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America at 250 commemorations already taking shape

July 4, 2026 will be America’s semiquincentennial celebration

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) (Julio Cortez, Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

So, what will you be doing on July 4, 2026?

On that date, the United States will turn 250 years old, and already ways for people to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial anniversary are being formed by organizations and states.

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One website, America250.org, has already been established as the official website of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and is allowing citizens to share their American story through photos, videos, artwork, poems, songs, letters and emails, or on social media.

According to the website, states are already thinking about the anniversary as well, with 36 states already having Semiquincentennial commissions in place.

What did America’s bicentennial look like on July 4, 1976?

The USCGC Eagle. (Getty Images)

The last time a celebration of this magnitude took place in 1976, when the country celebrated its 200th birthday with an assortment of bicentennial celebrations.

In New York, a fleet of ships from around the world gathered on Independence Day as a way to say happy birthday to America.

In Washington, D.C., Johnny Cash was the grand marshal of a U.S. bicentennial parade that was also attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Bicentennial Parade (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Two days later, Queen Elizabeth presented the bicentennial bell in Philadelphia as a gift from Britain. Queen Elizabeth spent time before and after July 4, 1976, touring the country as part of the festivities.

(Original Caption) Queen Elizabeth II speaks at a state dinner at the White House on the occasion of her visit to help celebrate the Bicentennial, 7th July 1976. President Ford listens at right. (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Do you already have plans or ways on how you’ll celebrate America’s 250th birthday in 2026? Let us know in the comments below.


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