What term describes America250’s 250-year anniversary celebration of U.S. independence?

America250’s 250-year anniversary celebration of U.S. independence is called the semiquincentennial.

The word combines Latin-derived elements meaning half of five hundred, or 250. It follows the naming pattern used for other major anniversaries: a centennial marks 100 years, a bicentennial marks 200, and a sesquicentennial marks 150. The United States semiquincentennial centers on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

America250 is the public-facing name associated with the national commemoration. The term semiquincentennial is more precise historically, because the anniversary commemorates the 1776 declaration and the emergence of the United States as an independent nation. It is sometimes confused with “quarter-millennium,” another possible description of 250 years, but semiquincentennial is the established anniversary term used in official and historical contexts.

The celebration follows earlier national milestones, including the 1876 Centennial, the 1926 Sesquicentennial, and the 1976 Bicentennial.