OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
2:24 PM – Friday, December 26, 2025
The 2026 New Year’s Eve (NYE) celebration in New York City’s Times Square will feature patriotic red, white, and blue lighting and effects on the crystal ball — honoring the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary and ultimately kicking off the New Year.
“To ring in the 4th of July, starting with the same type of festivities that you would normally see on New Year’s Eve — what better way to represent this global impact that we as a country have and the responsibility that comes with that?” Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, told The New York Post on Friday.
“Our goal is to inspire all 350 million Americans to join in this moment to celebrate our country,” Rios stated.
After the traditional midnight drop, the ball will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue, above illuminated “2026” numerals surrounded by 2,000 pounds of patriotic confetti. This will be accompanied by a second wave of red, white, and blue confetti, along with other patriotic elements such as a display of the U.S. flag on One Times Square.
This special moment is a collaboration with America250 — the congressional commission organizing the anniversary events — to officially kick off the nationwide celebrations for the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
It will be followed by a dynamic pyro finale set to “America the Beautiful,” America250 added.
At about 12:04 a.m., after the playing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a famous Scots poem and song popularized by Robert Burns, traditionally sung to bid farewell at New Year’s, a preview of upcoming festivities will also be broadcast.
“Whatever you’re imagining as a broadcast performance, it’s much more than that. It’s going to be huge, and it’s going to be beyond anyone’s expectations,” Rios teased about her team’s plans for Independence Day.
For the first time since 1907, a second ball drop will also take place on July 3rd to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
America250 is a “nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in commemorating the 250th anniversary of our country,” according to its website. It will be partnering with One Times Square and the Times Square Alliance to stage the special second ball drop.
“One Times Square has long been a place where the world comes together to celebrate pivotal moments—from the end of World War II to the moon landing,” said Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown L.P., which owns and operates One Times Square. “We’re proud to serve as the starting point of this historic year, showcasing the nation’s celebration on a global stage.”
President Donald Trump has long teased the exuberant celebrations that his administration has planned to mark the United States’ semiquincentennial.
Earlier this month, he also introduced “Freedom 250,” another non-partisan organization working with White House Task Force 250 to create “a movement of citizens, organizations, companies, and leaders from across the country to honor our Nation’s proud history, cherish our God-given freedoms, and build the Golden Age of Opportunity for the next 250 years.”
The Washington Monument will be lit with “birthday lights” from December 31st to January 5th, Trump noted. Additionally, the Great American State Fair on the National Mall is scheduled from June 25th to July 10th, “featuring pavilions from all 50 states highlighting breathtaking innovations and celebrating America’s exceptional history and culture.”
In the fall of 2026, the inaugural Patriot Games will invite young men and women, excluding transgender-identifying people, from each U.S. state to compete in a four-day athletic event for high school students.
Then, on May 17th, the administration will rededicate the United States as “one nation under God.” A commemorative coin featuring Trump’s face is also planned, to be circulated through the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 for the occasion.
The White House recently featured patriotic America 250 Christmas décor, personally selected by First Lady Melania Trump, as part of the “Home is Where the Heart Is” theme.
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