PHILADELPHIA — Congress will hold an offsite gathering in Philadelphia on July 2, 2026, to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle is organizing the congressional gathering.
The event will proceed as a ceremonial gathering and will not require an official legislative act. Boyle represents a congressional district that includes Philadelphia. He first proposed a special joint congressional session at Independence Hall in June 2024, but that legislative resolution did not advance.
Independence Hall lacks the capacity to accommodate all 535 voting members of Congress. A reduced delegation of lawmakers will attend the Philadelphia event. The event is organized under the America250 commemoration.
Congress previously convened at Independence Hall in 1987 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. This 1987 gathering marked the first time Congress had met outside Washington since 1800. Congress also held a commemorative offsite session in New York City in September 2002.
The Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776, to approve a resolution declaring independence from Great Britain. Delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia submitted the independence resolution to the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress finalized the draft of the Declaration of Independence and sent it to a printer on July 4, 1776. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred outside Independence Hall on July 8, 1776.
Boyle said, "Exactly two years ago I launched this effort to bring Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, back to the place where it all began 250 years ago: Independence Hall." He said, "I am very proud and excited this special event is happening. It will be a unifying moment for the Congress and our country, at a time when we need it most."
No independent assessment was available for this report.