Located across from the Philadelphia City Hall and near Logan Square, LOVE Park was originally built in the 1960s. The LOVE statue, designed by Robert Indiana, was first erected in 1976 for the U.S. Bicentennial. It was taken down in 1978; however, public outcry over its removal prompted a wealthy Philadelphian to buy the statue and return it to the park. When the plaza underwent a major renovation in the late 2010s, the statue was renovated and moved to its current location.
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Today, the LOVE Park plaza includes a large splash fountain and places for rotating food trucks, operating midweek to weekends, especially around lunch hours.
LOVE Park hosts a slate of recurring events throughout the year. They include the Kimchi Festival celebrating Korean culture, the Make Love Market on Valentine’s Day, and free Friday salsa lessons during the summer. Philadelphia’s Christmas Village, a German-style holiday market at LOVE Park, features more than 100 vendors offering crafts, gifts, and seasonal foods, such as raclette and schnitzel.
It’s also no surprise that LOVE Park is a venue for ceremonies, including weddings at the base of the LOVE statue on Wednesdays from March through November. The venue is available for 20-minute ceremonies for a fee of $250.