What is the formal name of America250, the 250th anniversary celebration of U.S. independence?

America250 is formally known as the United States Semiquincentennial.

A semiquincentennial is a 250th anniversary. The term combines “semi,” meaning half, with “quincentennial,” meaning a 500th anniversary. In everyday usage, America250 is easier to say and serves as the branding for the national commemoration.

The celebration commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776. It is sometimes described with other historical terms, including “sestercentennial” and “quarter millennium,” but “United States Semiquincentennial” is the formal name used for the nationwide observance.

The name can be confused with “sesquicentennial,” which means a 150th anniversary. The United States celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1926 and its bicentennial in 1976. America250 instead marks the passage of two and a half centuries since independence.