Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary in Grand Rapids

The United States of America turned 250 years old on July 4, 2026, and Grand Rapids is joining in the year-long festivities surrounding the nation’s semiquincentennial!

America250 (A250) is a national nonpartisan initiative to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The document, which formally declared the United States a separate and independent country, was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. 

Here’s how you can celebrate A250 in Grand Rapids.

July 4^th Weekend

GR’s biggest A250 events took place on and around the actual anniversary date. Everyone is invited to participate in these community celebrations:

The Annual Grand Rapids Independence Day Fireworks Show, always West Michigan’s biggest fireworks display, was even larger this year to honor of A250. The free, family-friendly event began at 6pm July 4 with entertainment, food vendors, exhibitor booths and the Meijer Family Fun Zone, and the fireworks lit up the city skyline around 10:30pm. The party and main viewing area for this event was held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s employee parking lot: 51 Market Ave SW, at the corner of Fulton Street and Market. The Gillett Bridge, Blue Bridge and Pearl Street Bridge were closed after 8:30 pm to provide additional viewing areas. Fireworks launched from the Fulton Street Bridge. Ah-Nab-Awen Park, the traditional site of our July 4^th celebration, was closed this year due to the Grand River restoration.

The Fourth at the Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum was a special Independence Day event offering free admission and family-friendly activities on July 4. Admission to the entire Museum was free for all visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highlights included living history reenactors, patriotic art in the lobby, family craft activities, flag giveaways and food trucks.

Grand Rapids Symphony presented Picnic Pops: Happy Birthday, America, featuring patriotic music by Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, John Williams and more, at the new Acrisure Amphitheater on July 4.

GR Foodie Fest is a three-day outdoor celebration showcasing local flavors, cultures and creativity, with 40+ food trucks and vendors, live entertainment and family-friendly activities. It’s a great opportunity to come together over food, music and shared experience. Occurred July 3-5 in Calder Plaza.

July 4th weekend was the perfect time to enjoy a locally crafted commemorative beverage. These drinks were available throughout July or until they sell out:
• Bob’s Brewery in downtown GR’s B.O.B. (Big Old Building) has created Party in the U.S.Ale, a Founding Fathers-inspired pale ale featuring notes of spruce and molasses.
• The Mitten Brewing Company offered The Pursuit of Hoppiness, a modern interpretation of George Washington’s “small beer” recipe, closest in style to an English pale ale or bitter.
• Vivant Brewery + Spirits served up Bold Paradise, a distinctly American take on a west coast IPA, featuring Audacia, a new American-bred hop variety, along with the vibrant flavors of currant and huckleberry, complemented by an aromatic bouquet of rose, lilac
and lavender.
• Farmhaus Cider Co. reminded us that cider is America’s oldest drink, has crafted Founding Fathers Cider, a dry and slightly hazy hard cider made in the style of our forefathers and fermented with a saison yeast.

A Year to Remember

Grand Rapids is remembering 1776 with a host of memorable events and activities all throughout 2026.  

Gerald Ford was president during the nation’s Bicentennial (200-year) celebration – so it makes sense that the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum would take a lead role in the local commemoration of A250. Throughout the year, the Museum is hosting a variety of speakers reflecting on American history and presenting these special exhibitions:

• Waltzing with the Queen: President Ford and the Anglo-American Special Relationship showcases the gown worn by Queen Elizabeth to the July 1976 State Dinner held in her honor along with Head of State gifts from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to President Ford and his family, the pen used by President John F. Kennedy to sign the proclamation making Sir Winston Churchill an honorary U.S. citizen, the table gifted to President Eisenhower from Queen Elizabeth featuring detailed engraving of the D-Day invasion, and more. Thru Oct. 25.

• Opening the Vault: The Northwest Ordinance features the original 1787 document, on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration, and explores its significance in helping shape the ideals and values of our young nation. Thru Nov. 1.

• America at 250: Reflections on the Bicentennial explores how President Ford joined Americans across the country in commemorating the Bicentennial. The exhibit highlights some of the nationwide celebrations in 1976 and public gifts given to President Ford. Thru Dec. 3.

• The American Eagle showcases many of the bald-eagle themed Bicentennial gifts that were accepted by President Ford on behalf of the American people, some crafted by skilled artisans, others handmade by an enthusiastic public. June 27-Aug. 30.

AIM High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen featuring Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum is an all-ages interactive exhibit exploring multiple aspects of aviation, including the rich history of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots to serve in the U.S. military. Thru Sep. 6.

We the People: The Roots of Belonging at Zeeland’s Dekker-Huis Museum (about 25 minutes from downtown GR) and We the People: Voices of Holland at the Holland Museum (33 minutes away) are complementary exhibits encouraging reflection on how every generation has contributed to the American story and continue to help shape Michigan today. The Roots of Belonging runs thru Dec. 31 and Voices of Holland thru Jan. 11.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum  is another great place to get in touch with American history, dating all the way back to the Anishinabek, the original inhabitants of the Grand Rapids area. Three new murals representing the Anishinaabe creation myth have been added to the Museum’s collection of artifacts and interactive displays exploring indigenous culture, and a reimagined Anishinabek exhibit is set to open in Fall 2026. You’ll also want to check out the Museum’s Furniture Factory, Streets of Old Grand Rapids and Newcomers: the People of This Place exhibits for additional historical context.

The history and culture of Black Americans – here in GR and across the country – take center stage at the Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives , which is launching a 3^rd Ward Legacy Tour on July 4^th. This app-based walking and driving tour will feature 50 stops, kiosks and QR code placards exploring the rich Black history of the diverse, vibrant 3^rd ward on the city’s southeast side.

The Democracy Café is a mobile civic experience bringing free refreshments, conversation and learning opportunities to neighborhoods across Grand Rapids. It will also pop up at the Grand Rapids Hispanic Festival (Aug. 7-8 in Calder Plaza), A Glimpse of Africa Festival (Aug. 15-16 in Calder Plaza), Fiesta Mexicana (Sep. 11-13 in Calder Plaza) and Liberation Saturday  (Sep. 12 in Garfield Park).

Scroll down for a list of A250 events to come in Grand Rapids.

About A250

America250 aims to inspire Americans to reflect on our past, strengthen our love of country and renew our commitment to the ideals of democracy through programs that educate, engage and unite us as a nation.

Cities and states across the country are seizing this opportunity to engage citizens in the largest anniversary celebration in our nation’s history, and Grand Rapids – which is celebrating its 175^th anniversary – is no exception. The city’s A250 initiative was officially launched in April 2025, when 150 leaders from across Grand Rapids came together to begin planning both a celebration and a call to action – inviting residents to honor the past while working toward a more connected, purpose-driven future that is closer to realizing a more perfect union, right here in our city.

GRA250 is about principle, not politics, encouraging all of Grand Rapids and Kent County to come together and think about our founding values and what they mean today … and how we can carry them forward into the future. Join in the celebration!

For more information, visit GRA250.com.