia Parks & Recreation — Rules & Regulations
The official citywide park rules: 10 p.m. curfew, leash requirements, alcohol and smoking policy.
- 6Rittenhouse Row
The business association's own definition of its district and its Spring Festival.
From 1822 Pine Street
Make the Square your front yard for a weekend.
1822 Pine Street is two blocks south of the park — an 8-bedroom historic house that sleeps 16. Saturday starts at the farmers market and ends with the whole group around one dining table.
Keep Reading
More from the Rittenhouse Square guide.
Rittenhouse Square
What the Square is, how the park and the neighborhood fit together, and how to use both.
Read the pageHistory of Rittenhouse Square
From Southwest Square in Penn's 1683 plan to Paul Cret's 1913 redesign — with sources.
Read the pagePublic Art in Rittenhouse Square
All eight works, from Barye's 1892 lion to the 2010 cottage gates — who made them and when.
Read the pageRittenhouse Square Restaurants
The tables on and facing the Square, and where locals actually walk one block to eat.
Read the pageWhere to Stay Near Rittenhouse Square
The hotels on the Square, what each does well, and the whole-house option for groups.
Read the page