Sheryl Crow to headline July 4 celebration
Saying Philadelphia will host the largest free concert in America, Mayor Nutter announced yesterday that the singer Sheryl Crow will headline the Sunoco Welcome America Fourth of July celebration.
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
Calling Philadelphia "the only place to really celebrate the true birth of our nation," Nutter said the festival would be nine days of activities, including fireworks, a parade, and Crow, a Grammy-winning rocker, as the grand finale in concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The festival, which begins June 26, will also feature the culinary treats of "Taste of Philadelphia."
The mayor said the theme of the festival would be "Life, Liberty and You."
This year, the festival will include the "Patriot Pass," which offers discounts at a range of retailers throughout the city.
Also, the parade on the Fourth will move from the Parkway to the historic district.
Nutter said the festival, which is paid for by corporate sponsors, attracts an estimated three million people every year and has an economic impact of about $100 million.
Borrowing a line from one of Crow's songs, Melanie Johnson, executive director the festival, said, "We are going to have a heck of a party, because all we want to do is have some fun."
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
