Punxsutawney Phil

During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about 2 miles (3 km) southeast of the town.

[3] The event is based upon a communal light-hearted suspension of disbelief which extends to the assertion that the same groundhog has been making predictions since the 19th century.

The event is organized by the "Inner Circle" – recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos – who ostensibly communicate with Phil to receive his prediction.

At daybreak on February 2, Punxsutawney Phil awakens from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob, is helped to the top of the stump by his handlers, and purportedly explains to the president of the Inner Circle, in a language known as "Groundhogese",[3] whether he has seen his shadow.

The president of the Inner Circle, the only person able to understand Groundhogese through his possession of an ancient acacia wood cane, then interprets Phil's message, and directs the vice president to read the proper scroll to the crowd gathered on Gobbler's Knob and the masses of "phaithphil phollowers" tuned in to live broadcasts around the world.

The popularity of the film Groundhog Day brought significantly more attention to the event, with annual crowds rising to 10,000–20,000.

[12][13] Also given the recent increase in crowd sizes, three sitting governors of Pennsylvania have attended the festivities, all since 2000: Ed Rendell in 2003, Tom Corbett in 2012, and Josh Shapiro in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Such tongue-in-cheek actions have been made by a prosecutor in Ohio,[17][18][19] the sheriff's office of Monroe County, Pennsylvania,[20] and the Merrimack, New Hampshire Police Department.