What is the formal name of America's 250th-anniversary celebration, branded America250?
Answer
United States Semiquincentennial
The formal name of America's 250th-anniversary celebration, branded America250, is the United States Semiquincentennial.
The word semiquincentennial combines roots meaning half of five hundred, or 250 years. It is less familiar than centennial, bicentennial, and tricentennial, which describe 100th, 200th, and 300th anniversaries. The event has also been called a bisesquicentennial, sestercentennial, or quarter millennium.
The celebration commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its official date is July 4, 2026, exactly 250 years after the Second Continental Congress adopted the document in Philadelphia.
People sometimes use “America250” as though it were the formal historical name. America250 is the public-facing brand, while United States Semiquincentennial is the descriptive name for the anniversary itself.