The official first day of summer is June 21st but I really don’t feel it’s truly summer til the 4th of July! It’s our nation’s birthday and everyone usually celebrates with cook outs, concerts and traditional fireworks displays. But, no one celebrates the 4th of July like Philadelphia!
This year’s “Wawa Welcome America” events promise to be just as amazing as the fireworks. The festival of events are affectionately called ‘4th of July in Philly’ and consists of fun family events, the ‘Philly 4th of July Jam’ and the ‘Taste of Philadelphia.’ One of our favorite family fun events are the ‘Go 4th & Learn’ event which features cool storytelling time and “Philly @ the Movies.” This year’s movie selections are “Silver Linings Playbook (on July 1st) and ‘Rocky’ (on July 2nd)…”Yo Adrian!” (I couldn’t resist…LOL).
“4th of July in Philly” is also famous for it’s Wawa Hoagie Day on July 2nd (from 12-2p) and the largest free concert in America, the “Philly 4th of July Jam.” The concert is always the most popular part of the festivities and is followed by a fireworks display that rivals the one on the National Mall in DC. This years’ concert lineup includes: John Mayer, J. Cole, Demi Lovato, Ne-Yo and Philly native Jill Scott. The concerts musical directors and Philly natives ‘The Roots’ will also perform. So we have Ne-Yo, Jill Scott and The Roots all live in concert on the same bill and it’s absolutely FREE!! Priceless! The concert will be followed by an amazing fireworks display over the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The concert starts promptly @ 7pm.
Food lovers will also enjoy the ‘Taste of Philadelphia’ July 5th-7th which features a concert performance by Marsha Ambrosius on Saturday July 6th.
What’s the best feature of all of the ‘Wawa Welcome America’ events? They are all FREE! There are several other fun free events that are also a part of the ‘4th of July’ in Philly. There’s no doubt that Philly is the place to be on the 4th of July. Since the events are free, you’ll want to get there early. For more information on all of the scheduled events, please visit www.WelcomeAmerica.com or www.VisitPhilly.com.
I’ll see you in Philly for the 4th!
Be Happy. Be Fabulous. Be Well Traveled.
By The Travelin Diva (Kirstin N. Fuller)