Wanamaker Organ and the holiday crowd jokes

The Wanamaker Organ, housed in the Wanamaker Building (now Macy’s Center City), is among the largest fully functioning pipe organs in the world and is a longstanding Philadelphia attraction. The store’s annual Wanamaker Grand Court Organ concert series and its Holiday Light Show draw large crowds during the winter shopping season. Locals commonly make light-hearted jokes about tourists and shoppers treating the organ concerts and light show as a holiday rite of passage alongside holiday shopping. The performances and seasonal programming are a documented part of the building’s cultural presence.