During America250's July 3, 2026 Times Square countdown, the ball was lowered eight times for U.S. time zones.
The special event adapted New York City's famous New Year's Eve tradition for the United States Semiquincentennial. It counted down to midnight on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence.
The ball drops were staggered across time zones rather than occurring only once. The earliest lowering took place at 10 a.m. Eastern Time for the Chamorro Time Zone, which includes Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. A highlighted drop occurred at midnight Eastern Time, followed by the final lowering at 7 a.m. Eastern Time the next morning for the Samoa Time Zone, including American Samoa.
This event is easy to confuse with the regular Times Square ball drop, which traditionally occurs only on New Year's Eve. The 2026 America250 countdown was described as a special one-off edition outside the usual New Year's Eve schedule.