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Wawa Welcome America!’s Independence Day Parade takes the celebration to the streets with 4,000 participants from a dozen states

The City of Philadelphia’s largest-ever Fourth of July Parade winds through the country’s most historic mile.

(PHILADELPHIA) June 14, 2011 – With more than 4,000 participants from a dozen states, 16 marching musical groups, nine floats, five military branches and a multitude of special guests, Wawa Welcome America!’s Independence Day Parade is the most diverse Fourth of July parade in the country. The impressive Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. on July 4 and winds through the nation’s most historic mile.

“This year, every other element has a musical aspect, so the Parade will be a strolling celebration brimming with top-notch entertainment and spectacular sights,” said Todd Marcocci, Parade producer. “Philadelphia’s Independence Day Parade will be bigger and better than ever before, and we are hoping thousands upon thousands will come out to experience the awe-inspiring production first-hand in the very place where our nation was founded.”

New this year is an extended Parade route to 9^th Street with optimal viewing, along with a variety of show-stopping musical performances on elaborate floats, from the Hoh Japanese Drummers to the Minas Brazilian Dancers and Drummers. Mattatuck Drum Band from Connecticut, founded in 1767 and the oldest fife and drum band in America, will proudly play the music of our founding fathers, and a cast of patriots include Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Ben Franklin.

Set to make this year’s parade unforgettable is a “Salute to the Armed Forces” float with active duty enlisted soldiers and officers from the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and veterans by the hundreds. The salute will be led by the Pennsylvania Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycles, a group that pays homage to African American soldiers who fought as early as the Spanish American War. 

Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan, Grand Marshal Major General Craig of the Pennsylvania National Guard, Mayor Nutter and Miss Pennsylvania are among the roster of special guests, and Wawa will recall its earliest days with its antique dairy truck. Additional highlights include the Northern Lights Home School Marching Band from Michigan and the Cotter High School Marching Band from Minnesota!

The array of entertaining, patriotic and multicultural marchers, music, dancers and floats will dazzle and impress all.

Parade Route

Due to the popularity of the Parade, the route is expanded by two blocks. It marches through downtown Historic Philadelphia, stepping off at 11 am at 5^th and Chestnut Streets immediately following the July 4^th Independence Day Ceremony.  The procession heads up Chestnut Street, passing Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, turns right on 9^th Street, then proceeds one block north to Market Street where it turns right again. Once on Market Street the parade marches six blocks downtown though Historic Philadelphia and ends at Front Street.

People of all ages are invited to experience Wawa Welcome America!, the City of Philadelphia’s free July 4^th Festival, from June 24 to July 4, 2011. With 11 days of free patriotic fun and pageantry including a full-scale parade, fireworks, history, live entertainment, the largest free outdoor concert in America, food, culture and pageantry, there is something for the whole family’s taste.

 Wawa Welcome America! is a multi-day festival that celebrates America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, Philadelphia, and is produced by Welcome America, Inc. For more information, please visit www.welcomeamerica.com.