Philly to Host Christina Aguilera, Will Smith, the Roots at July 4 Gig

Some of Pennsylvania’s finest performers will ring in America’s 250th birthday in the vicinity of the Liberty Bell this summer as part of an event dubbed One Philly: Unity Concert for America. Keystone State representatives include Christina Aguilera, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, the Roots, Jill Scott, Kathy Sledge, and State Property. Artists who cannot claim to be “West Philadelphia, born and raised,” include Seal and Infinity Song. Wanda Sykes, who lives near Philly, will host the six-hour concert, which will take place on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway on (naturally) July 4.

The event, which producers describe as “a nonpartisan celebration of unity, diversity, and democracy,” will be free and open to the public. The concert’s organizers, which include Questlove, Scott Mirkin, and Shawn Gee, hope for One Philly to be the largest free concert in the country. The official hosts for the event are the City of Philadelphia and ESM Productions. Plans to broadcast the event will be announced at a later date.

Gates will open at 3:00 p.m., and the concert will begin two hours later. A fireworks show, which will light up above the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will begin at 11:45 to close out the festivities. Full information about the event is available on the City of Philadelphia’s website.

“To help create a celebration for America’s 250th anniversary — in Philly, where the country’s story began — is an incredible honor,” Mirkin said in a statement. “Our goal is to deliver a production experience that feels both global in scale and deeply rooted in the spirit of Philly.”

“Our Fourth of July concert is a historic homecoming for many of our City’s brightest stars,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in a statement. “By uniting the vision of our Mayor’s office and so many other city leaders, the global broadcast and production of Scott Mirkin, and the unmatched musical legacy of the Roots and Live Nation Urban, the One Philly Unity Concert For America will celebrate the soul of Philadelphia and the spirit of our nation on a truly global scale.”

In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Rolling Stone tapped great Americans to celebrate some of our country’s gifts to the world, including Barack Obama, the Kid Mero, Chaka Khan, and more.