LL COOL J to Headline Philly’s First-Ever New Year’s Eve Concert on Ben Franklin Parkway

New Year's Eve just got even bigger in Philly. It was just announced that LL COOL J will be headlining a special concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to wrap up the year. It's a concert that's sure to be a first of its kind in Philadelphia. 

LL Cool J to Perform on the Ben Franklin Parkway for New Year's Eve

Philadelphia is gearing up to celebrate a big year. 2026 will mark America's 250th birthday, so to kick it off, the city is hosting its first ever New Year's Eve concert on the steps of the Art Museum.

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The show will be headlined by legendary rapper, actor and performer, LL Cool J. He'll be joined DJ Jazzy Jeff, bassist and bandleader Adam Blackstone, and Los Angeles rock band Dorothy. Technician the DJ will also be there. The event will culminate at midnight with fireworks on the parkway.

The announcement about the show was just made on Friday morning (December 12th) by the city's Mayor Cherelle Parker. The gates will open at 6 p.m., and the concert will begin at 8 p.m, according to officials.

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“Join us for Philly’s first ever New Year’s Eve outdoor concert as we kick off 2026 in America’s Birthplace,” Parker said on Friday. “This is truly the place to start our celebration of this historic anniversary!”

Of course, the show marks a return to town for LL COOL J who was due to perform in Philly this summer before he pulled out of the show.

LL COOL J Pulls Out of Fourth of July Concert

LL COOL J was supposed to headline Philly's Fourth of July concert last summer. He and Jazmine Sullivan pulled out of the show as the city's blue collar workers were on strike. The District Council 33 represents about 9,000 of the city's sanitation and municipal workers.

“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," LL COOL J announced on social media at the time.

He did promise to make it up to the city in the future, and it appears as if that's happening sooner than even we expected. Hopefully we get some warmer weather for the concert that evening.