Portals director Joseph Callahan waved to Dublin, Ireland, Friday as the livestreaming device in Philadelphia’s LOVE Park went back online.
What to Know
- The Philadelphia Portal is remaining in Philadelphia at one of three yet-to-disclosed locations, officials say.
- The livestreaming device was offline and wrapped up in LOVE Park after recent vandalism.
- Philadelphia Portal officials then celebrating it going back online in LOVE Park on Friday, March 28, 2025, by connecting again with Dublin, Ireland.
The Portal that connects Philadelphia to other cities around the world is back online in LOVE Park ahead of its move to a new location in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Portal has been repaired after recent vandalism and after a brief delay on Friday, March 28, 2025, went back online around 8:30 a.m.
"Hello Dublin," Portals principle and Bean Foundation director Joseph Callahan said as he waved to people on the other side at the Irish capital.
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Folks in Dublin jumped up and down and waved back.
Callahan then invited people to join him in saying hello to the people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
"Yo, we did it," someone in the Philly crowd could be heard saying.
On behalf of the Portals Foundation, Callahan thanked everyone for the "love" it took to get the Philly livestreaming device back online.
LOVE Park won't be the home for the Portal for long
It won't stay long in LOVE Park, but will will remain in town, the people behind the Portal said.
"The Philadelphia Portal will remain in Philadelphia for the next two years, at a minimum," Callahan said at a morning news conference on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
The Portals people have identified three new locations -- all "very close to the Center City environment of Philadelphia," Callahan said.
Callahan reiterated the dedication to keeping the Portal in the city on Friday.
On Wednesday, he didn't reveal any specifics on the new locations or rank which one is most likely to host the Portal moving forward. He said indoor locations with public access are being considered for the next year.
On Friday, Callahan again said that three locations are being considered.
"The portal will always be publicly accessible" in a place with access, regular foot traffic and "the capacity to have a celebration" in front of it, Callahan said, while noting the device attracts around 5,000 to 7,000 people daily.
We don't yet know where the Portal will be placed moving forward into 2026.
He said that the new location also won't be the Portal's last stop in Philly.
"We are anticipating that we will move the Portal closer to Independence Hall" in time for Semiquincentennial celebrations in the summer of 2026.
"As we prepare for our country's 250th birthday there is now better stage for us to exemplify what Philadelphia is made of," Callahan said.
He also said the possibility of multiple Portals in Philadelphia are possible in the summer of 2026.
"I encourage everyone to love the Portal, respect the Portal, share the Portal and join us on this quest as we have a meaningful impact connecting the world as one without borders, without labels and without prejudice," Callahan said.
How did we get here?
The Philly Portal launched in October 2024 amid fanfare after being moved here from New York City. To start, it connected with other livestreaming devices in Dublin, Ireland; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland. Those cities remain online at this time.
However, the device hit speed bumps soon after as its screen was cracked at some point and it had to be moved within LOVE Park to make room for the annual Christmas Village market.
Then, it went offline at some point in February 2025 so that crews could perform "routine maintenance and upgrades," Callahan said. The plan was for it to reopen in early March.
However, the device remained offline as Philadelphia police revealed in early March that vandals had stolen copper wiring from the Portal back on Feb. 1.
On Tuesday, March 25, the Portal was wrapped up and offline.
Callahan said "things happen," but that the Philly Portal "has received 99.99 percent of love," calling the handful of bad things to happen to it "a small negative ion in the universe."
He said there is regular security around the Portal.
He said that the "window between cities" has a natural defense mechanism of others being able to see any ill doers.
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