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Fireworks

Where to take in fireworks and live music on (and before) the Fourth

Philly lights up the sky on multiple nights after sunset, and preceded by free outdoor performances and festivals, including:

July 1, between Cherry and Race Street piers. Beforehand, both piers and the stretch between them host spoken word, dance and musical performances, food trucks and DJs from 6pm.

July 1, at Citizens Bank Park. You don’t have to go to the 6:05pm Phillies-Cardinals game in order to see the fireworks over the field — you could view them from lots of spots in South Philly, outside the ballpark. But if you do go to the game, get tickets first (from $22).

July 2, from the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing at Chestnut Street. Beforehand, the U.S. Army performance band Pershing’s Own performs at 7pm.

July 3, Citizens Bank Park puts on a second fireworks show after a third matchup between the Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, at 7:08pm. Tickets to see the pyrotechnics (and the game) from inside the ballpark start at $17.

July 4, from the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Beforehand, the Party on the Parkway closes down the boulevard for a big, free concert in front of the museum steps by Jason Derulo, Ava Max and Tori Kelly from 7pm.

July 4, from Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ (or the Philly side of the Delaware, at Penn’s Landing). Camden County’s Freedom Festival includes an 8pm performance by the legendary O’Jays, followed by fireworks at 9:30.

Outdoor Drinking

Where to find al fresco watering holes in Philly

It’s beer garden season in Philadelphia—now through mid- to late-fall. Here’s where to find some of our faves:

THE GARDEN AT CHERRY STREET PIER: You’d be hard pressed to find a restaurant with more stunning views than The Garden at Cherry Street Pier, which sits in the shadow of the hulking Benjamin Franklin Bridge and along the Delaware River. More than 200 people can comfortably fit in the open-air, industrial venue, which is outfitted with quaint sidewalk café-style seating, with towering trees and overflowing planters separating each table. The menu boasts summer-picnic fare (think pulled-pork sandwiches, salads and sides) local ales, wine and craft cocktails. For now, The Garden is open on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, from noon to 10pm. Hours will be extended throughout the week once the weather warms up.

THE GROVE AT ASSEMBLY LOUNGE: For summer 2022, the swanky rooftop bar overlooking the Benjamin Franklin Parkway transforms The Grove, a lush tropical garden in the sky rife with exotic plants, vibrant, textured decor, and a menu featuring refreshing island cocktails 🍹. It kicks off with a bash this Tuesday night, May 24, from 6 to 9pm featuring live music and an oyster and Prosecco bar.

INDEPENDENCE BEER GARDEN: The bustling beer garden just steps from Independence Hall is back open in 2022 with 20,000-square-feet of open-air space that packs in multiple bars, drinking games like corn hole and Jenga, and a bunch of picnic tables so you can spread out to enjoy your barbecue-style grub and beer, beer, beer.

MORGAN’S PIER: This vibrant beer and cocktail garden brings live DJs, comfort food and all kinds of refreshing adult beverages to the Delaware River waterfront through fall. Grub options include a variety of snacks, flatbreads, sandwiches and seafood, while drinks range from frothy draft beers to a colorful selection of speciality and frozen cocktails and wine.

NEW LIBERTY DISTILLERY: The Cocktail Garden at New Liberty Distillery — the handy work of the distillery’s staff during the pandemic — offers yard games and a robust cocktail menus under twinkling lights and a soundtrack of surf rock and ’90s jams. (Reopens June 16.)

PHS POP-UP BEER GARDENS: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s popular pop-up beer gardens—on South Street and in Manayunk—are gorgeous urban garden oases with stunning plant and garden decorations, bars full of food and drink and, new this year at Manayunk, a new game room with foosball, Skee-Ball, pop-a-shot and more. Plan a night there around some of the events taking place throughout the season—from plant swaps, brewery pop-ups, craft nights and more.

RODIN MUSEUM GARDEN BAR: The scenic pop-up beer garden at the Rodin Museum serves beer, wine, craft cocktails and small plates in the vicinity of the famous Thinker. Dogs are welcome.

Eat and Drink

Great Philly restaurants and bars to check out right now

If you’re looking for great places to eat and drink locally, we have you covered. Check the links below for ideas about where to eat outdoors and get takeout, and what breweries and distilleries to visit when you’re hankering for an adult bev.

Guides to dining out (or eating in)

Outdoor Dining in Philadelphia
Follow our guide to outdoor dining in Philly this spring to discover spots around town for delicious food and drink in gardens, on tucked-away patios and other Insta-worthy surrounds
  • This photo of Kalaya owner Chutatip 'Nok' Suntaranon accompanies an article about the best women-owned restaurants in Philadelphia
Great Women-Owned Restaurants in Philly
Philly’s women-run restaurants are helping us all survive the pandemic. Here, some of our favorites to try right now.
  • Order cheesy pupusas from El Merkury for takeout
Philadelphia Takeout for Good
It’s no surprise that local restaurants have spent the Covid-19 crisis finding ways to give to their community. Here, 11 generous local spots you can support with your takeout order

Guides on where to drink

  • This photo accompanies a guide to the best Philadelphia breweries that have delicious beer and also give back to the community
Philly Breweries Where Giving Back Is On Tap
A guide to breweries in Philadelphia that are raising funds for locals (and more) in need. Cheers!
  • This photo accompanies
Philadelphia Distilleries Doing Good
Want to get a drink that you can feel good about? Check out these awesome distilleries in Philadelphia serving up good spirits—from vodka to bourbon to inventively flavored bitters—and good causes for the community

Philly restaurants and bars doing good

  • A plate of pierogis at Mom-Mom's Kitchen in Philadelphia
Foodizen: Why Is Ravioli Worth More Than Pierogi?
How Mom-Mom’s Kitchen is working to spread the good word on Polish food in Philadelphia. Their latest venture on South Street is set to open this winter.
  • A spread of takeout food from Jezabel's Argentine Bakery in Philadelphia
Foodizen: Forget Back to “Normal"
Jezabel’s Argentine Bakery & BYO is doing better than ever in its 10-year history by pivoting to not just survive, but thrive during the pandemic—a start to rethinking the restaurant industry as we have known it
  • Chris Cho, chef at Center City Korean restaurant Seorabol
Foodizen: Beyond BBQ
Is Chris Cho’s Center City Seorabol the start of a Korean food empire?
  • A New York strip steak with roasted garlic on top at Alpen Rose steakhouse in Philadelphia
Foodizen: Meditations on Meat
Michael Schulson’s fabulous new Alpen Rose puts steak back on the menu. Can we find a way to make peace with meat?
  • wine samples and cheese board in front of computer for Tria's virtual wine classes
A Brand, Not Just a Restaurant
Center City’s Tria Cafe brought back its beloved Fermentation School (virtually) to help it survive the pandemic. Who needs tables anyway?
Foodizen: Breaking Bread
The next in a series on the nexus of food and culture explores Philly’s new wave of sustainable, socially-conscious bakeries at the forefront of change
This is your grandma’s coffee shop
Old City’s Frieda Cafe offers the opposite of working remotely: Human interaction across the ages
  • Saxbys owner and founder Nick Bayer holds a card showing his company's B Corp status
Business for Good: Coffee With a (Updated) Mission
Saxbys has been training young, socially-conscious entrepreneurs and uplifting local communities for years. Now, it’s “walking the talk” with its new B Corp status

Current trends on the local food and drink scene

Foodizen: What's in Your Glass?
Our series on the nexus of food and culture explores the natural wine trend that has finally caught on in Philly. Will drinking it make you a better person?
Foodizen: When celery was the avocado toast of its day
A Fishtown restaurant takes us on a culinary journey into Pennsylvania’s past. Waffles and catfish, anyone?
Foodizen: "What are you?”
Filipino food has lately been at the center of Twitter outrage. Our series on the nexus of food and society finds Philly’s newest cuisine can’t be unlinked from its history and culture
Foodizen: Not Cambodia Town
Our series on the nexus of food and culture explores the flavors of the South Philly area around Mifflin Square Park, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city
Foodizen: Georgian On My Mind
The next in a series on the nexus of food and urban culture takes us on a journey—to the heart of Eurasia's Georgian cuisine in the far Northeast
Foodizen: Satay in the City
The series on the nexus of food and culture looks at satay, a window into Philly’s substantial Indonesian community

Fun Philly food history

  • A black couple hold ice creams toward the camera, smiling
Foodizen Podcast: How Philly Invented Ice Cream (As We Know It)
It was African American chefs who created the summertime treat we consume by the gallons. The first episode of a new podcast describes how we did it right here where America was born
  • Pepper Pot Soup painting
Foodizen Podcast: The Most Famous Soup You’ve Never Heard Of
The latest episode of the food history podcast examines the roots of pepper pot soup, sold by Campbell’s for 110 years. No, it was not invented in Camden

Fun Things to Do in Philly For the 4th of July

Where to see 4th of July fireworks, a massive Independence Day party on the Parkway, concerts, parades, free museum days and more

Fun Things to Do in Philly For the 4th of July

Where to see 4th of July fireworks, a massive Independence Day party on the Parkway, concerts, parades, free museum days and more

BY Josh Middleton

with help from Lauren McCutcheon

Jul. 01, 2022

Print

Is there anywhere better to celebrate the 4th of July than in Philadelphia, the city where independence was born? Don’t even try, Boston!

For the first time in a few years, you’re gonna get a real taste of the revelrous  Independence Day festivities that Philly has been known for since the day the Declaration was signed — with patriotic musical performances, parades replete with marching bands and flag-draped floats, handfuls of fireworks shows and a massive festival and free concert that shuts down all of Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Below, you’ll find details about Philly’s biggest 4th of July events, but the fun doesn’t necessarily stop there. Call up your favorite brewery or distillery to see if and how they’re celebrating. Have dinner outdoors somewhere that gives you a chance to maybe see a fireworks show over dessert. And check our running list of ongoing summer attractions to see what kind of shenanigans are happening at places like Spruce Street Harbor Park, Cherry Street Pier or the newly installed Oval XP.

Happy 4th, everyone!

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THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY OVER 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND

The Wawa Welcome America Fireworks Spectacular over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia
Fireworks will boom again in 2022, on July 4 over the Philadelphia Museum of Art

WHERE TO SEE FIREWORKS: Dang, it’s nice to have fireworks back. Philly lights up the sky on multiple nights after sunset — starting as early as July 1 — with fireworks shows that are preceded by free outdoor performances and festivals. These include:

  • July 1, between Cherry and Race Street piers. Beforehand, both piers and the stretch between them host spoken word, dance and musical performances, food trucks and DJs from 6pm.
  • July 1, at Citizens Bank Park. You don’t have to go to the 6:05pm Phillies-Cardinals game in order to see the fireworks over the field — you could view them from lots of spots in South Philly, outside the ballpark. But if you do go to the game, get tickets first (from $22).
  • July 2, from the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing at Chestnut Street. Beforehand, the U.S. Army performance band Pershing’s Own performs at 7pm.
  • July 3, Citizens Bank Park puts on a second fireworks show after a third matchup between the Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, at 7:08pm. Tickets to see the pyrotechnics (and the game) from inside the ballpark start at $17.
  • July 4, from the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Beforehand, the Party on the Parkway closes down the boulevard for a big, free concert in front of the museum steps by Jason Derulo, Ava Max and Tori Kelly from 7pm.
  • July 4, from Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ (or the Philly side of the Delaware, at Penn’s Landing). Camden County’s Freedom Festival includes an 8pm performance by the legendary O’Jays, followed by fireworks at 9:30.. 
The Philly POPS perform a Fourth of July concert
The Philly POPS perform a free patriotic concert at the Mann Center on July 3. | Photo by J. Fusco / Visit Philadelphia

PHILLY POPS PERFORMANCE: Long the suppliers of the soundtrack to Philadelphia’s Fourth of July festivities, the Philly POPS hosts its 43rd annual free Fourth of July weekend concert in front of Independence Hall — rife with rousing patriotic tunes and pop faves. Sunday, July 3, 7 to 9pm. South 6th and Market streets, free. 

Catch Philly’s 4th of July day parade between 2nd and City Hall on Market. | Photo by R. Myers / Visit Philadelphia

FOURTH OF JULY PARADE: Philly’s Salute to America Independence Day Parade returns for the first time since Covid, bringing to Market Street lines of soldiers dressed in Revolutionary era regalia, patriotic floats, military units, cultural performances and Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles, who’s serving as the parade’s grand marshal. Monday, July 4, 11am to noon. Market Street between 2nd Street and City Hall.

Philly band SNACKTIME is throwing a funky block party in Fishtown on the 4th of July. | Photo courtesy SNACKTIME

FUNK ON FOURTH: Want to get away from the fray on the 4th of July? Head to Fishtown, where funky Philly-born brass band Snacktime and Middle Child Clubhouse are throwing a block party under The El called Funk On Front. Besides music (SNACKTIME, Joshua Lang, Mochi Robinson and Great Time are performing), food and drink are the focus of the day with options running from pizza and ice cream to wine, beer cocktails and mocktails. Monday, July 4, 11am to 5pm. Middle Child Clubhouse, 1232 N. Front Street, $30. 

The Benjamin Franklin Parkways is ground zero for local festivities on the 4th of July — starting at noon. | Photo by J. Fusco / Visit Philadelphia

PARTY ON THE PARKWAY: The Benjamin Franklin Parkway and some neighboring streets shut down to traffic for a massive Fourth of July street party featuring games, live performances, food trucks, drinking zones and so much more. Monday, July 4, noon to 7pm. Benjamin Franklin Parkway and N. 21st Street. 

WAWA WELCOME AMERICA JULY 4TH CONCERT: The party on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway concludes with a big free concert with three headliners: Jason Derulo, Ava Max and Tori Kelly, and then a fireworks show over the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Monday, July 4, 7 to 9pm. Benjamin Franklin Parkway and N. 21st Street. 

Mike Strauss and Nok Suntaranon of Mike’s BBQ and Kalaya look pretty stoked about their new Thai BBQ brisket sandwich, which will be available to 100 people on July 4 at Bok Bar | Photo by Mike Prince

EAT THIS: Thai restaurant Kalaya and Mike’s BBQ teamed up on a Thai barbecue brisket sandwich that they’ll be serving to 100 lucky Philadelphians on Saturday night at Bok Bar. Mike’s BBQ’s signature brisket will meet Kalaya’s marinade of fermented fish, honey, and a blend of special rubs and spices that were brought here straight from Thailand. The meat comes piled with som tum (papaya salad) and squished between a Conshohocken Italian Bakery potato roll. Momday, July 4, from 2pm to sellout. 800 Mifflin Street, $19.50. 

Two young women point at and discuss the world-renowned art at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia
The Barnes is among a host of local museums offering up free admission over Fourth of July weekend.

FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION: Over Fourth of July weekend, Wawa Welcome America is sponsoring tons of free museum days, which include:

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Theater Unspeakable performs The American Revolution just in time for Fourth of July weekend

A REVOLUTION PLAY: Experimental stage troupe Theater Unspeakable stages The American Revolution starting this week in Old City’s Christ Church Neighborhood House. The family-friendly presentation fits a lot of boom and bang into 50 minutes, telling the entire story of America’s founding with physical comedy and tongue-in-cheek humor. Through July 4, various times. 20 N. American Street, $15–$25

GREAT ONGOING THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY RIGHT NOW

The ferris wheel and other attractions at Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest
Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest is now open along the Delaware River with summertime fun galore. | Photo by Maria Young

DELAWARE WATERFRONT ATTRACTIONS: Spruce Street Harbor Park and its neighboring Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest are open for the season with ferris wheels, floating beer barges, carnival games, roller skating, hammocks in neon-lit trees, cute little lodges you can rent with friends. It’s just too much excitement for one person to handle. Good thing it’ll be around for our enjoyment all summer long. S. Columbus Boulevard

KAYAK THE DELAWARE: The Independence Seaport Museum launched its summer 2022 kayak excursions on the Delaware River, happening on select weekends through October 22. There are several different tours you can sign up for — including one for beginners, and ones that explore different sections of the river, such as Graffiti Pier and Petty’s Island. Paddle Penn’s Landing, which lets you paddle around the river in swan- and other animal-shaped watercraft.

CHERRY STREET PIER: Cherry Street Pier is always bustling with some kind of activity — whether it’s art shows or food markets or visitors just sitting back, beer in hand, and gazing at the beautiful Delaware River views. Throughout the summer, they host a whole bunch of multicultural festivals, starting with the Irish Festival (Sunday, June 4), Islamic Heritage Festival (Sunday, June 11), Hispanic Fiesta (Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10), and Celebrate Asia on nearby Race Street Pier (Saturday, August 6). 121 N. Columbus Boulevard

You’ll find Philly’s largest beer garden at the Oval XP, opening for summer on June 16. | Photo by M. Fischetti / Visit Philadelphia

THE OVAL XP: The Oval XP — formerly known as Eakins Oval or just The Oval — is back on the Parkway with a massive, MilkBoy Philly-manned beer garden and a slew of events planned each week, such movie nights and lots of family-friendly activities. New additions include a massive new summer stage that will host live music throughout summer. You’ll also find a 108-feet tall ferris wheel (the world’s largest!) and a carousel. Every Wednesday to Sunday, June 16 to August 21. 24th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, pay as you go.

CITY HALL ROLLER RINK : The neon-hued outdoor Rothman Orthopaedics Roller Rink at Dilworth Park is now open through July 17. The rink is retro-inspired, with a checkerboard floor and colorful beach balls floating overhead. Guests are welcome to visit for hour time slots. Admission is $8 for children 10 and younger, and $10 for adults. Skate rental is $5. 1 S. 15th Street

CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL: Catch Franklin Square in Old City all aglow at nights during the Chinese Lantern Festival. After dark, dozens of lanterns shaped like pandas, samurais, bamboo forests, swimming whales and an impossible-to-miss 200-foot-long dragon transform the city park into an absolute wonderland. The Dragon Garden serves beer; vendors serve made-to-order noodles and such, and performances pepper the stage. Nightly through August 7, 6 to 11pm. 200 N. 6th Street, $12 to $20. 

Header photo by J. Fusco / Visit Philadelphia

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