While most Americans saw coverage of the Democratic National Convention between July 25-28, 2016, on television, we hosted the historic event right here in Philly!

Behind the scenes, City workers ensured both that the convention operated safely and that Philly remained open so residents could live, work, and play as we normally do.

Here’s a by-the-numbers look at what Philadelphia experienced during the Democratic National Convention.

Workers in various agency uniforms place cases of water onto a forklift.
The Philadelphia Water Department, Office of Emergency Management, Salvation Army, and others ensured that visitors, demonstrators, and first responders had access to fresh water.
  • 140 Hours of EOC Operation: The Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center served as the control center for convention logistics and security. This six-day period is the longest in the city’s history.
  • 143,424 Bottles of Water Distributed: An inter-agency water mission ensured demonstrators, the public, police, and City workers had access to fresh water. Volunteer to be a part of the distribution team for future events!
  • 137,268 Twitter Followers: The City’s official Twitter account served as the primary lead for public information on convention logistics, updating over 137,000 people instantly about traffic and transit changes, weather alerts, demonstration locations, and other critical information as it developed in real time.
  • 20,002 Emergency Alert Subscribers: The number of subscribers to ReadyPhiladelphia, the City’s free text-based public safety alert system. Immediately before and during the convention, over 1,200 new subscribers opted into the system and received vital safety updates on weather, SEPTA, and more.
  • 2 Safety Evacuations: OEM, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Fire Department coordinated two evacuations of FDR Park, ensuring demonstrators and first responders were safe and sheltered during extreme weather.
  • 50,000 Visitors: Journalists, delegates, activists, and convention staff temporarily ballooned the city’s population.
  • 13,000 Demonstrators: Approximately 13,000 people expressed their First Amendment rights in around 60 different demonstrations that took place across the city.
  • 0 Arrests: The Philadelphia Police Department made no custodial arrests relating to the convention. Thanks to decriminalized laws surrounding nuisance crimes like disorderly conduct, the PPD only issued citations, or tickets, to 106 individuals. The Secret Service arrested eleven people for entering restricted areas.
  • 200+ Businesses Inspected for Pedestrians: L&I, in cooperation with the Streets Department, inspected over 200 businesses and construction sites to make sure sidewalks were clear. Inspectors were also onsite at the Wells Fargo Center to provide support and recommendations for venue operations.
  • City of 1.5 Million Residents Remained Open: During all of this, the City of Philadelphia remained open for business.

    Diverse group of people wave American flags.
    Philadelphians cheer during the Democratic National Convention Host Committee’s volunteer appreciation event.

A special thanks goes to the organizations and businesses that supported the City, and especially Philadelphia’s residents and neighborhoods for being welcoming, patient, and showing off our beautiful city!

We thank our public safety agencies for their courage and dedication in serving and protecting our residents and visitors, allowing everyday life in Philly to go on while still hosting a large-scale historic event requiring high levels of security.

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