Times Square hosted a special America250 countdown event on July 3, 2026.
The event adapted the famous Times Square ball-drop tradition for the United States Semiquincentennial. Instead of occurring on New Year’s Eve, this one-off celebration counted down toward July 4, the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Times Square is a major commercial and entertainment district in Midtown Manhattan, centered around the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Its illuminated billboards and regular New Year’s Eve celebration made it a recognizable setting for a national countdown.
The event is easy to confuse with the annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, but it was a separate anniversary event held in July. It also took place on July 3, before the official anniversary date of July 4, 2026.