Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic Moves to Philly, and Bob Dylan Will Perform

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Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will perform at Nelson's 4th of July Picnic held this year in Philadelphia. - Credit: M. Caulfield/WireImage/NBC Universal Photo Department
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will perform at Nelson's 4th of July Picnic held this year in Philadelphia. - Credit: M. Caulfield/WireImage/NBC Universal Photo Department

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Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic is moving to Philadelphia. (Well, actually the aptly named Freedom Mortgage Pavilion across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey.)

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On Tuesday, the event’s organizers announced that the annual fest — held in Texas since 2010 — will move to the Philly area for the very first time. Bob Dylan is among the Independence Day concert’s performers.

Rounding out the lineup for the event, scheduled for July 4, are Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples, and guitarslinger Celisse.

“I am thrilled to bring the 4th of July Picnic to Philadelphia for the first time in our storied history,” said Nelson in a press release. “It’s an honor to host such an extraordinary lineup of talent in the birthplace of our country. We can’t wait to celebrate Independence Day with you.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale starting Friday at 10 a.m./ET. Citi cardholders will have access to presale tickets between March 26 and March 28.

The festival lineup seems to be an extension to Nelson’s Outlaw Tour, which includes all the performers at the 4th of July Picnic, except Morris. That tour starts on June 21 in Georgia and includes a stop at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. (Billy Strings and John Mellencamp are also joining for some of the Outlaw shows.)

This is the third time that Dylan has joined the annual picnic. He last did so in 2009, which coincidentally was the last time that the event was hosted outside of Texas. (It was in South Bend, Indiana, that year.)

Last year’s Picnic was held at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium and marked the 50th anniversary of the yearly shindig. This year’s party will arrive just over a month after Nelson releases his album The Border, which is scheduled to drop on May 31. The Border includes 10 songs, four of which were co-written by Nelson and longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon. The remainder of the new tracks were penned by songwriters that Nelson admires such as Shawn Camp, Mike Reid, and Bobby Tomberlin.

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