Minaj, Hudson, Sheeran and the Roots headline July's Welcome America fest

POP ICON Nicki Minaj will be among the star-studded lineup at this year's annual 4th of July Jam on the Parkway, long touted as the largest free outdoor concert in America.

Minaj, along with Questlove and the Roots, will light up the Ben Franklin Parkway for the annual Wawa Welcome America bash this summer.

Jennifer Hudson, Ed Sheeran, Aloe Blacc, Ariana Grande and Vicci Martinez will also perform at the Party on the Parkway, the climax of a week's worth of events.

"There's pretty much nothing the Roots won't do for the city of Philadelphia," Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson said. He joined Mayor Nutter and executives from Wawa and Welcome America inside the rotunda at the Shops at Liberty Place yesterday to unveil the performance lineup.

"Philadelphia is where all this started. Hopefully this will be a thing for the years to come," Thompson said.

The weeklong celebration kicks off at noon June 28 with a Center City block party at the Shops at Liberty Place, followed by an array of family-friendly arts and cultural events each day leading up to the Fourth.

On July Fourth, Wawa will be on hand with a massive 5-ton hoagie that will feed an estimated 17,000 people. Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014, will be waving from a float for the Independence Day Parade that traverses through historic Old City. She'll be joined by marching bands, floats, military organizations and special performers making their way to the Ben Franklin Parkway.

"This year, we're going to make our Founding Fathers proud with the nation's premier Fourth of July celebration," Nutter said. "We own this. This is Philadelphia."

The evening wraps up with the celebrity musical performances and the fireworks grand finale on the Parkway.