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Wall Street protesters in Los Angeles defied the mayor's early Monday deadline to vacate their encampment near City Hall, with about 1,000 flooding into the area as hundreds of tents remained standing as they have for nearly two months.

A celebratory atmosphere filled the night with protesters milling about the park and streets by City Hall in seeming good spirits. A group on bicycles circled the block, one of them in a cow suit. Organizers led chants with a bull horn.

"The best way to keep a non-violent movement non-violent is to throw a party, and keep it festive and atmospheric," said Brian Masterson.

Police presence was slight right after the 12:01 a.m. PT Monday deadline, but it began increasing as the morning wore on. At the same time, the number of protesters dwindled.

"People have been pretty cooperative tonight. We want to keep it peaceful," police Cmdr. Andrew Smith told The Associated Press.

He refused to discuss how or when police will move to clear the park, but he said: "We're going to do this as gently as we possibly can. Our goal is not to have anybody arrested. Our goal is not to have to use force."

Elsewhere, a deadline set by the city for Occupy Philadelphia to leave the site where it has camped for nearly two months passed Sunday without any arrests.

The scene outside Philadelphia's City Hall was quiet most of Sunday and by early Monday the numbers of protesters — and police officers — had decreased.

Philadelphia's protesters have managed to avoid aggressive confrontations so far. By early Monday there was still hope the City of Brotherly Love would continue to be largely violence-free.

In Philadelphia, about 50 protesters sat with their arms linked Sunday night as police ringed a city plaza.

Mayor Michael Nutter had set a deadline of 5 p.m. Sunday for the protesters to leave. On Friday, he gave them 48 hours to remove their tents so the city could begin a $50 million, 27-month park renovation that Nutter says will create 1,000 jobs.

The city issued a demonstration permit that would relocate the group across the street to Thomas Paine Plaza but limits the demonstrating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and bans camping.

Occupy Philadelphia protesters began demonstrating in Dilworth Plaza in early October. Nutter said the group has faced "growing public-health and public-safety issues" and knew months ago they would have to leave the space when construction began.

Occupy L.A. protesters had been practicing non-violent resistance in preparation for possible evictions.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa warned Friday that the city would no longer tolerate a "long-term encampment" because of concerns about public safety. A "free speech" area on the City Hall steps will be open during regular park hours, he said.

Throughout the holiday weekend, the city distributed bilingual eviction notices to the demonstrators. The mayor said social workers have set up 50 shelter beds for Occupy LA protesters who are homeless.

Villaraigosa urged the demonstrators to direct their efforts at "spreading the message of economic equality" rather than "to defend a particular patch of earth."

"In seven short weeks, you have awakened the country's conscience," Villaraigosa wrote in an open letter to the protesters. "You have given voice to those who have not been heard."

The group, in a letter to the mayor, rejected his request to move.

"We will continue to occupy this space, in solidarity with our global movement, until the forces of the few are forced to capitulate to the power of the people," the protesters wrote.

Contributing: The Associated Press