US celebrates 250th anniversary with fireworks, flyovers and extreme weather
Scorching heat and delays: how Washington DC marked the 250th anniversary of the United States
ByBernd Debusmann Jr.Report ofat the Washington National Mall, And Nardine SaadReport ofin Los Angeles
The United States celebrated its 250th anniversary with fireworks and flyovers, but celebrations across the country were complicated by extreme weather.
“The American dream is back,” US President Donald Trump told a cheering crowd at a delayed rally on Washington’s National Mall, ahead of what he described as the world’s largest fireworks display.
The federal holiday of July 4 commemorates when the 13 American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to end British rule.
Despite the celebrations, Trump has been criticized for placing himself at the center of the milestone and politicizing the celebrations.
The president’s speech, which ended shortly before midnight, touched on political themes such as the rejection of communism, his support for the Save America Act and the right to bear arms.
“Long live the cause of independence,” he declared. “May he reign forever, ever. We will always be on top, we will never let our country fall, we will always be the best.”
People gathered to attend the rally despite previous storms
Trump concluded his speech by calling this moment “just the dawn of America’s golden age” with its destiny “written by God.”
Celebrations in Washington DC were delayed due to a thunderstorm that forced an evacuation of the National Mall earlier in the evening.
Guests participating in Salute to America, the Great American State Fair and the FIFA fan zone were asked to seek temporary shelter in nearby buildings.
Once the storm passed, the festivities resumed, including a flyover featuring the new Air Force One and a concert.
The grand finale – the fireworks – was marked by a massive burst of explosions, ending around 01:00 local time (06:00 GMT). The small crowd on Capitol Hill cheered before quickly heading for the exits as it began to rain lightly.
People traveled across the country to attend, including Tammy Wapshott, who came from South Carolina and has been planning her trip to Washington, DC since last November.
She told the BBC she had come to celebrate “the best country in the world” where everyone was “free to do what we want”.
About 400 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front were seen carrying American flags as they marched in unison through the streets of the capital.
Videos posted to social media show the masked and uniformed members walking near the Capitol building and Union Station, the city’s main passenger rail hub.
The rally, hosted by Trump and first lady Melania Trump, was delayed due to storms.
Severe weather disrupted July 4 celebrations, with people taking shelter ahead of Trump’s rally in Washington DC.
Concerts and naturalization ceremonies
Accusations that Trump politicized the anniversary arose from the launch of Freedom 250, a privately funded event committee to compete with the America 250 commission created by the U.S. Congress.
As part of bipartisan America 250 celebrations, communities across the country took part in America’s Block Party and held local rallies.
Musicians including Ne-Yo, Mary J Blige, The Smashing Pumpkins, Chaka Khan, Christina Aguilera and Will Smith have performed across the country.
On Thursday, members of Congress gathered at the “cradle of America” where the Declaration was signed in 1776, Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Fireworks were set off across the country, including on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
Joey Chestnut won the 2026 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York
America 250 organizers also buried a time capsule, to be opened in 200 years, that included a Coca-Cola bottle, a signed copy of the Constitution and items from all 50 U.S. states and territories.
In Mount Vernon, Virginia – US President George Washington’s first estate – a naturalization ceremony welcomed 150 people from 50 countries as American citizens.
New York City held its annual hot dog eating contest, a tradition since 1972, in which Joey Chestnut won his 18th contest title. Chestnut ate 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.
In the women’s competition, Miki Sudo finished 38 and three quarters of a hot dog to win her 12th competition title.
Chris Cornell, who traveled to the capital from Maryland, rejected the notion that the 250th anniversary celebrations had become political, commenting: “We’re all here just to celebrate our country.”
F22 Raptor fighter jets escorted the new version of Air Force One over the National Mall as part of July 4 celebrations.
Heatwaves and power outages
Some Independence Day events have been canceled or temporarily closed due to the scorching heat on the U.S. East Coast this week.
The National Park Service’s Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C., was canceled Friday, along with other celebrations. closed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Colorado.
Washington DC was scorching in temperatures of 100F (37C) on Saturday as the main celebrations began.
Some of the highest temperatures on Saturday included 106F (41C) in New Jersey and 101F (38C) in Delaware.
Around 750,000 properties in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and New Jersey was left without power due to extreme weather conditions, according to the Power Outage tracker.
Energy company DTE said extreme weather, including winds topping 60 mph Friday night in Michigan, left more than 350,000 homes in the state without power.
Former presidents reflect
The four former American presidents still alive messages shared to mark this anniversary. Joe Biden recalled the decree in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal.
“We chose this path 250 years ago, but this is where the work began, not where it ended,” he said, adding that the national promise of equality for all was a work in progress.
The nation’s first black president, Barack Obama, shared excerpts from a recent speech he gave at the opening of his presidential museum in June, in which he said “each generation must take up the unfinished work of the previous one and continue it.”
The 43rd President George W. Bush declared that “the next 250 years will require Americans to be citizens, not spectators.”
Meanwhile, his predecessor, Bill Clinton, took a moment to comment on American politics today.
“Today we celebrate this important milestone in a new period of deep divisions, renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself,” he said.
Additional reporting by Kwasi Asiadu
