Live Stream: Unraveling the Future of the Wanamaker Organ in the Ex-Philadelphia Macy's Outlet
In a special announcement set to take place at the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia at 10 a.m., local officials and organisers have confirmed that the city's beloved holiday traditions—the Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village—will return in the 2025 holiday season.
Despite Macy's announcement in January 2025 that it would be closing its flagship store, the Philadelphia Visitor Center, partnering with the Wanamaker Building’s new owner TF Cornerstone and the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, will take charge of preserving, reinstalling, and publicly presenting these attractions at the former Macy's location on 100 E. Penn Square.
The Wanamaker Building, a National Historic Landmark and listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, has been a significant location for holiday traditions in the city. Known for hosting the city's best-known holiday events, the Grand Court at the Wanamaker Building features a one-ton bronze statue of a perched eagle, adding to its grandeur.
This year, the Wanamaker Building is being transformed into a pop-up performing arts space starting in September 2025, with a fall lineup centered around the historic Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, supported by the Wyncote Foundation. The holiday light show and Dickens Village will be part of this programming, with live daily organ concerts during the light show season being restored by TF Cornerstone and Friends of the Wanamaker Organ.
Joe Brandt, a digital content producer for News Philadelphia, who has been working there since 2022, will be covering the special announcement, which can be watched in the player above or anywhere else News Philadelphia is streaming. The heads of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, Opera Philadelphia, and Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, as well as Councilmember Mark Squilla, will attend the event.
In the longer term, the Philadelphia Visitor Center aims to raise funds to sustain and preserve the attractions, acknowledging the significant investment Macy’s had previously made to bring these events to life. The centre, along with the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, is also collecting donations to install, operate, and staff the light show and Dickens Village for the 2025 holiday season.
TF Cornerstone, a New York-based developer, also plans to build 600 loft-style apartments above the retail space in the Wanamaker Building, further securing the building's future.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development in Philadelphia's holiday traditions.
- In the future, the Philadelphia Visitor Center, along with the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, will seek to raise funds for the maintenance and preservation of the Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village, acknowledging the earlier significant investment made by Macy's in bringing these attractions to life.
- The Wanamaker Building, a National Historic Landmark, will see the addition of 600 loft-style apartments above the retail space, as planned by New York-based developer TF Cornerstone, further securing the building's future.
- The return of the Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village in 2025 will be accompanied by live daily organ concerts during the light show season, a part of the pop-up performing arts space transformation in the Wanamaker Building, which is being financially supported by the Wyncote Foundation and managed by TF Cornerstone and the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ.
