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Everything you need to know about Wawa Welcome America July Fourth concert and fireworks

Head to the Parkway for a night of music and fireworks as Grammy winners Ne-Yo and Kesha light up the stage, followed by a breathtaking fireworks display in front of the iconic Art Museum steps.

People raise their phone lights as they watch Demi Lovato’s performance at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
People raise their phone lights as they watch Demi Lovato’s performance at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.Read moreAllie Ippolito / Staff Photographer

Philadelphia’s favorite free concert on the Parkway is back July Fourth with an R&B and electropop dance party.

On July Fourth, headliners Ne-Yo and Kesha take center stage in front of the Art Museum steps, capped by an awe-inspiring fireworks display as the grand finale of this year’s Wawa Welcome America festival. The weeks-long Independence Day celebration attracts Philadelphians to cultural celebrations and community events, culminating with a showstopping performance on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

The festival began 30 years ago when nonprofit Welcome America Inc. created what would become Philly’s major Independence Day celebration, to coincide with the grand opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 1993. The fuel company Sunoco was the title sponsor until 2010, when Wawa took over sponsorship.

Here’s everything you need to about the 2024 Wawa Welcome America concert and fireworks show.

Schedule & entry

Guests must enter through a secure checkpoint at 20th Street and Logan Circle, where security may search you and your bags. Gates open at 4 p.m.

The concert will start around 7 p.m., followed by the fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Who is performing at the Wawa Welcome America concert?

The headliners are Ne-Yo and Kesha.

Fireworks show

Directly following the concert, a fireworks show will begin around 9:30 p.m. Fireworks will be viewable throughout the Parkway and in neighboring areas. Here’s a full list of local fireworks shows happening around the Philly region, in addition to the Wawa Welcome America fireworks show.

» READ MORE: Where to watch July 4 fireworks in Philly, the suburbs, and at the Jersey Shore

How to watch from home

Watch the concert and fireworks show live from home, on NBC10 from 6 to 10 p.m. Online platforms Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Fire TV, Pluto, and Xumo Play will stream the concert as well. Telemundo 62 will be broadcasting the concert in Spanish, with online streams available through Telemundo Noreste on Roku and Samsung TV Plus.

Visit nbcphiladelphia.com or telemundo62.com for live viewing options.

Fourth of July celebrations happening elsewhere in the area

  1. Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic with Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Mavis Staples: 💵 starting at $60, 🕒 2:30 p.m., 📍1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J. 08103

  2. Fourth of July Freedom Festival at Pleasant Hill Park: 💵 Free, 🕒 5 to 9 p.m., 📍5219 Linden Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19114

Road closures

The following streets will be closed from approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, to 2 a.m. on Friday, July 5, unless otherwise noted:

  1. 1900 Race Street

  2. 1800-1900 Vine Street

  3. I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street

  4. I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street

  5. I-76 eastbound off-ramp at Spring Garden Street

  6. Spring Garden Tunnel

  7. Park Towne Place between 22nd Street and 24th Street

  8. 20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue

  9. 19th Street between Callowhill Street and Cherry Street

The following streets will be closed from approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, to 4 a.m. on Friday, July 5, unless otherwise noted:

  1. Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 18th Street to Eakins Oval (all lanes)

  2. Eakins Oval (all lanes)

  3. Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue (Kelly Drive inbound closed at Fountain Green Drive beginning at approximately 5 p.m.)

  4. Rear of Art Museum – Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive

  5. 2000-2100 Winter Street

  6. MLK Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval

  7. Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street

  8. 23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval

The following streets will be closed from approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, to 8 a.m. on Friday, July 5, unless otherwise noted:

  1. 22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue

  2. 21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue

The following streets will be closed from 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, to approximately 1 p.m. on Friday, July 5:

  1. All roads from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street, 18th Street to 22nd Street (local access maintained for residents)

  2. All roads from Arch Street to Fairmount Avenue, 22nd Street to Corinthian Street (local access maintained for residents)

  3. 16th and 17th Streets, between Arch Street and Spring Garden Street will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety

  4. 1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety

The following streets will be closed from 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, to approximately 1 a.m. on Friday, July 5, unless noted otherwise:

  1. Kelly Drive from Fairmount Avenue to Fountain Green Drive

  2. Lemon Hill Drive

  3. Sedgley Drive

  4. Waterworks Drive

  5. Poplar Drive

Parking

All streets listed above will have “Temporary No Parking” signs posted during the concert and firework road closures. If a car is left in a temporary no parking zone, then the police will “courtesy tow” the vehicle to another location. Here’s how to locate your car if it’s been “courtesy towed” by the city.

Public transportation

SEPTA

On Thursday, July 4, SEPTA Metro, Buses, and Regional Rail will operate on a Sunday schedule, with extra service running during the concert and fireworks show.

Extra trips will be added to the Market-Frankford Line (now known as “L”) and Broad Street Line (now known as “B”), including Broad Street Line express trains leaving Fern Rock Transportation Center every 10 minutes from 6:10 to 7 p.m. on July 4.

Additional information can be found on SEPTA’s Wawa Welcome America blog post. View alerts, advisories, and detours at septa.org/alerts, on the SEPTA mobile app, on social media at @SEPTA, or by calling 215-580-7800.

PATCO

On Thursday, July 4, PATCO will be operating on a holiday schedule with six-car trains all day leaving every 20 minutes during the day. Friday, July 5, will also operate a special schedule with six-car trains all day, leaving every 10-15 minutes during the day. Check out PATCO’s schedules at ridepatco.org.