What name is given to America’s 250th anniversary in the official America250 commemoration?

America’s 250th anniversary is called the United States Semiquincentennial.

The word combines Latin- and Greek-derived elements associated with half of five hundred, producing the meaning “250th anniversary.” America250 uses Semiquincentennial as the formal name for the national commemoration connected with the 1776 Declaration of Independence. The anniversary falls on July 4, 2026.

Several alternative terms exist, including sestercentennial, quarter millennium, and bisesquicentennial. However, Semiquincentennial is the official term most prominently associated with the federal commemoration. The shorter America250 brand is designed to be easier to recognize and use in programs, events, and educational materials.

The terminology can be confused with bicentennial, which means a 200th anniversary. The United States celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, two centuries after the Declaration. A tricentennial would mark 300 years and is expected in 2076. America250 therefore marks a distinct quarter-millennium milestone between those better-known anniversaries.