Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th! The National Mall, with Washington DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic backdrop to America's Independence Day celebrations. This is an all-day event in the nation's capital, beginning with a parade along Constitution Avenue and ending with a spectacular display of fireworks over the Washington Monument.

The 4th of July celebrations are among the most attended events of the year and many people arrive early to stake out a seat on the lawn. You can spend the afternoon enjoying the cultural festivities at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival which takes place on the National Mall from 11 a.m to 5 p.m.

Getting to the National Mall

The best way to get to the National Mall is to take the Metro. Stations nearby include Metro Center, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, Federal Triangle and L'Enfant Plaza.The Smithsonian Metro station will be closed on the Fourth.

Public access to the National Mall begins at 10:00 a.m., with all visitors are required to enter via a security checkpoint.

Washington, DC’s Independence Day Parade

Parade Start Time: 11:45 a.m.
Parade Route: Constitution Avenue and 7th to 17th Sts.

Washington, DC’s 4th of July Parade features marching bands, military and specialty units, floats, and VIP's. The parade draws a large crowd, so plan to arrive early to stake out a good viewing spot.

Independence Day at the National Archives

The National Archives celebrates the Fourth of July with special family programming celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the National Archives Building for this special birthday party from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

White House Visitor Center Family Events

Between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., stop at the White House Visitor Center and enjoy games, crafts and other activities celebrating America's Birthday. National Park Service rangers and volunteers will give you the opportunity to sample the sights, sounds, activities and personages that helped finalize the Declaration of Independence and create the United States of America on July 4, 1776.

Concert on the Washington Monument Grounds

Beginning at 6:00 p.m. the United States Air Force Band plays with Special Guest Artist(s) Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers on the Southwest corner of the Washington Monument grounds.

A Capitol Fourth Concert

Time: 8 - 9:30 p.m. (Admittance begins at 3 p.m.)
Location: West Lawn of the U. S. Capitol

A 4th of July tradition in the nation's capital includes a live concert by the National Symphony Orchestra and several pop artists performing patriotic music on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. The concert and show is followed by a spectacular display of fireworks over the Washington Monument. The concert is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary. The annual event is broadcast live on PBS with a repeat airing at 9:30-11:00 p.m. The concert will also be broadcast over National Public Radio on WAMU - 88.5 FM. See photos of A Capitol Fourth and performers for the 2008 concert.

Fourth of July Fireworks on the National Mall

Fireworks Time: At dark, usually around 9:15 p.m. Rain Date: July 5th
Launch Location: The fireworks are launched from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and light up the sky over the Washington Monument.

The Best Places to View the National Mall Fireworks

• U. S. Capitol
  

• Lincoln Memorial
  

• Jefferson Memorial
  

• FDR Memorial
  

• East Potomac Park
  

• Anywhere along the National Mall between 14th Street and the Capitol
  

• Aboard a cruise along the Potomac River

Screen on the Green returns to Washington, DC again this year. Bring a blanket to the National Mall on a summer night and watch a classic film on a gigantic movie screen. The following films will be shown on Monday nights beginning at dusk, around 8:30-9:00 p. m. People start to claim their spots on the lawn as early as 5 p.m. Movies play except in extreme weather and there are no rain days. Screen on the Green Schedule - 2008Dates: Mondays, July 14-August 11, 2008

July 14 - Dr. No (1962)

July 21 - The Candidate (1972)

July 28 - Arsenic and Old Lace(1944)

August 4 - The Apartment (1960)

August 11 - Superman (1978)

Location: National Mall between 4th and 7th Streets
Washington DC

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually produced outdoors on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

The Festival takes place for two weeks every summer overlapping the Fourth of July holiday. It is an educational presentation that features community-based cultural exemplars. Free to the public, like other Smithsonian museums, each Festival typically draws more than one million visitors.

Initiated in 1967, the Festival has become a national and international model of a research-based presentation of contemporary living cultural traditions. Over the years, it has brought more than 23,000 musicians, artists, performers, craftspeople, workers, cooks, storytellers, and others to the National Mall to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and aesthetics that embody the creative vitality of community-based traditions.

The Festival is usually divided into programs featuring a nation, region, state or theme. To date the Festival has featured exemplary tradition bearers from more than 90 nations, every region of the United States, scores of ethnic communities, more than 100 American Indian groups, and some 70 different occupations.

The Festival generally includes daily and evening programs of music, song, dance, celebratory performance, crafts and cooking demonstrations, storytelling, illustrations of workers' culture, and narrative sessions for discussing cultural issues. 

The Festival is an exercise in cultural democracy, in which cultural practitioners speak for themselves, with each other, and to the public. The Festival encourages visitors to participate—to learn, sing, dance, eat traditional foods, and converse with people presented in the Festival program.

Like other Smithsonian museums, the Festival includes exhibition-quality signs, photo-text panels, a program book/catalog, learning centers, sales shops, and food concessions. In re-creating physical settings for the traditions represented, the Festival has built a horse racetrack (from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol Building), an Indian village with 40-foot-high bamboo and paper statues, a Japanese rice paddy, and a New Mexican adobe plaza.

The Festival is a complex production, over the years drawing on the research and presentational skills of more than 1,000 folklorists, cultural anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, and numerous other academic and lay scholars. Its production involves the expertise of hundreds of technical staff, the efforts of volunteers, and the backing of sponsors and supporters.

Join Bob Brown for an awesome arctic adventure!

Come to both performances in one day for only $8!

Enjoy a picnic in the meadow between performances at Wolf Trap's Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods. Tickets may be purchased for a single performance for $5 or for both the 10 am and 11:15 am performances for only $3 more.

The Culkin School brings the excitement, grace, and fast stepping rhythm of Irish dance to the stage.

Come to both performances in one day for only $8!

Enjoy a picnic in the meadow between performances at Wolf Trap's Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods. Tickets may be purchased for a single performance for $5 or for both the 10 am and 11:15 am performances for only $3 more.

Get ready for an exciting introduction to traditional, tribal, and modern dance from South Africa!

Come to both performances in one day for only $8!

Enjoy a picnic in the meadow between performances at Wolf Trap's Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods. Tickets may be purchased for a single performance for $5 or for both the 10 am and 11:15 am performances for only $3 more.