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July 4 Service Information | Wawa Welcome America | FIFA World Cup 2026™ | Fares
There are many reasons why 2026 is an extraordinary time for the Southeastern Pennsylvania region, and one of them is a special anniversary; the anniversary of the whole country! It’s the 250th birthday of the United States of America, and there’s nowhere better to celebrate than where everything began, here in Philadelphia.
This summer is packed with things to see and do, leading up to and including on Independence Day, July 4. There will be many events taking place throughout Philadelphia and the region. Whether you’re a local Philadelphian celebrating the brotherly love, or a visitor taking part in the celebrations, SEPTA provides frequent and reliable service to all the major Fourth of July events.
If you will be riding SEPTA for the first time or would just like a refresher on how the system works, check out this guide that provides an extensive explanation of our modes of transport and how to use them, as well as our convenient ways to pay, including contactless tap to pay on all modes.
Wawa’s Welcome America Fireworks on the Parkway
Philadelphia’s annual Welcome America is a multi-day festival with multicultural and multigenerational events celebrating America’s birthday in America’s birthplace – Philadelphia. The citywide festival is 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.
How to Get There
From Metro: Nearby stations include 15th Street Station on the 
or Race-Vine Station on the 
or 19th St Station on the 
.
From Regional Rail: Exit at Suburban Station; from there, it’s just a short walk to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
You can also use plan.septa.org for real-time trip planning to and from Wawa’s Welcome America – or any other event!
More Upcoming Events
Juneteenth Jubilee, June 19 – Celebrate freedom and culture in partnership with the African American Museum in Philadelphia with live jazz music, food trucks and kids’ activities.
Red, White & Blue To-Do, July 2 – A patriotic festival in historic Old City featuring a grand parade, concerts, games, special restaurant offerings and extended hours at museums.
Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade, July 3 – A massive parade honoring America’s 250th birthday, featuring marching bands, floats, cultural showcases and representatives from all 50 states and territories.
These events will likely necessitate planned detours in SEPTA’s bus service. Specific details about the routes that will be detoured will be made available in the coming weeks.
FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 16 Match, July 4
The final Round of 16 match takes place on Saturday, July 4 at 5 pm. For detailed information on FIFA World Cup 2026™ + FIFA Fan Festival™, visit our dedicated page. Below is a snippet of Metro and Regional Rail service information to/from Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field).
Added Metro Service to/from FIFA Match
10 additional trains to NRG will be offered prior to each match, as well as additional post-game trains to support added capacity.
The and will operate overnight, with trains running every 30 minutes, departing City Hall on the hour and half‑hour. Late night added service will only be provided to select stations:
- On the : Frankford Transit Center, Front-Girard, 2nd St, 8th-Market, 15th St/City Hall, Drexel Station at 30th St, 40th St and 69th St Transit Center
- On the : Fern Rock Transit Center, Olney Transit Center, Erie, Broad-Girard, Broad-Spring Garden, Race-Vine, 15th St/City Hall, Walnut-Locust, Oregon, NRG
Added Late-night Regional Rail Service from FIFA Match
The following Regional Rail lines provide added service into Center City stations prior to the match: Fox Chase, Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown, Media/Wawa, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, West Trenton. Additionally, trains will provide extra late-night service on all lines, except Airport.
On the Wilmington/Newark Line, the last regularly scheduled trains will be extended to provide service from Center City to Claymont Transit Center. PDF schedules will be available in the coming weeks.
Potential Unscheduled Bus Detours
Since there are so many events and parades happening around the city for the 250th birthday celebrations, additional detours could be added throughout the day due to unscheduled road closures. Be sure to regularly check bus detours & alerts for up-to-date information on your route.
July 4 Service & Schedule Information
, , and Regional Rail will have special schedules with enhanced service to support the July 4 events happening throughout the city. Most Regional Rail lines (except AIR, CHE, CHW, WAR, WIL) provide additional inbound and outbound service before the fireworks; all Regional Rail lines (except Airport) provide late-night outbound service from Jefferson, Suburban and William H. Gray III 30th St stations after the fireworks. Specific details and PDF schedules will be posted soon.
All other services (
, 
and bus) operate on a Sunday schedule. Routes that do not have Sunday schedules will not operate.
Fare Information
Ways to Pay
Credit, debit or mobile payments are accepted on all SEPTA networks (Bus, Metro and Regional Rail) at any turnstile or farebox with a simple tap on the validator.
Learn More & FAQ.
SEPTA accepts cash for travel on all networks, exact fare is required on bus & Metro.
Quick Trips only valid same day of purchase. Single rider only, no transfers.
Learn More.
Multi-rider for contactless payments is now available on all modes. Easily tap your credit/debit card or mobile wallet at a validator to pay the fares for up to five riders. Learn more.
On Regional Rail, be sure to Tap-Ride-Tap. Always tap off at your destination to avoid paying the maximum fare. Learn More & FAQ.
SEPTA accepts several other payment options including convenient daily or weekly passes, as well as SEPTA Key cards. Learn more about all the ways to pay to ride SEPTA and types of passes.
SEPTA Ambassadors
SEPTA Ambassadors will be on-site at select major stations during the evening hours for crowd control and to provide directions after the July 4 FIFA match, Wawa Welcome America and fireworks on the Ben Franklin Parkway. Look for them in blue labeled vests, as pictured below. Additional security personnel will also be available at select stations to assist you.
