Residents of the UK and Ireland are invited to experience the excitement of US Independence Day from the comfort of their home when Welcome America, Inc. and the City of Philadelphia host 50+ free events as part of the reimagined 2020 Wawa Welcome America seven-day virtual festival.

Taking place from Sunday 28^th June – Saturday 4^th July, the 28^th annual Wawa Welcome America festival will be entirely free and virtual, encompassing multicultural and multigenerational programming to highlight Philadelphia’s diverse voices. With a line-up of concerts, online educational activities, behind-the-scenes experiences, cooking demonstrations, at-home crafts, virtual museum tours and more, the festival’s family-friendly programming will focus on arts, culture, education, wellness, history and performance.

International viewers will have a front-row seat from home as Wawa Welcome America hosts star-studded performances and exclusive virtual experiences, including a live concert broadcast from award-winning hitmakers Cynthia Erivo and Jason Derulo.

The festival schedule and events can be found at www.WelcomeAmerica.com and on Facebook @WawaWelcomeAmerica, Instagram @July4thPhilly, and Twitter @July4thPhilly. Guests are encouraged to use the official 2020 festival hashtags to follow along: #July4thPhilly and #CelebratePhilly.

Highlights of the Wawa Welcome America 2020 Virtual Festival include:

• Museums of the Day – nineteen of Philadelphia’s museums, cultural institutions, and attractions will feature daily digital programming throughout the week, including virtual tours, access to exhibits, educational discussions, and other activities.
• Wawa Hoagie Day® – all 900 Wawa stores owned by the US company will participate in Wawa Hoagie Day®, building more than 45,000 hoagie sandwiches to donate to local community heroes and organisations. Coverage of the hoagie builds will be broadcast from 5:00 p.m. BST on 1^st
• Founding Fathers’ Sunday Supper – from 10:00 p.m. BST on Sunday 28^th June, the James Beard-nominated Chef and culinary historian Chef Walter Staib will take viewers back in time to showcase recipes from the first celebration of independence.
• Launch of Digital Mural by Mural Arts Philadelphia – Mural Arts Philadelphia, the public art organisation that creates social change through art, will unite Philadelphians digitally during the festival, bringing together the community to create public art. Philly Rising, designed by Philadelphia artist Nilé Livingston, is a virtual mosaic mural where everyone can have a hand in its creation. From 24^th June until 4^th July, the public can submit their own photos showing the spirit of Philadelphia to be included in a digital mural that will be part of the Wawa Welcome America festival. Anyone can submit photos to the mural at org/phillyrising. Livingston designed the image, but the final project will contain thousands of images provided by the public.
• PECO Go 4th & Learn – Every day, the utility company PECO will present an interactive series promoting education through dynamic videos, exclusive experiences and engaging activities. These include a live introduction to the animals at Philadelphia Zoo on Monday 29^th June at 7:00 p.m. BST, and an exclusive tour of Independence National Historical Park with National Park Service experts, who will share stories of the founding of the US and some of Philadelphia’s most historic landmarks.
• Concerts and Performances – Concert performances will take place on every night of the festival, including an uplifting gospel celebration and a performance from the United States Army Band “Perishing’s Own”.
• July 4^th Concert Broadcast – the Independence Day celebrations will culminate with a star-studded performance, featuring world-renowned Tony, Emmy & Grammy award-winning singer and actress Cynthia Erivo alongside the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. The concert will also see a high-energy set from American hitmaker, multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter, producer, actor and dancer, Jason Derulo. Produced in partnership with Live Nation Philadelphia, the performance will be broadcast live on NBC10 from the historic The Met Philadelphia on the Independence Blue Cross Stage Saturday 4^th July and available to watch on-demand for 30 days after.

For more information on Wawa Welcome America 2020 and the full festival schedule, visit www.welcomeamerica.com.

For more information on Philadelphia, visit the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website, www.discoverPHL.com

-ENDS-

Photo Captions (From Left to Right):
Image 1: International travellers can experience the excitement of US Independence Day during the reimagined 2020 Wawa Welcome America seven-day virtual festival. Photo courtesy of REC Philly for Welcome America.
Image 2: Previous July 4^th celebrations at Independence Hall. Photo credit Jeff Fusco.
Image 3: All 900 Wawa stores will participate in Wawa Hoagie Day®, building more than 45,000 hoagie sandwiches to donate to local community heroes and organisations. Photo by D. Burke for Wawa Welcome America.

For Further Press Information, please contact:
Greg Evans – Philadelphia UK Office
Tel: 07768 341790 / 01633 480 754
Email: greg@gregevansconsultancy.com

Sarah Salord and Jennifer Jones – GEC PR
Tel: 020 3907 6824
Email: philadelphia@gecpr.co.uk

About Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Centre. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has divisions dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.