The march, 5 p.m.
Drexel students are leading a march to the vigil. It steps off at 5 p.m. from the dragon statue at 33rd and Market Streets on Drexel’s campus and walks east to the Academy, about a mile and a half. Join them at the dragon, or meet everyone at the museum at 6 p.m.
The vigil, 6 p.m.
We gather on the sidewalk in front of the museum at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Candles are supplied; bring your own if you have one. There will be posters and buttons, a few words, and a lot of light. It is one month to the day since the doors were locked, and we are fighting to reopen them.
Why tonight
Yesterday’s City Council hearing filled Room 400, the floor and both balconies. The Mayor’s office sent a letter instead of a witness and Drexel’s president stayed away; the Academy’s board chair testified that Drexel gave the trustees a choice between a merger and a divorce; and the committee recessed the hearing to Monday, November 16, at 10 a.m. so that subpoenas can issue. A subpoena is a legal order to appear and testify; it means the Mayor’s office and Drexel’s leadership can be required to show up next time, not just invited. What happened, with Council’s recording, and our statement on the hearing, are both on this site. Tonight is how we keep the momentum from the hearing on the street where it belongs.
Getting there
The museum is at 19th Street and the Parkway, a ten-minute walk from Suburban Station and from the Race-Vine station on the Broad Street Line. Street parking on the Parkway and nearby blocks is limited; the Logan Square garages are closest. Dress for an October evening outdoors.
Share this page: save-the-academy.org/vigil-2026-10-27
The vigil and the march are Save the Academy Coalition events. Sources for the hearing: Council’s recording, PhillyVoice, the Inquirer.