Anticipation is building across the United States ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, with a wide array of events planned that range from a state fair spanning the National Mall to a mixed-martial-arts fight on the White House lawn, according to BBC News.
Two separate planning bodies are organizing the festivities. America250 was established by Congress ten years ago with a mandate to plan nonpartisan events. Freedom250, a public-private partnership created by Trump, is organizing additional programming, including a massive state fair, the UFC fight, and the Independence Day fireworks display. The bifurcated planning structure has raised questions about whether the celebrations could become politicized, BBC reported.
A 16-day Great American State Fair is scheduled from June 25 to July 10 across the National Mall, from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. All 56 U.S. states and territories will be showcased in the exposition, according to Freedom250.
The fair’s concert series has drawn headlines in recent weeks after several scheduled performers withdrew. Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC, and Bret Michaels each announced they would no longer perform, citing the event’s affiliation with the White House. Some said they had not realized the event was tied to Freedom250.
Trump responded on social media by threatening to cancel the entire concert lineup. “We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” the president wrote. Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida are still scheduled to perform in June and July.
Construction crews are working on the South Lawn of the White House to build a fight cage for a UFC event scheduled for June 14, the same day as Trump’s 80th birthday. The arena will hold about 5,000 spectators, with an additional 75,000 to 100,000 fans able to watch on screens in a nearby area, BBC reported.
Trump first announced his intention to bring a UFC fight to the White House last year, a plan that many doubted would materialize. The White House said that while Freedom250 is planning the event, UFC is financing it. Dana White, the president of UFC, told Sports Business Journal in January that “We’re eating the whole thing.” The event is free and ticketed.
The July 4 fireworks display will be run by Freedom250 this year, taking over from the National Park Service. The 40-minute show is expected to include more than 860,000 fireworks, according to USA Today, which cited Freedom250’s request to Pyrotecnico that the display beat the Philippines’ 2016 record for the largest fireworks display in history. A typical display includes about 10,000 fireworks and lasts less than 20 minutes.
Beyond the capital, celebrations are planned nationwide. A ball will drop in Times Square on July 4 — eight times, once for each American time zone, with a different design for each drop, according to America250. In Philadelphia, a time capsule will be buried and remain sealed until 2276. “When it is opened in 2276, we want future generations to have a clear, authentic window into who we were at 250 – what we valued, what we built, and how we saw ourselves as a nation,” Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, said. Los Angeles will host a concert at the Memorial Coliseum with up to 50,000 attendees, and block parties are planned in cities such as Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In the lead-up to the anniversary, Trump initiated a series of beautification projects across Washington D.C. Last month, workers began painting the historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue. Trump said the paint would solve a leaking problem, last for 40 or 50 years and mean “there’ll be no leaks, there’ll be no anything.” The painting is facing a legal challenge from a nonprofit group that argues Trump ignored laws limiting changes to historical landmarks.