By Jeff Louderback
On the campaign trail in his bid for a White House return, President Donald Trump pledged to give America “the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen” in 2026, when the nation will celebrate 250 years of independence. Celebrations started on New Year’s Eve with the projection of images depicting the country’s history on the Washington Monument and will continue throughout the year.
America250, the bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 to lead the commemorations, is sponsoring field trips and oral history recordings, and burying a time capsule, among other events in 2026.
Separate from America250, Freedom 250 is the group Trump tasked to oversee the anniversary project.
The organization described the Washington Monument illumination, which will take place through Jan. 5, as the “world’s tallest birthday candle in honor of our nation’s 250th birthday.”
According to Freedom 250 organizers, the 25-minute projection displays will recur at the top of each hour every night and feature five themed segments: Discovery; Revolution (Independence); Westward Expansion; the Industrial Revolution and the 20th Century; and Modern Day and the Future of the Nation.
“This Washington Monument illumination is the opening signature moment of a year-long series of marquee national events celebrating the triumph of the American spirit,” the Freedom 250 statement noted.
Also on New Year’s Eve, the renowned Times Square ball drop at midnight was followed by a second celebration at 12:04 a.m. when the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball illuminated in a red, white, and blue “America250” design. After that, 2,000 pounds of red, white, and blue confetti were released.
A second ball drop will happen on July 3, the night before Independence Day.
Though the American Revolution did not end until Sept. 3, 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed, the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776.
Trump outlined Freedom 250 festivities in a Dec. 18 video address.
“When I campaigned for president, I pledged to give America the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4 next year,” he said. ”Already, we’ve had big celebrations to commemorate the 250th birthdays of the Army, the Navy, and the United States Marines, but there is much, much more to come. We’re going to have a good time.”
Freedom 250’s roster of events will include the Great American State Fair from June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall in Washington. The celebration will feature pavilions from all 50 states and a “Spirit of America” parade to honor America’s fallen soldiers.
“Frankly, you’ll never see anything like it, and you’ll never see anything like it again,” Trump said.
On July 4, Freedom 250 will commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday with Salute to America on the National Mall during the Great American State Fair.
The event will have a military flyover, an address by Trump, and “the largest fireworks display in the world,” according to Freedom 250.
Trump said the White House will host a UFC fight on June 14, which is Flag Day and also Trump’s 80th birthday. It will mark the first sporting event held at the White House.
In the fall, Trump said there would be the Patriot Games, a “four day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman, competing from each state and territory.”
Freedom 250 festivities will also feature the National Garden of American Heroes, a park that will include statues of 250 American heroes.
The National Endowment for the Arts was named a partner in Trump’s “Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday” Executive Order, which called for the creation of the Garden of Heroes.
Last week, Trump said that construction on what he has coined the “Triumphal Arch” is expected to begin sometime in the next two months. The president has said the arch will serve as a monument to American history and military service. The structure will resemble Paris’s Arc de Triomphe and be funded by money left over from the White House ballroom project, according to Fox Digital News.
