Our Shared Future: 250

Revelers listen to music in front of the Smithsonian Castle

In 2026, the United States of America turns 250 years old. We’re tasked with not only celebrating this historic event but also making it a time of reflection. It reminds us of the ideals the nation was founded on, and how we might help the country live up to them. The Smithsonian will celebrate the nation’s successes, contemplate the consequences of our history, commemorate the sacrifices of those who have worked to uphold the nation’s ideals, and ask Americans to commit to advancing our democracy and preserving our shared future.

The Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 thanks Signature Supporter Lilly Endowment Inc.

Event Highlights

Events will take place throughout 2025 and 2026 and include the following:

The Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival returns to the National Mall from July 2–7, 2025 with the theme “Looking Forward: Youth and the Future of Culture.”
The historic carousel on the National Mall will reopen to the public in January 2026.
New 250th exhibitions will open such as Photographic Memory: Fifty Years of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery and State Fairs: Growing American Craft at the Renwick Gallery.
Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a 250th celebration, will be held from June 18 to July 12, 2026.
The Smithsonian Castle will pause renovation to reopen to the public from Memorial Day through Labor Day in 2026. The space will feature a visitor’s center, café, shop, and special exhibition.
Renovations at the National Air and Space Museum will be completed by July 1, 2026, in honor of the museum’s 50th anniversary.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture will celebrate its tenth anniversary in September 2026.
The Hirshhorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden and Plaza revitalization will be complete and open to the public in fall 2026.

Additional lectures, programs, initiatives, exhibitions, and more around the country will be announced here!

photograph of Uncle Sam in front of the Washington Monument at the National Museum of American History — John Rusk as Uncle Sam with young celebration attendee on the terrace of the National Museum of American History with the Washington Monument in view in the background. Smithsonian Institution Archives, August 1977

Links and Resources

Text saying greetings from the Smithsonian Institution with a collage of images from collections.

Smithsonian Collection Spotlight

Explore America

Take an American road trip through our collections to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

A group of students in a classroom setting.

Smithsonian Education

Social Studies and Civics Educator Resources

Explore classroom-ready resources that spark conversations around the stories and events that define America’s past, present, and future.

Fireworks above the National Mall in Washington, DC.

U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission

America250

Learn how the congressional U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission is honoring and celebrating 250 years of American history.

Smithsonian Store

Shop

Shop at the Smithsonian to celebrate the Semiquincentennial!

A display of various state license plates.

Smithsonian Education

Democracy in Dialogue Virtual Exchange Program

Become a facilitator and help your middle and high school students explore how local communities shaped 250 years of the American experiment.

Smithsonian Magazine

Special Issue

Commemorate America’s 250th birthday with a special 2026 July/August double issue.

Smithsonian Education

National Education Summit 2025

Join us July 15-17 for the Smithsonian National Education Summit, available for free both online and in-person in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme is “Together We Thrive: One Nation, Indivisible.”

Two volunteers look at a clipboard while standing in the woods.

Smithsonian Science

Participatory Science

Volunteer with us, both onsite and online, and help Smithsonian scientists answer questions about our world.

Leadership

Our Shared Future: 250 spans the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 14 education & research centers, the National Zoo, and over 200 Smithsonian Affiliates.

Pan-institutional leadership is provided by:

Kevin Gover, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture
Monique Chism, Under Secretary for Education
Lisa Sasaki, Deputy Under Secretary for Special Projects
Cliff Murphy, Director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Alison Leithner, Executive Director of Smithsonian Enterprises
Becky Kobberod, Head of Digital Transformation

Contact Us

For general inquiries, please reach out to SI-250@si.edu.

For media inquiries, please reach out to smithsonianmedia@si.edu.

Look Back at the Bicentennial

The "Bicentennial Era" was a series of observances, celebrations, and commemorations leading up to the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on Sunday, July 4, 1976. The Smithsonian celebrated the 200th Fourth of July with a twelve-week Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife, a visit from Queen Elizabeth II, and the opening of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall on July 1, 1976.