What anniversary of the United States will be celebrated on July 4, 2026?

The United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.

The date commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which the Second Continental Congress adopted in 1776. Because the anniversary marks 250 years, it is also called the semiquincentennial, a word built from Latin and Greek roots meaning half of 500.

The 2026 celebration follows the United States Bicentennial in 1976, which marked 200 years of independence. America250 is the common public branding for the nationwide commemoration, while the formal historical term is the United States Semiquincentennial.

The anniversary date is July 4 rather than July 2 because July 4 is the date printed on the adopted Declaration and the date traditionally observed as Independence Day. The document was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776, after the independence resolution had passed earlier.