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What Parkway-area businesses need to know about the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia

Employees, customers and delivery trucks will able to get to "local access only" zones, and there's a hotline for businesses to call with any problems.

Preparation and construction for the NFL Draft is ramping up on the Ben Franklin Parkway, and workers and setting up a stage at the Art Museum.
Preparation and construction for the NFL Draft is ramping up on the Ben Franklin Parkway, and workers and setting up a stage at the Art Museum.Read moreED HILLE / Staff Photographer
    by Emily Babay
    Published 

The city is encouraging businesses located near the Ben Franklin Parkway to stay open during the upcoming NFL draft.

While establishments in the area complained when Pope Francis' September 2015 visit to Philadelphia shut down Center City and didn't bring in as much business as expected, the city says the April 27-29 event will be different. But shops, restaurants and other businesses near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where an outdoor stage is being constructed for the draft, and the Parkway, where a three-day fan festival will be held, should brace for some inconveniences.

Here's what businesses in the neighborhood need to know:

  1. Numerous road closures will be in place.

  2. Employees, customers and delivery trucks will be able to access properties and lots located in "local access only" areas. People may be asked for identification, but it will not be required for entry.

  3. Trash pick-up and other city services in the Art Museum area will not be affected.

  4. Businesses with questions or concerns should call the Department of Commerce's Business Services Hotline at 215-683-2100 or email business@phila.gov. The hotline will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on April 28 and 29, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 30.

  5. Vending inside the Draft Experience perimeter is prohibited. Only licensed Center City vendors may operate in the Center City special vending district.

  6. Businesses are encouraged to use the hashtag #DraftDeals to share any specials related to the event on social media.

>> Click here for more coverage of the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia