Philadelphia Freedom Band

18/06/2026

📣 BAND AIDES NEEDED to join us for the Wawa Welcome America Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade on July 3rd!

Sign up to march in the parade and support the band by distributing water, carrying the banner, or holding a flag. Tell your coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors and you can all come out and join us!

👉 Interested? RSVP by emailing [email protected] BY JUNE 21. Signed waiver required by organizers.

DETAILS:
⌚ Call time: 9:45 AM for musicians and 10:45 AM for band aides
📌 Location: Meet near 4th & Market Street in Old City, Philadelphia
🗺️ Route: Parade is 2.5 miles – runs from Independence Hall, around Logan Square, and back down to end on south side of City Hall
👕 Outfit: Black PFB t-shirt will be provided (wear your own if you have one) + whatever you want on bottom + comfortable walking shoes

🥁 We also welcome additional Marching Band musicians and Color Guard performers. Learn more on our Member Info page (link in bio)

🇺🇸 Not able to to march with us? Come out and cheer on the parade in person OR watch live on C-SPAN, NBC 10 Philadelphia, or YouTube!

01/06/2026

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Join us for Pride Month! PFB will be celebrating with a series of public performances, bringing music, LGBTQIA+ visibility, and joy to communities across Philly throughout June and beyond! 🎉

👉 Check out our Events page (link in bio) for full details on every event! (Almost all are free and open to all, which the exception of Please Touch Museum & Phillies game, which require admission tickets for entry.)

SUMMER SCHEDULE:

🏛️ Friday, June 5: Philly Pride Promenade & L.U.V. Awards at

🎉 Saturday, June 6: End-of-day parade for Pride at

🌈 Sunday, June 7: Philadelphia Pride 2026 March from Gayborhood to Pride Festival on Ben Franklin Parkway with – tabling 12 - 7 PM

📚 Thursday, June 11: Pride at — performance outside Parkway Central branch

♿ Saturday, June 13: Disability Pride Philadelphia with – march from City Hall to Ben Franklin Parkway

⚾ Thursday, June 18: Pride Night Pre-Game Performance

🪧 Saturday, Jun 20: Firstival: First Annual Reminder Demonstration at Philly Pride Visitor Center

ℹ️ Tuesday, June 30: Tabling @ pre-concert celebration before annual Pride Concert featuring &

🥁 Tuesday, June 30: Open Streets: Midtown Village

🇺🇸 Friday, July 3: Philadelphia Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade 2026

📜 Sunday, July 5: Declaration Days at

🖤🤎🩵🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙
Stay tuned for more events later in the summer, plus announcement of resumption of Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble rehearsals this fall!

28/05/2026

🎉 Thank you to everyone who joined us for Band Things Happen in Philadelphia, the 2026 Pride Bands Alliance conference!

We had a incredible time welcoming 300 of our Pride Bands family from around the world to Philly, connecting and making new friends, playing music together, and sharing that music, joy, and pride through our performances!

Thank you to:
❤️ our PFB band members and volunteers who made this conference happen! This was a massive undertaking – the culmination of 3+ years of planning – which we couldn't have done without many many hands and minds from early planning to ex*****on.
🧡 our amazing team of artistic directors, guest conductors, and drum majors for your leadership!
💛 all of our performers and color guard for your musicianship and dedication!
💚 composers Dr. Melissa Dunphy and Michael J. Evans for entrusting us with the world premieres of their pieces!
💙 and our partners at Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation Philly Pride 365 Ensemble Arts Philly Visit Philly Please Touch Museum and DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City who worked with us and provided us with spaces to meet and perform.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Seattle for next year's conference with Rainbow City Performing Arts – and in the meantime, you can find PFB all around Philly for Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

27/05/2026

13/05/2026

NEXT WEEK: Join us for Band Things Happen in Philadelphia! 🔔🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

PFB is gearing up to host 375+ of our friends from across the country for the annual conference celebrating music, pride, and community! The 5-day extravaganza will feature 3 public performances around Philly:
🥁 Fri. 5/22 Pep Band & Color Guard – Performance in the Gayborhood at Philly’s new Pride Visitor Center with &
🎷 Sat. 5/23 Pep Band & Color Guard – Performance at the Firstival celebrating the 1876 World’s Fair at
🎶 Sun. 5/24 Concert Bands Performance – “Say You Want a Revolution: Music of Change & Transformation” at the beautiful Marian Anderson Hall at Kimmel Center – get your tickets today!

👉 Tickets & details at 2026.pridebands.org (link in bio)!

Help us make Band Things Happen:
📢 DEADLINE EXTENDED: There’s still a chance to promote your business/organization with an ad in our conference attendee guide and/or concert program! Submit request by end of day FRIDAY 5/17; files needed by end of day SATURDAY 5/16 (guide) or MONDAY 5/18 (program) – details at link in bio or at 2026.pridebands.org
💝 Support us by sponsoring a song for $100 – contact [email protected] by end of day SUNDAY 5/17.
🙋 Volunteer with us during the conference! Please reach out to [email protected]; sign-up form coming soon (gets you FREE access to the 5/24 concert!)

23/04/2026

🎶 Join the Philadelphia Freedom Band and for “Say You Want a Revolution: Music of Change and Transformation” on Sunday, May 24! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Held at ‘s iconic Marian Anderson Hall, this powerful performance will feature 2 concert bands each with 150+ musicians from across the country! Tickets are available now at the link in bio 🎟️

Our music will celebrate historical moments in America and Philadelphia (including the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence!), pay homage to the LGBTQ+ community, and champion hope for the future.

Say You Want a Revolution will also feature the debut of 2 newly commissioned pieces composed by Michael J. Evans and local Philadelphia composer Melissa Dunphy!

The ensembles will be conducted by PFB Artistic Director Hayley Varhol, Assistant Artistic Director Ryan Lowrie, and a range of guest conductors from other Pride Bands member ensembles!

📅 Sunday, May 24 at 7 pm
📍 Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center (300 S Broad St, Philadelphia)
👉 Info & tickets at qrco.de/revolutionPFB (link in bio)

03/04/2026

PFB’s marching band and color guard are gearing up for our 2026 season!

For details, head to the Events page at philaband.org (qrco.de/PFBevents) to see our full calendar. Highlights from our upcoming events include:
[PARTICIPATION CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN] 🐰 Sun. 4/5 Easter Promenade
🏳️‍🌈 Sat. 5/16 New Hope Pride Parade
🔔 Thu 5/21 - Mon 5/25 2026 Conference – “Band Things Happen in Philadelphia” (details at 2026.pridebands.org)
🎷 Fri. 5/22 Pride Bands Alliance Conference Pep Band Rehearsal in the Gayborhood
🎺 Sat. 5/23 Pride Bands Alliance Conference Pep Band at Firstival: World’s Fair

🥁 Interested in joining us?
1) Check out the Member Info page at philaband.org for more info
2) Fill out the Join Us form on our site to get email updates
3) Join the Band app/website for announcements (link on Member Info page)
4) Show up to upcoming Monday night rehearsals at 2111 Sansom St. starting on 4/13, our next weekend Bamp Camp on Saturday 4/18, and/or PFB’s Color Guard also has a standalone practice on Sunday 4/12

❓ Want to learn more? Stop by our table at the Activities Fair on 4/12 and talk to us!

26/03/2026

In cartoons, anything can happen. And that goes for music too! 🎼

🥕 For many people, their first introduction to opera was Looney Tunes’ “What’s Opera, Doc?” And while we were exposed to opera, we also saw Bugs Bunny dressed in drag as a Valkyrie, a Norse mythological figure.

If you haven’t seen it or need a reminder, take a moment to watch the cartoon short 🐰 https://youtu.be/TJI_gygXsfs?si=1dhHkW7BpZeUzdVm

And come on out to hear more cartoon theme music at PFB’s spring concert, The Land of Make Believe – a family-friendly double-header performance of our jazz ensemble and concert bands! 🌈

🗓️Saturday, March 28th, 4 PM
📍Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral (19 S 38th St)
🎫 Tickets: qrco.de/make-believe