PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — LL Cool J says he has “unfinished business” in Philadelphia. The hip-hop artist will headline a free New Year’s Eve concert along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the annual fireworks show.
The City of Philadelphia announced the free event Friday morning.
“Join us for Philly’s first ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert as we kick off 2026 in America’s Birthplace,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement. “This is truly the place to start our celebration of this historic anniversary!”
The show will also include performances by Philly’s own DJ Jazzy Jeff, Adam Blackstone, the hard rock band Dorothy, and Technician the DJ.
The concert will begin at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31. Gates will open at 6 p.m. The fireworks display will start at midnight.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the security measures will look familiar.
“We have blocking vehicles to make sure a car doesn’t enter into the space, we will have our drones, we will have our marine unit, we will have all of our assets to make sure this event goes safely, he said.
Parker said she’s pushing for one new feature.
“I am fighting for heat lamps for you, Philadelphia, for New Year’s Eve,” she said.
In terms of transportation, the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines will operate on a Sunday schedule with additional cars added to increase rider capacity at the break of the event. Check the Regional Rail schedule and the SEPTA website for more details.
The mayor didn’t have a cost estimate for the concert, but tourism officials predict a billion-dollar economic impact from all the festivities, including the Mummers Parade the next day.
LL Cool J was supposed to headline Philly’s July Fourth concert over the summer, but he and Jazmine Sullivan dropped out at the 11th hour because of the city’s blue-collar workers strike.
At the time, he said in a social media post, “There’s absolutely no way that I could perform across a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage. I’m not doing that.”
About 9,000 members of AFSCME District Council 33 — the city’s largest workers union, made up of sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers and other municipal workers — were on strike for eight days.