Bloomsday isn't just a day honoring James Joyce's towering Ulysses, it's a way of life. And it's also the crown jewel of Philly's Rosenbach Library & Museum, where Joyce's is original manuscript — and much, much else — is kept. Though Bloomsday (celebrated on the day each year when Leopold Bloom did go on his mental journey) is very much about the day-long reading event, the Rosenbach now packs in a whole grip of events leading up to the big day that are worth checking out. For Bloomsday itself, though, the ceremonies go something like this:

Morning
9:30 am – 11:30 am
Begin your day of Ulysses at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central Library
(1901 Vine Street).

Lunchtime
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Bring your lunch and bask in the summer sun in the company of James Joyce as we take Bloomsday to the heart of Philadelphia in Rittenhouse Square.

Rittenhouse rain location: First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street).

Evening
3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Our odyssey ends much like Leopold Bloom’s, with an evening homecoming. Join us on the Rosenbach's picturesque street (2008 Delancey Place) for a lovely evening of readings and performance, culminating in one of the true highlights of the festival: actress Drucie McDaniel’s rendition of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy.

See their list of 2016 Bloomsday Readers here.