Fireworks, heat, hot dogs and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday

WASHINGTON (AP) —

The 250th anniversary of American independence was celebrated across a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple states as celebrations got underway Saturday throughout the United States.

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The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of history’s most celebrated articulations of democratic ambitions, is being marked in myriad ways.

President Donald Trump spoke on the National Mall before what was being billed as a historically enormous fireworks show that rained down over the nation’s capital. He was in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore on Friday, where he delivered a dark speech about the threat of communism in the U.S.

Fireworks were set off over Navy Pier in Chicago and against the skyline of New York City. New York hosted a ball drop at midnight to usher in the holiday with the same fanfare as New Year’s Eve and saw tall ships parade past the Statue of Liberty, recalling the fanfare around America’s 200th anniversary in 1976.

Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

New U.S. citizen and twice-deployed U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare, from Guinea, poses for a portrait following the naturalization ceremony on Independence Day at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Alexandria, Va.

Undeterred, a U.S. Marine from Guinea became a newly minted citizen at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia, wearing a crisp dress uniform and a small smile, while a 7-year-old raced onto a parade route in Brattleboro, Vermont, to snatch a Tootsie Roll. In Louisville, Kentucky, people used a Sharpie equipped with a feather to scribble their signatures on a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Heat is defining the big weekend in many places

In Washington, a rodeo and the city’s main Independence Day parade scheduled for Saturday were canceled, but a smaller one rolled along in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in the morning as onlookers sought shade under trees along the route. Also in the area, dozens of members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front wearing face masks and carrying Confederate battle flags held a march. No arrests were reported, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front gather at Eastern Market metro station on July 04, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

In Philadelphia, fireworks began to crack as early as midday in the birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with commemorations of the holiday.

“It’s one big party in here,” Carlos Alban, who traveled to Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.

About 45 minutes before another World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium.

On New York’s Coney Island, competitors chowed down on hot dogs at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July contest.

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won for the 18th time in 21 appearances, eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. On the women’s side, defending champion Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, held the title by downing 38.75 dogs. Both champions said the heat wave made the competition more difficult.

The Statue of Liberty is framed by Argentina’s Ara Libertad in the New York harbor during the International Parade of Sail, part of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York.

Tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River.

The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy’s Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force’s acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbor with their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American flag.

Military planes perform a flyover of the Hudson River, above the Manhattan skyline, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026.

At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. They stood with eyes closed and hands over their hearts for the national anthem.

An uneasy nation gets ready to celebrate

The celebrations unfolded against the backdrop of a deep divide this election year that has been expanding for years, visible in everything from political expression to cultural norms to age-old questions over race, class and immigration.

At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump spoke of communism as a “mortal threat to American liberty,” with the Republican president saying it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, July 3, 2026.

Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who is also a democratic socialist and recently backed several successful congressional candidates in their primaries, appeared to reference Trump during a speech Friday.

“Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them,” he said.

Fireworks explode after President Donald Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, S.D.

Vice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America’s birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.

“They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong,” Vance said, speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor.

Performers prepare on the pitch for the U.S. national anthem to mark the Fourth of July before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and France at Philadelphia Stadium on July 04, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.