Philadelphia Prepares for May Day Rally with Street Closures and Bus Detours

Philadelphia is implementing street closures and parking restrictions ahead of a planned May Day rally on Friday. The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO is organizing a "Workers Over Billionaires" rally from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Hall, followed by a march.

Demonstrators are advocating for increased taxes on billionaires to fund public goods and services, including food assistance.

Street Closures

Starting at 3 p.m., the following streets will be closed:

• John F. Kennedy Boulevard between Juniper Street and 15th Street
• North Broad Street between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Arch Street
• Juniper Street between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Market Street

Cars parked on these streets must be moved or will be relocated. Vehicle owners who believe their car was towed should contact the 9th Police District, where it was parked.

SEPTA Bus Detours

From 2:30 p.m. to approximately 8 p.m., several SEPTA bus routes will be detoured around the protest area:

4, 16, 17, 27, 32, 33, 38, 48, 62, 124, 125

Rally Background

The rally also promotes "unions for all" and advocates for working people's vision for Philadelphia.

May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, where a protest for an eight-hour workday turned into a violent clash between demonstrators and police.

Last year, Senator Bernie Sanders spoke at a similar rally in Philadelphia, which drew thousands of attendees and resulted in street closures.