A Successful Summer with CCD SIPS 2024

Center City District SIPS 2024 wrapped up its 20th summer season this year with more than 90 participating bars and restaurants. Decades ago, it sought to entice office workers to stay downtown a little longer at a time when Center City was less active than it is today. It has grown to become a summer staple in the city, fulfilling its original goal but also serving as an appealing option for the booming population of professionals who also live in and around Center City.

Impact on Center City

Data from Placer.ai, which uses anonymized cell phone data to quantify foot traffic, allows us to gauge the scale of SIPS’ impact on pedestrian activity. All 13 SIPS Wednesdays saw a marked increase in the volume of visitors compared to the average summer weekday. SIPS days experienced surges in both non-resident workers and visitors during not only the 5-7 p.m. timeframe but also over the course of the entire day.

Visitor volume on SIPS days from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ranged from 8%-26% higher than non-SIPS weekdays across core Center City (the area bounded by Pine Street, Vine Street, and the two rivers). The volume of non-resident workers also surged, growing 6%-12% on SIPS days in the 5-7 p.m. timeframe.

The impact was not limited to happy hour; SIPS days produced a significant spike in the volume of non-resident workers and visitors over the course of the entire day. Compared to the average summer weekday, SIPS Wednesdays show an average increase of just over 11,000 non-resident workers and 17,000 visitors. In other words, the daytime population of core Center City grew by an average of 28,000 people on Wednesdays.

The peak was July 3, which was both a SIPS Wednesday and the evening before a holiday weekend. The non-resident worker population that day exceeded that week’s Monday and Tuesday averages by more than 19,000 people, and the visitor population spiked by more than 34,000 people, bringing a combined 53,881 additional pedestrians into Center City.

Impact on the West Market Office District

While SIPS takes place across dozens of bars stretching from Spruce to Race streets and 6th to 21st, its impact on the West Market Office District is especially significant. This area has lagged the rest of Center City in foot traffic recovery, and so the findings from Placer.ai are particularly encouraging.

Excluding holidays, the non-resident worker population in the office district expanded from 12% to 23% compared to non-SIPS weekdays during the 5-7 p.m. timeframe. The visitor population in the office district jumped by as much as 44% during SIPS hours.

Most importantly, the all-day population in the office district experienced big increases on SIPS days. Excluding the week of Juneteenth, there were an average 5,491 additional non-resident workers in the office district on SIPS days compared to typical days. Adding in the all-day increase in visitors on SIPS Wednesdays, the West Market office district’s population grew by an average 11,918 people. For context, Comcast’s Center City campus employs approximately 9,000-10,000 people.

Another Round!

It’s safe to say that SIPS helped to create sharp upticks in pedestrian traffic this summer, both within the office district and across the broader Center City area. While more eyes on the street and more feet strolling the sidewalks are exciting outcomes on their own, we also know that SIPS drives more dollars to bars and restaurants, brings more riders to SEPTA, and creates a more festive and livelier atmosphere across multiple downtown locations.

We look forward to raising our glasses at SIPS next year when the program will turn 21. In the meantime, check out our SIPS 2024 Summary page on the Data Dashboard to learn more!