Philadelphia’s third annual Red, White, & Blue To-Do festivities promise to be a whole lot more red, white, and blue this year, city officials said Tuesday.
The July 2 celebration, commemorating the date the Second Continental Congress voted for independence, a day of “pomp and parade,” declared founder John Adams, will feature a supersized parade, winding through the Historic District, a block party, picnic, and an Independence Mall concert featuring Queen Latifah.
“On the road to America’s 250th, Philadelphia is once again showing the world what it looks like when history, community, and celebration come together in the streets of our great city,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, during a press announcement at the National Constitution Center, featuring colonial reenactors and string bands.
Philadelphia Historic District Partners, a cohort of nearly two-dozen Philly historical sites and cultural groups, began Red, White, and Blue To-Do in 2024 as a way to expand America’s birthday celebrations in the city of its founding. This year, for the Semiquincentennial, as the national milestone is known, the family-friendly fun will be bigger than ever.
The grand plans
The daylong party will kick off at 7 a.m., planners said, when 250 people will create a giant, Living Liberty Bell — an outline of the famous bell on Independence Mall. Museum and historic sites will open their doors after a flag-raising ceremony at the Betsy Ross House.
Beginning at 11 a.m., the Red, White, and Blue To-Do Pomp & Parade features 13 red wagon floats decked out with Philly icons and patriotic flair. The parade will also feature drill teams, dance troupes, and other youth performances. A block party, featuring music, food trucks, and games will close down 3rd Street between Chestnut and WalnutOther free street music performances are planned throughout the district.
A new Red, White, and Rose Picnic, starting at 5 p.m. on Independence Mall, will feature picnic seating and food trucks along Arch Street, and offer visitors a sneak peak at the elaborate floats of the planned July 3 Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade.
Then, at night, the Wawa Welcome America’s Salute to Service, a prelude to the July 4 concert on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, features The United States Army Field Band and Soldier’s Chorus on Independence Mall with Queen Latifah.