Rapper LL Cool J will headline a free New Year’s Eve concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway \u2014 six months after he dropped out of Philadelphia’s Fourth of July concert in support of striking city workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The New Year’s Eve concert at Eakins Oval begins at 8 p.m. and will be followed by fireworks.\u00a0DJ Jazzy Jeff,\u00a0Adam Blackstone, Dorothy and\u00a0Technician The DJ also will perform. The concert grounds open at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0Taylor Swift names her favorite song and reminisces about singing the anthem before a 76ers game at age 12<\/a><\/p>\n LL Cool J appears to have made peace with Mayor Cherelle Parker after he declined to play the Wawa Welcome America show on the Parkway at the last minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Philly, don\u2019t call it a comeback,” the rapper said in a statement released by the city. “We’ve got unfinished business. Shout out to the Mayor for the invitation! Meet me on the Oval this New Year’s Eve as we bring in 2026 \u2014 live.”<\/p>\n On July 4, LL Cool J and\u00a0co-headliner Jazmine Sullivan<\/a>\u00a0dropped out of Welcome America in a show of support to the city’s largest labor union, which was in the midst of an eight-day strike. The union represents sanitation workers and other city employees who otherwise would have provided services to the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I never ever want to disappoint my fans, and especially in Philadelphia,”\u00a0LL Cool J said in an\u00a0Instagram post<\/a>\u00a0at the time.\u00a0“Ya’ll mean too much to me, but there’s absolutely no way that I could perform, cross a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage.”\u00a0<\/p>\n City officials and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33 eventually agreed to\u00a0three-year deal<\/a>\u00a0that included 3% raises annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n The New Year’s Eve concert will mark the start of an eventful year for Philadelphia. The city is hosting FIFA World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game and various\u00a0semiquincentennial celebrations honoring the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This free concert and fireworks showcase the incredible spirit of our community and the cultural legacy that Philadelphia embodies,” Parker said in a statement. “Join us for Philly’s first ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert as we kick off 2026 in America’s Birthplace \u2014 this is truly the place to start our celebration of this historic anniversary!”<\/p>\n