New York City is at the center of America's 250th birthday celebration, with the iconic Times Square ball drop reactivated for the occasion — a rare sight outside of New Year's Eve.
The Times Square ball drop is being used to honor the Fourth of July for the first time outside of its traditional New Year's Eve role, with drops timed to mark midnight across all eight U.S. time zones — from Guam to Samoa.
The first drop occurred at 10 a.m. local time in New York City, marking midnight in Guam, the first U.S. territory to reach July 4. From there, drops will continue from midnight through 7 a.m., working through every time zone from the East Coast all the way through Hawaii, Alaska, and Samoa.
RELATED STORY | Where to go for unique travel experiences celebrating America 250
Crowds on the ground in Times Square can watch the drops in person, and members of the public also have the opportunity to go up to the 19th floor to watch from an observation deck. Organizers have painted the Declaration of Independence on a window there, allowing viewers to watch the ball drop through it. Visitors can also write reflections on small pieces of confetti that will eventually be used in the New Year's Eve ball drop later this year.
The celebration extends well beyond Times Square. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to deliver remarks from George Washington's desk at Federal Hall — the site of the nation's original capital.
The weekend's events are heavily military-focused. The largest gathering of tall ships ever assembled — 80 vessels from around the world, both military and civilian — will dock in New York City before parading around the Statue of Liberty on Saturday. The public will have the opportunity to board some of the ships. Fleet Week, typically held in May, was moved to this week to coincide with the 250th anniversary. Approximately 100 military aircraft are expected to fly up the Hudson River in an aerial show on Saturday morning lasting about an hour.
RELATED STORY | America 250 time capsule to be buried in Philadelphia on July 4th. Here's what's in it
The Macy's fireworks show will also be expanded this year. For the first time since 2000, the display will be held simultaneously on both the East River and the Hudson River, making it visible from the east side of Manhattan, the west side, New Jersey, and across the river.
The festivities come as a new Scripps News Talker Research poll finds Americans are broadly ready to celebrate, with more than 70% of respondents saying they are looking forward to the milestone. However, President Donald Trump's high-profile role in the national celebrations has drawn a more divided response. About half of Americans say his involvement is appropriate — including 80% of Republicans but just 27% of Democrats.
Looking further ahead, only about 4 in 10 Americans believe the next 250 years will be better than the last. The remainder say it will be the same, worse, or say they simply don't know.
