The United States is marking its 250th birthday with nationwide events, including a series of concerts and flypasts, as well as fireworks displays
Temperatures over 100F (38C) disrupted some celebrations, lead weather presenter Ben Rich writes
The National Mall stage and Great American State Fair are reopening in Washington after the threat of thunderstorms sent people running for cover
President Donald Trump's speech is being delayed but he says he will be there "no matter what"
US citizens tell the BBC their thoughts about the anniversary of Independence Day
Trump's second term in the White House will see some historic national events but the 250th independence anniversary seems to be of particular interest to him, writes our North America correspondent
Rich Preston
Reporting from Washington
The gates have now opened at the National Mall and people have made a rush for the security screening areas.
The Secret Service has promised they will make the re-screening process as quick and smooth as possible.
But there are thousands of people here desperate to get back to the venue. This will take a while.
Americans donned red, white and blue and braved record-breaking heat and thunderstorms to celebrate their country's 250th anniversary.
Here are some of our favourite pictures:
Image source, ReutersRevellers on the National Mall were evacuated because of thunderstorms in Washington, DC.
Image source, ReutersThunderstorms interrupted events in the nation's capital.
Image source, ReutersWomen and girls took part in a pageant in Virginia
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockMembers of the public take photographs of a man dressed as the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia
Image source, Getty ImagesSailors look over at the Statue of Liberty as they sail along the Hudson River in New York
Image source, Getty ImagesNational Guard members hand out water bottles outside the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC
Image source, Getty ImagesA woman dresses as an eagle with red, white and blue wings in Washington, DC
A confrontation in Boston on a cold March day between residents and British troops served as a major catalysts for US independence six years later.
The crowd hurled oyster shells, coal and hunks of ice at the soldiers, until the disturbance took a devastating turn. The British opened fire, leaving three men killed and two mortally wounded.
In Britain, the event was known euphemistically as "the incident on King Street", but locally it was named "the Boston Massacre".
Three weeks after the massacre, a copperplate engraving made by the prominent silversmith Paul Revere, appeared for sale in Boston newspapers. It was titled “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street, Boston on March 5, 1770, by a party of the 29th Regiment.”
Its gory depiction of felled patriots streaming with blood being fired on by a line of smirking soldiers served to stoke anti-British sentiment and fan the flames of the rebellion.
Read more of our coverage here. Warning: This linked article contains a graphic image that some readers may find upsetting.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Just moments after we heard the same from the White House, President Trump took to Truth Social to say that his remarks are still expected at 23:00 local time (04:00 BST).
In his post, Trump again said that he would be there "no matter what".
"It's Saturday night, let's have some fun," he wrote. "They say 11:00 O'Clock speech. Who cares?"
"Our great veterans, especially the old timers, many of whom are there, went through hellfire, and it didn’t stop them," he added. "It's not going to stop us either! I’m not going to let some rain stop our 250th. I’m leaving the White House soon."
Organisers have now confirmed the National Mall stage and Great American State Fair will reopen at 21:45 local time to guests for the Salute to America events.
"Rain or shine, the American people deserve a celebration worthy of our nation's historic 250th birthday," Freedom 250 - the group organising the festivities - wrote in a statement.
Firework shows have begun in the US, with New York kicking off some of the nighttime festivities.
Earlier, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani flipped the switch to make the lights on the Empire State Building red, white and blue.
Image source, ReutersMacy's Fourth of July fireworks explode as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary on Independence Day in New York City on 4 July 2026.
Image source, ReutersFireworks in New York
Image source, ReutersNew York City
Jonathan Csapo
BBC Producer
A crowd sheltering from the storm at the Jefferson Memorial just broke out into a rendition of the US national anthem - a sort of contrast to the chaos of evacuating the mall before the storm arrived.
Read more about The Star-Spangled Banner's surprising origins
Crowd sheltering at Jefferson Memorial sings US national anthem
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
President Trump seems confident that the show will go on.
In a phone call with Fox News just moments ago, Trump reportedly said that while his speech may be a "little bit shorter", he plans to do it, no matter what.
"If they can storm the beaches on D-Day, I can deliver a speech," the network reported he said.
A White House official tells the BBC that remarks are expected at 23:00 local time (04:00 BST), followed by fireworks, at the venue.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Those of us physically at the White House have not heard official anything from staffers here about whether President Trump's speech is delayed, and our view of what is happening in the surrounding area is very limited.
But just a short while ago, the White House's chief of protocol, Monica Crowley, called Fox News to deliver an update.
According to Crowley, the event is neither postponed nor cancelled as things stand.
"It is delayed as of right now," she said, adding that organisers and the White House are receiving updates every 15 minutes.
She confirmed, however, that those who were screened at the National Mall "security bubble" who left the area will have to be re-screened as they enter. It is unclear how long that would take.
We have yet to hear from President Trump this evening on-camera or on Truth Social.
Screens at the Washingon mall event have just advised that remaining flyovers for the night have been canceled.
Image source, Aaron Schwartz/POOL/EPA/ShutterstockF22 Raptor fighter jets escort the new version of Air Force One over the National Mall in Washington DC on July 4 before thunderstorms threatened.
Police rode motorcycles and evacuated visitors to nearby shelters at the fair at the mall area in Washington.US President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak later this evening but that may be delayed. The White House has not made an official announcement yet.
A large screen advised that the weather would mean the delay of a series of musical acts as well.
Image source, REUTERS/Cheney Orr
Image source, Photo by GRAEME SLOAN/EPA/ShutterstockAs we reported earlier, officials have been urging attendees at the Washington Fourth of July celebrations to take cover from the storm in one of the museums that line the Mall, such as the Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, or Museum of African American History and Culture.
Freedom 250 has expanded the list of available shelters to include the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Ronald Reagan Building, and the office buildings for the departments of Commerce, Education, and Agriculture.
"The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority," their statement read, urging all guests to evacuate event grounds and seek temporary shelter nearby.
Law enforcement officers and members of the US Secret Service have been seen helping people leave the event space.
Image source, Reuters
Peter Bowes
North America correspondent, in Washington
Tammy Wapshott is celebrating America's birthday along with her own
From Washington state on the west coast to Washington DC, many have travelled far and wide to gather at the National Mall for the 250 celebrations in the capital.
"None of us will ever see this celebration again," says Tammy Wapshott from South Carolina – busy celebrating not just America's birthday, but her own too.
"250 years, isn't that amazing?" she says, in reference to the age of her country, not herself. Having planned the visit since November last year, she tells the BBC she wanted to celebrate "the best country in the world" where all are "free to do what we wanna do".
"We're all just here to celebrate our country," says Chris Cornell from Maryland, who rejects the idea that the independence anniversary has turned political.
Scott Kopaczwski from Tampa, Florida, is accustomed to the heat
Many people are struggling with the temperature. "Hotter than heck," is how Kip Elliot from Nashville, Tennessee, is finding it.
David Richardson has jetted in from Seattle and is using all the tools at his disposal to stay cool – water, fans, spray mist, an umbrella. And ice cream, to the delight of his young son, Elijah.
Those who have arrived from warmer climates, like Scott Kopaczwski from Tampa, Florida, say the heat "reminds" them of home.
South Carolina's Tammy, also acclimatised to warmer weather, admits she's "struggling" and "'burnin' up".
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Only a handful of reporters and staff are currently milling about the press area in the White House.
A short time ago, many gathered outside to watch a flyover of Air Force One and various US combat aircraft, including the B-2 bombers made famous by last year's strikes on Iran.
We have not yet received any update on President Trump's movements this evening.
He was scheduled to speak in under two hours, but it's very possible - perhaps likely - that is delayed. Those who have left the area where he was expected to speech will almost certainly need to go through security checkpoints again. Given the crowd size, that may be a time-consuming process.
We will give you more updates as we receive them.
Rich Preston
BBC News
Image source, ReutersJust as we began setting up cameras to film the Salute to America celebrations, warnings came through about a potentially devastating thunderstorm sweeping through DC.
We are being told to pack up and get off the press risers and seek shelter.
Homeland Security officials are urging attendees to take cover in one of the museums that line the Mall, like Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, or Museum of African American History and Culture.
We do not know yet how the weather will impact the rest of the day's itinerary.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesIn the 250 years since the US declared its independence from Great Britain, the nation has grown from a sparsely populated collection of settlements scattered along the Atlantic coast into a global power spread over the breadth of a continent and beyond.
Starting from the original 13 colonies that covered 430,000 sq miles (1.1 million sq km), its geographic footprint has increased eightfold, to approximately 3.7 million sq miles.
The US population has undergone a similarly dramatic expansion. In 1790, the year of the first US Census, there were approximately four million Americans, including slaves. By 2025, this number had grown to 343 million – an 8,475% increase.
Even though the US today may be all but unrecognisable to the nation's founders 250 years ago, the cultural and political influences in the country would likely be familiar.
In hindsight, one can trace many of President Donald Trump's key political promises - limiting immigration, and expanding US power and territory - to the country's earliest distinctions and divisions.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Earlier today, we reported that members of the Patriot Front white supremacist group were in Washington, where they were seen at various points throughout the city.
They now appear to have left the immediate area around the celebrations, with Reuters reporting that they boarded Washington's subway system and left for New Carrolton, a suburb of the city in nearby Prince George's County, Maryland.
It is unclear where they have gone or whether they have dispersed once arriving there.
Reuters reported that about 400 members of the group were in the city, with hundreds visible at various points.
Videos posted to social media and the group's own Telegram channel showed the masked, uniformed members marching to drummers near the Capitol and Union Station, the city's main passenger rail hub.
The group was founded in 2017 following violence at the "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia, breaking off from another group.
Image source, ReutersMembers of Patriot Front were seen riding the metro in Washington
Jonathan Csapo
BBC Producer, reporting from Washington
With patience wearing already thin from the 40C (104F) temperatures outside, the announcement that a metro station on the National Mall was temporarily closed brought groans and shouts of anger from patrons trapped inside.
Throngs of would-be spectators lined both sides of the subway platform and watched trains pass by - seemingly trapped and with the possibility of missing tonight’s festivities hanging in the air.
Station managers refused to let anyone exit because the National Mall was “full”. After a half hour the station reopened - and passengers were greeted by lines wrapping around blocks for the next part of their 4th of July adventure - the Secret Service checkpoints.
Image source, ReutersUS President Donald Trump gave a patriotic speech at an iconic monument to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary.
Trump visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial - the massive sculpture where former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln have been carved directly into a rocky hillside - on Friday to pay tribute to the country's birthday.
During his speech Trump described how the former presidents "could only be made in the USA" and said that they had gathered at the mountain to express gratitude to the leaders who made the US the "most successful nation ever".
Trump has previously made comments about how his face should also be carved into the stone on Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in South Dakota, and has even shared AI generated images of his head attached to the sculpture.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, ReutersJoey Chestnut
In backyards across the US, hot dogs are being grilled as part of Independence Day tradition.
In New York's Coney Island, however, it's a serious business - the annual hot dog eating contest has taken place and there are two very familiar winners.
Joey Chestnut won the men's category - his 18th title in the contest, which was first held in 1972. This year, Chestnut downed 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner - beating second place winner, Patrick Bertoletti, who ate 51.
In the women's competition, Miki Sudo finished 38 and three-quarters of a hot dog to claim her 12th title. Michelle Lesco came in second place with 22 hot dogs.
Image source, ReutersMiki Sudo
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesA member of the US Navy parachute team "Leap Frogs" landed with a giant US flag on The Ellipse near the White House earlier
I've just arrived at the White House - which is surprisingly empty despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the July 4 celebrations on American media.
There are only a handful of reporters here, primarily from the outlets that staff the White House permanently or from the outlets that are in the daily press pool - which today includes the BBC.
Security was not abnormal for a large-scale event. The area on the north side of the White House is blocked off to pedestrians, extra black fencing has gone up, and garbage trucks and police cars are blocking nearby streets.
The set-up is similar to what we see when a high-profile visitor - such as Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - come to visit, or when large protests are planned in the city.
The streets on this side of the White House are largely empty, except for handfuls of tourists stopping to watch the flyovers, including a US Navy F/A-18 just moments ago.
