Wawa Hoagie Day is Thursday. Here’s where to get a free hoagie in Philly.
Enjoy a Wawa six-inch Shorti, performances by Six String Soldiers, and free admission to the Constitution Center.
Philadelphia’s city-recognized hoagie holiday — yes, Philly really has one — returns to Independence Mall on Thursday, bringing 25,000 six-inch sandwiches to hoagie-hungry residents.
For the last three decades, Wawa has celebrated Hoagie Day as part of the city’s Fourth of July festivities, organizing hundreds of volunteers to prepare roughly seven tons of turkey hoagies for the public, veterans organizations, and Philabundance, the region’s largest food bank.
“We are thrilled to be in Philadelphia with another Hoagie Day, a celebration of service in the heart of America’s birthplace,” said Brian Schaller, Wawa president. “This is our 16th year as the title sponsor of Wawa Welcome America, and it truly never gets old to see how the community comes together year after year to show appreciation for the first responders and military heroes across our regions.”
The hoagies are made in an early-morning assembly line, with Wawa employees dancing and joking in between creating the sandwiches in the basement of the National Constitution Center. Outside, thousands of people line up — many making it a yearly tradition — to get their free sandwich.
To get one, just show up and get in line; 15,000 hoagies will be distributed to the public on a first-come, first-served basis starting at noon Thursday, June 26, on Arch Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, outside the National Constitution Center.
Expect long lines and prepare for both heat and rain showers. AccuWeather predicts that temperatures will reach highs of 93 degrees, with the majority of Philadelphia likely receiving rain.
The center will also offer free admission all day, courtesy of Wawa. A performance by the U.S. Army’s Six-String Soldiers will take place during the giveaway.
Wawa Hoagie Day is part of the Wawa Welcome America Festival, the city’s official Fourth of July celebration, which includes free museum days, neighborhood block parties, fireworks, and concerts headlined by LL Cool J, Jazmine Sullivan, and DJ Z-Trip.
Wawa Hoagie Day was officially declared a city holiday in 1992 by then-Mayor Ed Rendell, who proclaimed the hoagie the “Official Sandwich of Philadelphia” — even though the cheesesteak gets all the national glory.
» READ MORE: The hoagie is Philly’s true sandwich icon. Here are the best places to get one.
Wawa Hoagie Day
Free hoagies, Constitution Center admission, and live music.
🕐 Thursday, June 26, starting at noon,📍Arch Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, 🌐 july4thphilly.com