Which earlier national celebration immediately precedes America's 250th anniversary in the United States anniversary sequence?

The United States Bicentennial immediately precedes America's 250th anniversary in the national anniversary sequence.

The Bicentennial commemorated 200 years since the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence and culminated on July 4, 1976. The Semiquincentennial will mark 250 years on July 4, 2026, exactly half a century after the Bicentennial.

Other anniversary names describe different intervals. A centennial marks 100 years, a sesquicentennial marks 150 years, and a tricentennial marks 300 years. The 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia came before the 1976 Bicentennial, while the 1876 Centennial Exposition marked the 100th anniversary.

The 1976 observances included parades, fireworks, an international fleet gathering, exhibitions, royal visits, and commemorative projects across the country. America250 draws on that earlier national celebration but also has its own congressional commission and program of events. Both anniversaries center on independence declared in 1776, rather than on the later Constitution.