250 years ago, on July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. This year, the United States is celebrating the Semiquincentennial anniversary of American independence with massive events all over the country, like the American 250 Relay from San Francisco to Delaware.
As part of the festivities, Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum will host a massive concert on July 4th. L.A. is an official host of America’s Block Party, which claims to be the “largest synchronized Fourth of July celebration in U.S. history,” featuring a ball drop in New York and numerous parties around the country.
America250 is planning for a family-friendly concert at the Coliseum featuring “major musical artists and patriotic tributes,” with headliners expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Organizers expect an in-person audience of up to 50,000 people, plus a nationwide audience tuning into the livestream.
America’s Block Party
The official host locations of America’s Block Party are New York, with a ball drop at midnight on July 3rd, and Los Angeles, with the concert.
Other cities are gearing up for smaller celebrations, including a waterfront fireworks display in Charleston, SC; a festival for military families in Fort Campbell, KY; and concerts at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI.
America250 is managed by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which Congress created as a bipartisan body in 2016 to plan the celebrations. Its chair is Rosie Rios, who served as U.S. Treasurer under Barack Obama, and who was appointed to the commission by Joe Biden in 2022, according to Politico.
President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, President Barack Obama, and Mrs. Michelle Obama serve as Honorary National Co-Chairs of the nonpartisan entity.
The Commission works in parallel with a White House task force called Freedom250, which was established by Donald Trump. It’s dedicated to producing more Trump-centric events, such as the Great American State Fair and the Washington Monument lighting.
You can learn more about America’s Block Party at the America250 website.
