Our New Year's resolutions for Philly in 2026
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Now that 2025 is behind us, Axios Philadelphia is coming out of the gate with a batch of resolutions for the new year.
Why it matters: Philly has an epic year planned, with big-time events tied to America's birthday and major sporting events. We want to make the most of 2026 and not miss a beat — just like our readers.
Here are our biggest goals for the year ahead:
🔎 We resolve to: Follow up on some of the cliffhangers from 2025, including Comcast's and the Sixers' plans for a new South Philly arena; watching whether Philly can get the property needed to expand the Rail Park; and looking at how Philly schools can recover from a massive budget gap.
❌ We resolve to: Not bring flares and smoke bombs to any World Cup matches at the Linc.
😌 We resolve to: Make peace with the fact that "Go Birds!" has become a trendy go-to for non-Philly types.
🗣️ We resolve to: Keep saying the "Philadelphia Museum of Art" just in case the museum's board backtracks on the unpopular rebrand after ousting its director.
😄 We resolve to: Expect Philly artist Rose Luardo — the mastermind behind "The Boobmuda Triangle," "Rave Coffin" and "Crab Couch" — to return with another gem for South Philly.
🙏 We resolve to: Keep our hopes up that the next season of the Delco crime drama "Task" comes out sooner than later.
🗳️ We resolve to: Track what's expected to be the region's top congressional race — the open seat for District 3, which stretches from parts of South Philly to Northwest Philly.
- Roughly a dozen Democrats are angling to take over the overwhelmingly Democratic district.
🦅 We resolve to: Stick with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts — no matter what.
🤷 We resolve to: Accept shenanigans will happen at Philadelphia's Portal.
🕵️ We resolve to: Keep tabs on whether Mayor Cherelle Parker is keeping her big promises as she enters the second half of her term, like adding more shelter beds, boosting affordable housing and ending Kensington's open-air drug markets.
👀 We resolve to: Enjoy some of the coolest museum installations to land here in 2026, including the Universal Theme Parks exhibit at Franklin Institute, new galleries at the National Constitution Center, the Ministry of Awe and a Rocky exhibition at PhAM.
⭐ We resolve to: Figure out a way to get a table at at least one Michelin Starred restaurant in Philly.
🌿 We resolve to: Not get our hopes up that the Pennsylvania Legislature will pass recreational cannabis legalization.