Freedom 250 Fair Opens on National Mall With Ferris Wheel and State Displays

The Trump administration opened the Freedom 250 fair on the National Mall on July 4, 2026, featuring a ferris wheel, rodeo demonstrations and tourism displays for all 50 states. Abc reported that the event replaced an earlier bipartisan America250 committee established by Congress in 2016, with President Trump naming himself chair and Vice President JD Vance as vice-chair.

God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood, released in 1984, played at the fair and other official anniversary events.

Most musicians booked for the fair cancelled their appearances after learning of its partisan focus, and video of visibly thin crowds circulated widely online. President Trump posted on social media that the fair was packed with happy people. An anti-Trump rally organized by activist groups occurred simultaneously in a Washington DC park.

The groups said they sought to counter an exclusionary narrative from the MAGA regime around the anniversary. The park event included singing, dancing, a Native American drum performance and protest speeches. Stacy Nichols, a dental nurse and new grandmother from Michigan, attended the park rally and said she was absolutely not proud to be an American.

She described her feelings as pissed off, angry, enraged, citing patients who could not afford medication or whose relatives faced immigration enforcement. Cindy Luiz told Abc at the rally that the Freedom 250 fair represented a celebration of fascism.

Muarib Abdul-Tawwab, who traveled 18 hours by bus from Mississippi, said America has never been great and cited ongoing problems with food affordability, education and housing.

Lisa Jox, a recently retired government worker from Pennsylvania who attended the fair, said she felt pride in America's record of providing global aid, including assistance after a recent earthquake in Venezuela. A Pew Research poll found 29 percent of respondents satisfied with the direction of the country.