Kevin HartIt’s good to be Kevin Hart these days…

VH1 has announced that Kevin Hart has been named the host of the third annual Philly 4th of July Jam, as part of the Wawa Welcome America! Festival – an event that will be simulcast on VH1 and Palladia on Thursday, July 4 from 8-11pm ET. 

Hometown favorites, The Roots, will once again serve as musical curators for the event, and will play their own set and also perform along with special guests John Mayer, Jill Scott, Demi Lovato, Ne-Yo, Grace Potter and J. Cole

Capping off the musical event, the evening will include a spectacular fireworks display over the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In addition, the event will be live streamed on VH1.com with frequent editorial coverage across MTV, VH1 and CMT news and blogs. 

We are excited to bring Kevin back home to Philly to host the Largest Free Concert event in America“, said show Executive Producer Shawn Gee. “With Kevin, The Roots and Jill Scott, the show will definitely have a Philly flair to it, however with the other great talent on the show, this is guaranteed to be the best Philly Fourth of July show ever. And now with our new partners VH1, the entire country will be able to experience the annual party we have been throwing for 500,000 of our closest friends on the Ben Franklin Parkway each year.”

In addition to hosting the third annual Philly 4th Of July Jam, Hart’s a new concert movie, Kevin hart: Let Me Explain, hits theaters that same week, on July 3rd.

Billed as the “Largest Free Concert in America,” the Philly 4th of July Jam is a celebration of freedom and music. The Philly 4th of July Jam is an unforgettable, entertainment-filled night that has featured some of the top artists in the music industry. This is a one-of-a-kind concert, free of cost and fun for all ages, located right in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. With 500,000 people jamming out on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway— there is no other place to spend the Fourth of July.

The Jam is coordinated by Welcome America, Inc. and its Executive Director Desiree Peterkin-Bell, along with Executive Producers Scott Mirkin and Shawn Gee and produced with Live Nation. Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots serve as musical directors for the Jam. Executive producers for VH1 are Lee Rolontz, Rick Krim and Keshia Williams.

The Philly 4th of July Jam takes place during Wawa Welcome America!, a multi-day festival that celebrates America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, Philadelphia.