Shaped by History & Anchored in Nature
As Fort DuPont honors the past and shapes the future, we invite you to join our community. This newsletter shares events and updates that connect Delaware City and celebrate our area’s rich history and natural beauty.
A Year of Progress and Preservation at Fort DuPont
As 2025 comes to a close, Fort DuPont is reflecting on a year defined by progress, preservation and partnership. From visible improvements across campus to behind-the-scenes restoration work, the year brought meaningful momentum to the fort.
Highlights include new banners installed along Old Elm Avenue, continued growth of the Friends of Fort DuPont campaign, and strong volunteer support for local food access initiatives, including the Food Bank of Delaware Backpack Program. These efforts reflect the shared commitment of residents, partners and volunteers who continue to invest in the future of Fort DuPont.
Follow along on our social channels for additional 2025 photo highlights celebrating the people and moments behind the year.
Home at the Fort: Holiday Giving Campaign
The Friends of Fort DuPont invite the community to support Home at the Fort, a campaign that helps keep Fort DuPont open, active and welcoming.
The Friends of Fort DuPont is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation to support redevelopment through community building, preservation efforts and public programming. The Friends’ mission is to engage in community revitalization, preserve Fort DuPont’s resources, and support economic development through arts and cultural enrichment.
Your gift supports events on the Parade Ground and funds restoration work, care for open spaces and programs that make Fort DuPont feel like home.
Donations also support:
- Accessible arts, cultural and nature programs
- Restoration and preservation of historic buildings
- Care for open spaces, trails and gathering areas
Every gift, large or small, helps safeguard Fort DuPont’s past while building its future.
How to give:
Text FORTDUPONT to 5355, or donate online.
About Friends of Fort DuPont:
The Friends of Fort DuPont is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Fort DuPont’s beauty and history while building a vibrant, community-driven future. We support revitalization through arts, culture, and shared events that connect neighbors and celebrate Delaware City.
Community Shines Across Delaware City this Season
What makes Fort DuPont and Delaware City feel like home is not just the place. It is the people.
Throughout 2025, residents, local leaders, public employees and nonprofit and private-sector partners strengthened the Fort DuPont effort through collaboration, responsiveness and shared pride in the community. That spirit showed up in tangible ways this year. Nearly 500 individuals and families attended 10 public events on campus, made possible through partnerships with Delaware Shakespeare, Urban Sketchers, Delaware Friends of Folk, Tri-State Bird Rescue, Fort DuPont State Park and living-history organizations.
The FDRPC also stayed engaged beyond the campus by participating in Delaware City traditions such as Juneteenth, National Night Out and Delaware City Day, and by volunteering alongside local partners, including the Delaware City Library, Rotary Club, the Food Closet of Delaware City and the Food Bank of Delaware.
As one resident described it, the daily “joyful noise” of progress is reconnecting neighbors across the canal.
Delaware City Events
Delaware City Christmas Parade
Saturday, Dec. 20 | 7 p.m.
Lineup begins at 6:15 p.m.
Celebrate the season as Delaware City lights up the night with its annual holiday parade.
- Holiday Lights at the Fort
Festive displays are returning throughout the Fort DuPont campus. Take an evening stroll, enjoy the decorations and snap a photo or two.
Community Happenings
