Philadelphia, PA - Welcome America, the multi-day Independence Day celebration, will be headlined by music artist Pitbull for the first time.
Philadelphia’s July 4th live concert is merely one of 50 cost-free events scheduled for the 2018 Wawa Welcome America 7-day celebration, beginning Thursday, June 28 through Wednesday, July 4. Other performers will include Heather Headley and The Philly POPS BIG Band.
For the last 26 years, Welcome America, Inc. has produced the yearly Wawa Welcome America multi-day festival commemorating The country's historical past, education and the Philadelphia region. Further entertainment, festival information and information about dozens of free events for 2018 will be announced in late May.
Open to the general public, the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert and Fireworks take place Wednesday, July 4 at 7 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Pitbull: From Mr. 305 to Mr. Worldwide, Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, rose from the streets of Miami to exemplify the American Dream and achieve international success. Born to Cuban-American expatriates, Pitbull is from Miami lives by the motto “turn a negative into a positive,” and this mindset has instilled in him a tenacity that fuels his drive for success. Initially inspired to pursue his music dream by one of his high school teachers, Pitbull also understands the impact that education can make in one’s life.
The Philly POPS BIG Band: returns to the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert. They will be joined by Heather Headley—a Tony Award- and Grammy Award-winning R&B, gospel and Broadway singer—as well as R&B singers Tiffany Jones, Alita Moses and DeShana Wooden.
Headley: is the original Nala from The Lion King on Broadway, the Tony-winning star of Aida and the Laurence Olivier Award nominee for her star turn in The Bodyguard musical. She recently toured with Andrea Bocelli and performed locally last December at the Wells Fargo Center. Headley will also perform on Tuesday, July 3 at the POPS on Independence concert. Her July 3 and July 4 performances will preview a one-night-only show at The Kimmel Center on October 12: The Philly POPS presents Heather Headley’s Broadway My Way.
Fireworks: The July 4th Concert will end with Philly’s largest Wawa Welcome America fireworks show in more than a decade. Produced by Pyrotecnico and Comcast, the show will feature new special effects and a soundtrack dedicated to love.
NBC10 will broadcast the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert and Fireworks live in its entirety in primetime from 7 to 10 p.m.
Wawa Welcome America is presented by the City of Philadelphia, title partner Wawa, Inc., Comcast NBCUniversal with NBC10 and Telemundo62 as the local broadcast partners, VISIT PHILADELPHIA, Live Nation and Philadelphia International Airport. Information on the other 49 free events planned for the festival will be announced in May.
