April 29, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
WXPN's Philly 250 countdown from July 3-5 will feature the top songs from, by or about the city as the station celebrates the nation's 250th anniversary.
As Philly celebrates the nation's 250th anniversary in July, WXPN will be naming the top 250 songs that have connections to the city where American democracy was born.
The radio station announced several upcoming programs that will be themed around the history of music in the city, and the Philly 250 countdown will air from July 3-5. All of the songs that make the cut will be from, by or about the city.
There are plenty of obvious choices, from Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" to Hall & Oates' "Fall in Philadelphia" and Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom," but WXPN will have ample room over the holiday weekend to also branch out into lesser-known songs and artists.
In the run-up to the countdown, the station plans to feature 40 essential moments in local music history. The daily features, starting May 4, will include David Bowie's recording of "Young Americans" at Sigma Sound Studios, the inaugural Roots Picnic in 2008 and Pearl Jam's closing of the Spectrum in 2009.
WXPN also will launch a new program, Philly Anthems, that pairs established artists with rising musicians in the city to create new songs. Participating artists include Christian McBride, Eric Bazilian, Devon Gilfillian, Eliza Hardy Jones and Lady Alma.
As part of Philly Anthems, the station is a holding a 24 Hour Song Challenge that invites people to write and record an original song in 24 hours. The theme will be guided by a prompt the station releases on June 6. The grand prize winner will get $5,000, a performance slot at this year's XPoNential Music Festival and Philly Music Fest, 10 hours at MilkBoy recording studio and a $500 gift card to Russo Music. The winning song also will be included on the WXPN's "Philly Anthems" album.
Other plans this summer include a Juneteenth partnership with the Museum of the American Revolution, ArtPhilly and Black Music City. Artists Zeek Burse and Laurin Talese are recording original compositions inspired by U.S. history. Their work, "Sound of History," will premiere June 19 during the city's inaugural What Now: 2026 festival.
WXPN's "World Cafe Sense of Place" series, which chronicles local music scenes and artists, also will premiere a two-week special that delves into a variety of Philly-themed topics. Episodes will cover music of the American Revolution, Philadelphia's tradition of DIY music and the Mummers String Band. The series will be featured on NPR Music from June 22 through July 3.
