What official name identifies the United States’ 250th-anniversary observance in 2026?

The official name identifying the United States’ 250th-anniversary observance in 2026 is the United States Semiquincentennial.

The observance marks 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Its principal anniversary date is July 4, 2026, although programs and commemorations began earlier and continue throughout the anniversary period.

“Semiquincentennial” combines Latin- and Greek-derived elements associated with half of 500, meaning 250. The event is also sometimes called a sestercentennial, quarter-millennium, or bisesquicentennial, but “United States Semiquincentennial” is the formal title used for the national observance.

It follows the United States Bicentennial of 1976, which marked the 200th anniversary of independence. The next comparable national milestone will be the Tricentennial in 2076, marking 300 years.