The largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in the nation’s history will have a major impact on tourism
By Randy Mink
Group travel organizers, state and local tourism bureaus, and merchandisers of all stripes are hoping to reap big rewards in 2026, when the United States will be celebrating the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the Declaration of Independence.
The red-letter day will be July 4, the day our nation’s groundbreaking document was signed, but commemorative events will be taking place in the months before and after.
America250, the official non-partisan entity charged by Congress with planning the anniversary, is spearheaded by the congressionally appointed U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.
Many are already comparing America250 celebrations to the country’s Bicentennial bash in 1976, a star-spangled year that, for those old enough to remember, evokes memories bathed in red, white and blue. There were sculptures and monuments created for the occasion, special museum exhibitions, historical reenactments, USA-branded keepsakes, parades, and other festivities in towns big and small. Existing festivals took on patriotic and Revolutionary themes.
‘A strong love of country’
Former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios, who heads America250 as chair of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, fondly recalls observing Bicentennial fetes as an 11-year-old in Northern California, where she grew up with eight siblings raised by a single mother, an immigrant from Mexico. She watched sailing ships gather in Boston and New York harbors on her family’s black-and-white television, visited the national Freedom Train exhibit when it stopped in Oakland and witnessed the Fourth of July fireworks.
“I remember feeling a strong love of country during the Bicentennial in 1976,” Rios said. “I want my kids—and all Americans—to experience that same feeling for the upcoming semiquincentennial.”
So far, 43 U.S. states and territories have established a 250 commission to coordinate festivities in their respective jurisdictions. Much of the focus in 2026 will be on the Eastern Seaboard, where colonial America had its beginnings.
In March 2024, more than 450 attendees from 34 states and more than 50 Virginia localities met to share ideas at Colonial Williamsburg for the second annual “A Common Cause to All” conference. Hosted by the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, it offered inspiration and networking opportunities for the educators, historical institutions, and political and civic leaders who gathered.
A theme running throughout the forum was how the 250 commemoration can bring together and unite Americans, much as the Bicentennial did in 1976. Observance of the milestone can also increase interest in American history for all ages, but particularly for children, as many speakers emphasized. Sessions focused on teacher resources, digital content, multi-state collaboration, Gen Z engagement, democracy in polarizing times, and engaging diverse and under-served communities.
“Once again, we come together in common cause to continue building collaborative programming and events to commemorate our nation’s semiquincentennial,” said Carly Fiorina, board chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “We are committed to educating our fellow Americans about the entirety of the complex but nevertheless inspiring story of our nation’s founding, engaging with every community and ultimately inspiring our fellow citizens to continue the work to form a more perfect union.”
A view from Drummers Call at Colonial Williamsburg.
Ken Burns’ new documentary ‘The American Revolution’
Attendees in Williamsburg got a sneak peak at Ken Burns’ new documentary “The American Revolution,” which will air on PBS stations in 2025. Already six years in the making, the six-part, 12-hour series will look at the fight for America’s independence and the birth of the United States.
Rios is helming the America Waves campaign, which will encourage everyone to pause their personal celebrations on Independence Day in 2026 at 2:50 p.m. and collectively wave their American flags. Also on that day, a time capsule containing memorabilia from all 50 states will be buried at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Leading America250 efforts in New England, Masschusetts held a weekend-long event honoring the semiquincentennial anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in December 2023. During that monumental event leading up to the Revolution, colonists protested taxes imposed by the British by destroying 92,000 pounds of London’s East India Company tea on December 16, 1773. Re-enactments in Boston were staged at Faneuil Hall, Old South Meeting House, Boston’s Downtown Crossing and the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.
In Yorktown, Virginia from November 7-10, 2024, a similar re-enactment will commemorate the Yorktown Tea Party, a less famous cousin of the Boston protest. On November 7, 1774, rebellious colonists stormed the waterfront, climbed aboard the ship Virginia and emptied two half chests of tea into the York River. Similar protests against British taxation and lack of colonial representation in Parliament occurred in other colonies as well.
“It’s crucial to remember that the Boston Tea Party was not an isolated incident,” said Michael Steen, director of education of the Watermen’s Museum and chair of the Yorktown Tea Party 250th Anniversary Planning Committee.
Virginia will celebrate the big event
As one of the three points in Virginia’s Historic Triangle, Yorktown—along with Williamsburg and Jamestown—promises to be a focus of VA250 celebrations for the next two years. Perennially popular with group tours, it is home to the highly regarded American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Settlement, two other premier living history museums, also will appear in many Virginia itineraries, as will Historic Jamestowne museum and archaeological excavation site and Yorktown Battlefield, a National Park Service unit.
Multiple Virginia towns and historical attractions this fall will observe the Lafayette Grand Tour 200th Anniversary, which commemorates the 1824-1825 U.S. tour made by France’s Major General Marquis de Lafayette on his return to the country for which he helped gain independence. He was feted in 24 states with parades, balls and other festivities. Lafayette bicentennial events will take place in Fredericksburg, Yorktown, Loudoun County, Charlottesville (Monticello), Fairfax County (Mount Vernon) and other locations. The Fredericksburg Area Museum just unveiled the exhibition Lafayette’s World: Revolutionary Ideals and the Limits of Freedom.
In June of 2026, Sail250 Virginia will feature an international fleet of tall ships and military vessels in Norfolk and other ports in the Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay region. Offering free visits to the public, the fleet also will sail into Boston, New York, Baltimore and New Orleans.
A signature VA250 exhibition will run from March 22, 2025 to January 4, 2026 at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond. Titled Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation, it intends to inspire appreciation for the actions of iconic and ordinary individuals who brought about a model of democratic government. The opening coincides with the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. The spellbinder, to be reenacted at St. John’s Church on March 23, 2025, galvanized the revolutionary spirit.
Other upcoming exhibitions at the museum include Free Black People in Virginia (June 14, 2025 to July 5, 2026), a look at how free black Virginians achieved their freedom, fought for civil rights and persevered within a legal system that recognized them as free but not equal. We the People (March 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027) will spotlight those who have made Virginia the place it is and the impact of the immigrant experience throughout the Commonwealth’s history.
Group tours are available at Halifax State Historic Site, which features a museum, a 13-minute film, and several authentically restored and furnished buildings.
The small town of Halifax, which claims the title “Birthplace of American Independence,” is the focal point for North Carolina’s America250 observances. Its two-year celebration kicked off in April at Halifax State Historic Site, which commemorates the Halifax Resolves, a document generally considered the first official act of any colony to sever ties from Great Britain. Created by North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress in Halifax, it empowered North Carolina representatives to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to vote for independence and urged the other 12 colonies to follow suit.
Group tours are available at Halifax State Historic Site, which features a museum, a 13-minute film, and several authentically restored and furnished buildings, including the 1838 Jail and 1790 Eagle Tavern. Costumed interpreters and craft demonstrations bring history to life.
In anticipation of America250 celebrations, Princess Cruises is offering a “Historic America” cruisetour in 2025 that combines a seven-night land tour with overnight stays in Washington D.C., Williamsburg, Staunton, Gettysburg and Philadelphia prior to boarding a seven-day Canada/New England cruise on the Enchanted Princess roundtrip from New York City. Departure dates are August 16, 23, 30; September 6, 13, 20, 27; and October 4, 11 and 18, 2025. Rates start at $4,529 per person.
Land highlights on the cruisetour include Washington, D.C. monuments and museums, Arlington National Cemetery, George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, Jamestown Settlement and a full day in Colonial Williamsburg. Ports of call on the cruise are Newport, Rhode Island; Boston; Portland, Maine; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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