CENTRE STAGE Washington D.C. is planning a range of Semiquincentennial festivities, including a military parade on Constitution Avenue on June 14, the anniversary of the foundation of the Continental Army (1775). The special 250th birthday Fourth of July events will feature a parade and a fireworks show over the National Mall. WELCOME AMERICA America’s largest July 4th celebration, Wawa Welcome America is Philadelphia’s premier summer festival and takes place over 16 days up to Independence Day. For America’s 250th birthday, the 2026 event will include free concerts on Independence Mall, firework displays, block parties and a parade. SAIL AWAY Five U.S. cities will host a flotilla of tall ships from 32 countries in 2026 for Sail250 to celebrate America’s founding. Starting in New Orleans on May 28, they sail to Norfolk (Virginia), Baltimore and then New York City for six days of parades, fireworks and aerial displays from July 3. Their final stop is in Boston (July 11-16). NATIONWIDE EVENTS The week-long NC 4th of July Festival in Southport, North Carolina, from June 28, will be its biggest ever with parades, concerts, family fun and patriotic ceremonies. New York State will host events in Saratoga and Fort Ticonderoga, while Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown will be key sites in Virginia. REVOLUTIONARY BEGINNINGS The American Revolution’s birthplace will see numerous commemorations. Various historical reenactments and other events are planned in Boston, such as Fort Independence in South Boston on March 17, with a parade, flypast and a 21-gun salute, and Minute Man National Historical Park near Lexington. 250 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE NPS-CHALICE KEITH VA250 VISIT PHILADELPHIA MEET BOSTON-KYLE KLEIN VA250 SAIL4TH 250 MANY HAPPY RETURNS 8 visitusa.org.uk
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