July 4 on the National Mall

The festival

What is July 4 on the National Mall

On July 4, the United States celebrates the Declaration of Independence, approved in 1776, and Washington holds the nation’s most symbolic celebration on the National Mall, the large axis of lawns between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. The day includes the reading of the Declaration, a parade, an outdoor concert and, at night, a fireworks display over the reflecting pool, with the Washington Monument and the memorials illuminated.

The day begins on the steps of the National Archives, on Constitution Avenue, the building that holds the original Declaration. For more than half a century, the Archives has hosted a morning ceremony there with music and a dramatic reading of the text by actors dressed as figures from the independence era, followed by family activities such as signing a copy of the Declaration with a quill. On these days the museum stays open later, and many people take the opportunity to see the original on display.

Soon after, the national Independence Day parade runs along Constitution Avenue with marching bands, military units, drill teams, floats, balloons and contingents from several states. Programming on the Mall is coordinated by the National Park Service, which manages the lawns and memorials. In the afternoon there are activities near the Washington Monument, and the Capitol’s west lawn hosts a traditional orchestral concert that is broadcast nationwide.

The highlight is the evening. After sunset, fireworks light up the National Mall, with launch sites announced in each year’s program, illuminating the sky above the Washington Monument in a spectacle visible from many points in the city and from the Virginia side of the Potomac River. Crowds arrive early on the lawns with blankets and chairs, and the atmosphere is picnic-like.

The tradition of celebrating independence with public readings, bells, bands and fireworks dates from the country’s first year: on July 8, 1776, the Declaration was read aloud in Philadelphia, and the following year the city began celebrating on July 4, the date the text was approved. July 4 is a federal holiday, with flags on houses, barbecues and fireworks across the country, but in Washington the date gains the backdrop of monuments and buildings where American history was made. Many visitors use the occasion to visit the memorials and the Smithsonian museums around the Mall; check opening hours on the holiday in advance.