Independence Day 2024: When is Independence Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Independence Day 2024 and Independence Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

When is ..? Date Day of the week Week Number Day left
Independence Day 2024 July 04, 2024 Thursday 27 108
Independence Day 2025 July 04, 2025 Friday 27 473
Independence Day 2026 July 04, 2026 Saturday 27 838
Independence Day 2027 July 04, 2027 Sunday 26 1203
Independence Day 2028 July 04, 2028 Tuesday 27 1569
Independence Day 2029 July 04, 2029 Wednesday 27 1934
Independence Day 2030 July 04, 2030 Thursday 27 2299
Independence Day 2031 July 04, 2031 Friday 27 2664
Independence Day 2032 July 04, 2032 Sunday 27 3030
Independence Day 2033 July 04, 2033 Monday 27 3395
Independence Day 2034 July 04, 2034 Tuesday 27 3760

Independence Day

Independence Day —also known as “The Fourth of July” or “July 4th"—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution.

On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The written declaration stated that the American colonies were tired of being ruled by Great Britain and they wanted to become their own country. Independence Day has been celebrated since 1776, as the birth of American independence, with festivities and national celebrations ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.

 

Independence Day Background

Before the declaration, America was part of the Kingdom of Great Britain, now called the United Kingdom. In the 1600s, people came from Great Britain to settle in what is now North America. Between 1607 and 1732, the British founded 13 colonies: Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

As these colonies grew, people living there thought that the British government had treated them unfairly. For example, they had to pay taxes on items such as tea and let British soldiers stay in their homes. The colonists had to obey these laws, but they could not do anything to change them. The colonists rebelled. As a result, the Revolutionary War between the colonists and Great Britain began in 1775. Fighting was still not enough. The colonists decided that they should declare their independence in writing in order to explain their reasons and to receive support from other countries, such as France. On July 4, 1776, a small group of colonists called the Continental Congress accepted the Declaration of Independence.

 

Independence Day Celebrations

There are many ways people can celebrate. Perhaps the most popular is cooking with friends and then seeing the fireworks. Some people buy and illuminate their own fireworks, while others attend large meetings with large fireworks.

In New York, fireworks are set up over the Brooklyn Bridge and in Washington, DC. Capital The sky above the capital shines with patriotic colors. It's exciting to experience one of these iconic Fourth of July events.

The day is a day of national pride and patriotic demonstrations. This includes flying the US flag and wearing red, white, and blue. Many bands play patriotic songs such as The Star-Spangled Banner, Beautiful America and God Bless America. Traditions place the origins of “Yankee Doodle” as a pre-Revolutionary War song originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial “Yankees” with whom they served in the French and Indian War. It is believed that the tune comes from the nursery rhyme Lucy Locket. One version of the Yankee Doodle lyrics is “generally attributed” to Doctor Richard Shuckburgh, a British Army surgeon. According to one story, Shuckburgh wrote the song after seeing the appearance of the Colonial troops under Colonel Thomas Fitch, son of Thomas Fitch, Governor of Connecticut.

Other ways to celebrate include parades, baseball games, musical concerts, and outdoor picnics. Since the holiday is in the middle of summer much of the celebration takes place outdoors.

Independence Day Customs and Traditions

  • Each year around 500,000 people gather to watch fireworks and listen to patriotic music in Washington DC on the Capitol lawn.
  • There were around 2.5 million people living in the United States when independence was declared in 1776. Today there are well over 300 million people in the country.
  • John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both presidents and signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on the 50-year anniversary on July 4, 1826. President James Monroe also died on July 4th and President Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4th.
  • The Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA is a 10k running race held every year on this day.
  • Each year there is a famous hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, New York. Around 40,000 people show up to watch and millions watch it on TV. In 2011 the winner was Joey Chestnut who ate 62 hot dogs in ten minutes.
  • The longest running celebration is said to be the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Rhode Island which has been running since 1785.
  • One of the more popular celebrations to watch on TV is the music and fireworks show put on by the Boston Pops Orchestra.
  • Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
  • Over time, various other summertime activities also came to be associated with the Fourth of July, including historical pageants, picnics, baseball games, watermelon-eating contests, and trips to the beach. Common foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, and sometimes clam bakes.
  • While the Fourth is celebrated across the country, historic cities like Boston and Philadelphia draw huge crowds to their festivities.
  • In Boston, the USS John F. Kennedy often sails into the harbor, while the Boston Pops Orchestra holds a televised concert on the banks of the Charles River, featuring American music and ending with the 1812 Overture.
  • Philadelphia holds its celebrations at Independence Hall, where historic scenes are reenacted and the Declaration of Independence is read.
  • Other interesting parties include the American Indian rodeo and three-day pow-wow in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Lititz, Pennsylvania, candle festival, where hundreds of candles are floated in water and a "Queen of Candles" is chosen.
  • The second president, John Adams, would have approved. "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival," he wrote his wife, Abigail. "It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."
  • John Hancock, the president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration. With its ornate capitals, Hancock's sprawling signature is prominent on the document. Since then, when people are asked for their "John Hancock," they are being asked to sign their names. All 56 men who ultimately signed the Declaration showed great courage. Announcing independence from Great Britain was an act of treason, punishable by death.

 

Independence Day Facts

  • Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle.
  • In 1776, there were 2.5 million people living in the new nation. Today the population of the U.S.A. is 316 million.
  • Fifty-nine places in the U.S. contain the word “liberty” in the name. Pennsylvania, with 11, has more of these places than any other state. Of the 59 places nationwide containing “liberty” in the name, four are counties: Liberty County, Ga. (65,471), Liberty County, Fla. (8,276), Liberty County, Mont. (2,392) and Liberty County, Texas (76,571).
  • The most common patriotic-sounding word used within place names is “union” with 136. Pennsylvania, with 33, has more of these places than any other state. Other words most commonly used in place names are Washington (127), Franklin (118), Jackson (96) and Lincoln (95).
  • Fireworks are part of the tradition of celebrating this national holiday. The U.S. imported $227.3 million worth of fireworks from China in 2012. U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $11.7 million in 2012, with Israel purchasing more than any other country ($2.5 million).
  • In 2012, vast majority of imported U.S. flags ($3.6 million) was made in China.
  • Barbecue is also big on Independence Day. Approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on this day.
  • Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on a “laptop” – that is, a writing desk that could fit in his lap.
  • Jefferson changed the wording of the Declaration of Independence from “the pursuit of property” to “the pursuit of happiness.”
  • John Adams and Jefferson, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826. James Monroe also died on July 4th in 1831.
  • Only two people actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 – John Hancock and Charles Thompson.
  • Congress declared July 4th as an official holiday in 1870 as part of a bill to officially recognize other holidays, including Christmas.
  • At 27, Thomas Lynch, Jr., was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence; Ben Franklin, age 70, was the oldest signer.
  • The oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States is the 4th of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island which began in 1785.
  • The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence.
  • Americans began observing the Fourth of July as early as 1777 with a celebration in Philadelphia that included a parade, a thirteen-shot cannon salute, and fireworks.
  • Eight of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in Great Britain (United Kingdom).

 

Independence Day Symbols

  • American Flag
  • Bald Eagle
  • Colors (Red, White and Blue)
  • Fireworks
  • Liberty Bell
  • Great Seal of the U.S.
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Uncle Sam

Check out the Independence Day in the following years.