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Visitation in Center City was up for the Holidays

Another holiday season is behind us, and millions of visitors chose to make Center City Philadelphia their destination during the winter months. Dilworth Park’s Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Skating Rink, and holiday shopping and dining have brought in visitors from across the region and the world, contributing to the downtown’s vibrancy and benefiting hundreds of retailers, restaurants, hotels and cultural venues.

Here are some key highlights from this past season:

 

Center City Foot Traffic Doubles From 2020

Center City continues to attract increasing numbers of visitors downtown. Between November and December, Center City saw more than double the number of visitors during the same period in 2020 as pedestrian counts were up 2.1% from 2022. More than 13 million visitors spent time in Center City across the two-month period.

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Rittenhouse Row Triples 2020 Foot Traffic

Center City is home to hundreds of retailers, ranging from unique local specialty shops to luxury retailers that are in demand during the season of giving. Rittenhouse Row, the shopping district home to 338 high-end retailers, saw its busiest holiday season since 2020, with visitor numbers up 14.4% from 2022 and nearly triple 2020 foot traffic.

 

Majority of Visitors Come from Outside Center City

Center City is the unparalleled destination for shopping, dining and retail in the region, consistently drawing visitors from outside of the city limits. During the holiday season, even more of those visitors arrive downtown to enjoy the festivities; according to data from Placer.ai, more than 63% of the Center City’s post-Thanksgiving foot traffic was from people living more than five miles from City Hall. And this year, Center City welcomed visitors from all 50 states.

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Dilworth Park Welcomes 51% More Visitors in December

Year-round, Dilworth Park is one of the most popular destinations in Center City thanks to several factors, including robust park programming and accessibility to the region’s transportation systems.

This December, Dilworth Park was alive with holiday programs and amenities, including the daily Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, and saw a weekday evening average of 9,427 pedestrians, 51% higher than pre-Thanksgiving weekday evening average of 6,223 pedestrians.

Year-Round Happenings in Center City

The holiday season may be over, but there’s never a shortage of things to enjoy in Center City. Programs at Dilworth Park are coming soon, along with happenings from our 1,800+ shops, restaurants, and service providers. Visit our “Explore” page to see everything happening in the district.