Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary in Grand Rapids

The United States of America turns 250 years old on July 4, 2026, and Grand Rapids is joining in the festivities!

America250 is a national nonpartisan initiative to celebrate and commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking America’s semiquincentennial. The aim is 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 is no exception. Even as we continue to celebrate our city’s 175^th anniversary, plans are in motion to make GRA250 an unforgettable milestone – starting with a grand launch event in fall 2025 and continuing through 2026 and beyond.

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.

Local Events & Activities

Grand Rapids is enlisting local community groups, businesses, schools, cultural organizations and other resources to participate in GRA250. Partnerships already in the works include:

• The Grand Rapids Art Museum is planning a GRA250 exhibit, tour, lecture series and event.
• The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is offering a walking tour focused on the Ford family.
• The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at GVSU will highlight GRA250 programming in lectures, discussions and more.
• The Grand Rapids Symphony is planning an A250 concert series.
• The Acrisure Amphitheater, opening in May 2026, will be a satellite location for the national “Be the People” celebration on July 4^th, 2026, with entertainment and fireworks on the banks of the Grand River.

There will be many more events and activities to come, and we’ll spotlight them in our Calendar of Events under the category “GRA250.”

The city is also inviting residents to share their stories. You can submit your reflections on GRA250, life in Grand Rapids and what civic engagement means to you.

History Comes Alive in GR

You don’t have to wait for the semiquincentennial year to get into the spirit of A250 – local museums are repositories of our shared history and experiences every day.

Grand Rapids’ own Gerald R. Ford led America’s 200^th anniversary celebration in 1976, and his namesake museum is an ideal place to explore American history – including bicentennial mementos – and Ford’s vision for a united country. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum also hosts fascinating speakers throughout the year and offers a walking tour focused on the Ford family in Grand Rapids. You can pay tribute to the president and First Lady Betty Ford at their gravesites on the grounds of the Museum. (Head to the Gerald Ford International Airport if you want a picture with President Ford – or, at least, a seated bronze statue of him. Located in an outdoor plaza, the statue is a popular selfie spot!)

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 – coinciding with the debut of a redesigned Carousel Pavilion (housing a working 1928 Spillman Carousel) plus new outdoor exhibit space and expanded access to the Grand River.

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 planning to observe the semiquincentennial in a new, much larger space. Expected to be completed by the end of 2025, the move to a new downtown building will allow the Museum to display the “vast and vibrant local and international African American history derived, specifically, from West Michigan."

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.