Philadelphia’s annual Welcome America is a multi-day festival with FREE multicultural and multigenerational events celebrating America’s 248th birthday in America’s birthplace – Philadelphia. The citywide festival is jam packed with multiple fireworks displays, free concerts, free museum days, community events, free outdoor movie screenings, block parties and more. The celebration ends on July 4th with a concert & fireworks on the Ben Franklin Parkway. For a full list of events, please check the Welcome America events page.
Visitors to the city on Thursday, July 4 can take advantage of added service on the Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [L] and some Regional Rail lines, as well as late night service from Suburban Station after the fireworks.
Independence Day Added Train Service and Bus Detour Information
On Independence Day (Thursday, July 4), SEPTA Metro (Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [L], Trolleys [T] and Norristown High Speed Line [M]), buses and Regional Rail operate on a Sunday schedule.
Extra Mid-Day & Late Night Regional Rail Service
On July 4, Regional Rail operates on a Sunday schedule. Extra train service will supplement regular train service on the Chestnut Hill East, Fox Chase, Media/Wawa, Manayunk/Norristown, Paoli/Doylestown, Trenton and Warminster lines.
Late night train service is added to the Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown, Paoli/Thorndale and Media/Wawa lines.
- Late Night Service Departing Center City to Warminster, Lansdale, West Trenton, Chestnut Hill East & Norristown (PDF)
- Late Night Service Departing Center City to Paoli, Wawa, Wilmington, Trenton & Airport (PDF)
Riders can find the July 4th schedules posted at Center City and outlying Regional Rail stations.
Broad Street Line [B] & Market-Frankford Line [L] Added Service
Broad Street Express [B2] trains depart Fern Rock Transportation Center every 10 minutes from 6 pm to 6:50 pm.
Market-Frankford Line [L] trains depart either 69th Street Transit Center or Frankford Transportation Center every 10 minutes from 6 pm to 6:50 pm.
4th of July Bus Detours
Two major events directly impact SEPTA bus routes starting as early as 3:30 am on July 4 with some continuing until 5 pm on July 5. Be sure to regularly check bus detours & alerts for up to date information on your route.
Welcome America July 4 Concert & Fireworks to impact bus routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, 49.
Salute to America Independence Day Parade to impact bus routes 4, 5, 16, 17, 21, 23, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 42, 44, 45, 47, 47M, 48, 57, 61, 124, 125.
Getting to the Wawa Welcome America Concert & Fireworks
The Ben Franklin Parkway is best accessed from Regional Rail’s Suburban Station, the 15th Street Market-Frankford Line [L] Station and Race-Vine or City Hall Broad Street Line [B] Station.
Convenient Ways to Pay
Credit/debit cards, in physical form or through apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, are accepted on buses, Trolleys [T], Market-Frankford Line [L], Broad Street Line [B] and the Norristown High Speed Line [M], at any turnstile or farebox with a simple tap on the validator. Regional Rail will have a separate rollout for contactless payments later this year, however, credit/debit card payments are accepted by presenting your card to the train conductor.
SEPTA’s multi-rider feature allows up to five riders on one SEPTA Key card. Taps can be on a single bus/trolley validator or a combination of taps on different turnstiles at a station. Multi-rider is available on all modes including bus, Trolleys [T], Broad Street Line [B], Market-Frankford Line [L], Norristown High Speed Line [M] and Regional Rail. Learn how to activate and fare information.
If using a SEPTA Key card, riders are encouraged to load funds on it before the event. For those without a Key card, Quick Trip tickets can be purchased at all station kiosks. For more information about SEPTA Key, visit www.septakey.org.
View alerts, advisories and detours across the system. To get the latest service news, call Customer Service at 215-580-7800 or follow SEPTA @SEPTA.
Added Regional Rail Service July 4 Schedules
- Chestnut Hill East Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Fox Chase Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Lansdale/Doylestown Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Manayunk/Norristown Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Media/Wawa Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Paoli/Thorndale Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Trenton Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Warminster Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Wilmington/Newark Line 4th of July Schedule (PDF)
- Late Night Service Departing Center City to Paoli, Wawa, Wilmington, Trenton & Airport (PDF)
- Late Night Service Departing Center City to Warminster, Lansdale, West Trenton, Chestnut Hill East & Norristown (PDF)