Dear Neighbors,
The annual Wawa Welcome America Festival will return to Philadelphia once again this summer. Stretching across 16 continuous days between Juneteenth (June 19th) and July 4th, the annual festival features robust offering of free and family-friendly events and programs, making it the country’s largest July 4th festival.
I am writing to make you officially aware of the impact to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway area for this year’s festival.
On Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd, we will host Concilio’s Hispanic Fiesta on JFK Blvd. between 20th and 30th Streets. The following street closures will occur from 6 p.m. on Friday, June 21st through 11 p.m. on the 23rd:
- JFK Boulevard between 20th and 30th
- JFK between 19th and 20th
On Wednesday, June 26th we are excited to bring back Rocky Movie Night at the Art Museum steps. This event will include the following street closures:
- Lane Closure – Parking Lane closest to Art Museum Apron from 3 p.m. until
midnight. - Benjamin Franklin F Parkway between Kelly Drive & Spring Garden St. from
8-10 p.m.
The build out for this year’s July 4th concert and fireworks display will begin on Sunday, June 30th at 6 p.m. During this time the inner lanes of the Parkway from Logan Circle to Eakins Oval will be closed to vehicular traffic. The outer lanes will remain open as normal.
The following additional closures will take place in the lead up to July 4th:
- 21st St. from Pennsylvania Ave. to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2nd
- Outer lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from Logan Circle to Eakins Oval beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd
- 22nd Street between Park Towne Place and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd
We will implement a full closure of the Parkway footprint from Logan Circle to 25th Street beginning at 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 4th through the morning of July 5th. As in years past, at the recommendation of our partners in the City of Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Police Department, Welcome America will be implementing a series of enhanced security measures to help ensure the safety of our guests. The festival footprint will be aligned with other major events that have taken place on the Parkway and will only remain in place during this period.
The doors for the event will open at 4 p.m. on July 4th and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. As always, the event will conclude with a 15-minute fireworks display beginning at 9:45 p.m. As part of the new footprint, all general admission guests will enter through one entrance at 20th St. and the Parkway. There will be two additional entrances for ticketholders, one at 22nd and Pennsylvania and the other at 22nd and Winter St. Additionally, all attendees will go through magnetometers and a security check.
We at Welcome America are thrilled to bring back this beloved Philadelphia tradition. However, we also understand that the event will have an impact on the businesses and residents in the area. As always, we are committed to being good neighbors, and hope this communication will allow you ample time to gauge any impact on your business operations and community.
Thank you for having Wawa Welcome America back in your neighborhood. We look forward to celebrating with you from June 19th to July 4th.
Regards,
Michael DelBene