Lancaster Capital Day
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THIS SATURDAY: Join us in downtown Lancaster PA on Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2026 for a free, family-friendly cultural festival celebrating Lancaster's unique role in the founding of the United States of America
09/28/2026
They did such a great job!👏 Thank you, School District of Lancaster, for being a part of Lancaster Capital Day 2026!
09/27/2026
Happy Capital Day! 🌹🎉
Happy Capital Day Lancaster! 🎉
Lancaster City served as the capital of the United States on September 27, 1777, when the Continental Congress met in Lancaster's courthouse (located in what we today call Penn Square) during the Revolutionary War.
09/26/2026
The first Lancaster Capital Day 2026 in 1777 wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows either! We are sad to cancel the afternoon events, as a result of the storms, but we couldn’t be prouder of how you showed up and traveled through history with us this morning! Follow along for next year!
Hey Lancaster… it’s time. ⏰🇺🇸
Grab your people and get downtown for Lancaster Capital Day, a FREE festival celebrating the one day in 1777 when Lancaster was the capital of our nation.
Come downtown for:
✨ Historic tours + stories
🎶 Live music + performances
🎨 Hands-on activities + family fun
🛍️ Central Market, galleries and local shops staying open
🧠 Trivia + history
🇺🇸 The Capital Day parade
🍷 w**e & b**r garden
…and plenty of surprises along the way.
Make a day of it. Wander. Eat. Shop. Learn something new. Run into your neighbors. And celebrate the history hiding in plain sight all around us.
📍 Meet us at Penn Square
📅 Right about now! Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10 AM–5 PM
🎟️ FREE festival
Lancaster, let’s make history. ❤️🤍💙
PennsylvaniaHistory
We're optimistic about the forecast 🌥️ and can't wait to see you at Lancaster Capital Day tomorrow! 🇺🇸 Send this to your people and make a plan to come early and enjoy all of our amazing food & craft vendors! 🎉
Capital Day celebrates the one day in 1777 when Lancaster, Pennsylvania served as the capital of the United States. Downtown will come alive with historic tours, hands-on activities, live music, 🎶 incredible performances, a parade, trivia, famous signatures to collect, and so much more.
It’s the perfect day to enjoy the beautiful weather, explore downtown, and experience the history that makes Lancaster so special. Bring the family, gather your friends, and make a day of it!
📍 Downtown Lancaster
📅 Tomorrow — Saturday, September 26, 10-5
🎟️ Most events are free!
Don’t miss the day Lancaster gets to be the capital again. ❤️🤍💙
👉 Follow Lancaster Capital Day 2026 for the full schedule and event details.
09/24/2026
Looking to learn more about the history behind Lancaster Capital Day?
This new article from Smithsonian Magazine takes a closer look at Lancaster’s one-day role as the nation’s capital in 1777 and the much larger role Lancaster and its people played during the American Revolution.
Lancaster’s history wasn’t just something that happened here. It was something the people of Lancaster helped shape. You’ll read about farmers supplying provisions, craftsmen making ri**es, locals caring for wounded soldiers, and more.
Check it out:
During the American Revolution, the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as the United States' Capital for Just One Day The nascent nation's leaders fled to the inland city as the British advanced on Philadelphia in September 1777. They held one meeting at the local courthouse before moving on to York
09/24/2026
A little piece of Lancaster’s history is taking shape!✨
Local makers are building a small-scale replica of Lancaster’s first courthouse that will be part of the Kids Zone at Lancaster Capital Day 2026.
The original courthouse, built in the 1730s, stood in what is now Penn Square, on the site of today’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument. This replica is inspired by what we know about the building and the history that took place inside it, including the 1744 Lancaster Treaty and the Continental Congress’s one-day meeting in Lancaster on September 27, 1777, aka Capital Day!
We can’t wait for you to see the finished replica this Saturday🌹🎉
SEPT 26 | 10 AM–5 PM | Penn Square | Free for all
A John Hancock from John Hancock himself?!? 👀🇺🇸
It’s not easy to convey the magic of a festival that hasn’t happened yet, but the Lancaster Capital Day 2026 team has SO much fun in store for you this Saturday!
Autograph books to collect some famous signatures, fun historical activities for kids and families, a parade, trivia, live music, incredible performances, and a trip through Lancaster’s rich history that begins and ends in Penn Square. ✨
It’s history, but make it a festival. 😉
We have a feeling this is the start of a Lancaster tradition you’ll be looking forward to year after year.
📍 Penn Square + throughout Downtown Lancaster
📅 THIS SATURDAY
Come be in the room where it happened. 🇺🇸
09/23/2026
"We started [Capital Day] with a group of friends in 2009, where we just knew this fact about Lancaster, and thought that it was something that the town should celebrate more... we went to the mayors house and he declared it a holiday!"
- Matt Johnson
Thank you to Good Day PA on ABC27 for highlighting Lancaster Capital Day 2026!
And shout out to Barkley Cove for performing live! See you Saturday 🎉
Watch the full interview with Matt Johnson and Justina Latura here:
Lancaster Capital Day – Street Festival Celebrating Lancaster’s History & Culture Last week we introduced a new downtown street festival that’s coming to Lancaster this weekend! Lancaster Capital Day is a celebration of history, arts, and culture. The event will be full of…
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Penn Square
Lancaster, PA
17603
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