June 30, 2026
Provided Image/Wawa Welcome America
The city will close roads around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway leading up to its free concert on July Fourth.
Roads around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed this week as Philly prepares for its star-studded Fourth of July concert on Saturday.
Christina Aguilera and Jill Scott will headline One Philly: Unity Concert for America alongside other Philly artists including the Roots, Will Smith, Meek Mill and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The six-hour concert begins at 5 p.m., and doors open at 3 p.m.
Comedian Wanda Sykes will host the concert, with special appearances from Gillie Da King and Wallo267. The show, which will also feature performances from Seal, Kathy Sledge, State Property and Infinity Song, will culminate with a large fireworks display over the parkway at 11:30 p.m.
To prepare for the surge in visitors celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, the city has already started to limit cars in the area. Future road closures may be adjusted based on crowd size and public safety needs.
Additional restrictions will be enforced starting Wednesday for Wawa Welcome America events happening around the city.
The inner lanes of the parkway closed from 20th Street to Binswanger Triangle on Tuesday morning. The closure will remain in effect until approximately 6 a.m. Monday. Outer lanes will remain open until Friday morning.
Between approximately 6 a.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday, the following closures will be in effect:
• 1900 Race Street
• 1800-1900 Vine Street
• I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street
• I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street
• I-76 eastbound off-ramp at Spring Garden Street
• Spring Garden Tunnel
• Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th streets
• 20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
• 19th Street between Callowhill and Cherry streets
• All lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 18th Street to Eakins Oval
• All lanes of Eakins Oval
• Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue
• Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive
• 2000-2100 Winter Street
• MLK Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval
• Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street
• 23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval
• 22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
• 21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
All roads from Arch to Spring Garden streets and from 18th to 22nd streets will also be closed starting Friday morning, but local access will be maintained for residents. Kelly Drive inbound will be closed at Fountain Green Drive starting at around 5 p.m Friday.
If authorities determine it’s in the interest of public safety, 16th and 17th streets between Arch and Spring Garden streets and 1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway may also shut down.
Before the fireworks display begins, Kelly Drive will be closed from Fairmount Avenue to Fountain Green Drive, and Waterworks Drive will be closed in its entirety starting at 8 p.m. Saturday until around 1 a.m. Sunday.
SEPTA will enhance its Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, trolley routes and Regional Rail service to support the Independence Day events around the city on Saturday. The Media-Sharon Hill Line, Norristown High Speed Line and bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule during the holiday. Any routes without Sunday schedules will not operate.
The following bus routes that travel on or near the parkway will be detoured between 5 a.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Sunday:
• 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48 and 49.
Lat- night outbound SEPTA service will be offered for all Regional Rail lines except Airport and Cynwyd from Jefferson, Suburban and William H. Gray III 30th Street stations after the fireworks show. Ambassadors will be present at some major stations to help with directions and crowd control.
With an extreme heat watch in effect for the area, water misting stations will be installed at the intersection of 22nd Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the north and south sides and at the T-ball field at the Spring Garden St. intersection with Eakins Oval, officials said Tuesday.
Medical tents will be set up at the following four locations during Fourth of July festivities on the parkway:
• Spring Garden Street and Pennsylvania Avenue — Von Colln Field
• Southwest side of Eakins Oval
• 22nd Street and the Parkway
• 20th Street and the Parkway
Motorists should prepare for increased traffic due to the overlap between the concert, Wawa Welcome America, a World Cup match at Lincoln Financial Field and the ongoing FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill.
The Office of Emergency Management will send weather, traffic, safety and scheduling updates through its text alert system. Mobile users can text “AMERICA” to 888-777 to sign up.
Any changes to the event schedule will also be shared on the 2026 Digital Resource Hub online.
