‘A Capitol Fourth’ Celebrates America’s 250th a Day Early: Which Artists Are Playing This Year’s PBS Special?
Categoria: Musica
The festivities will feature a slate of classic American acts.
Por Billboard | 29/06/2026
For the past 45 years, A Capitol Fourth has celebrated the nation’s birthday on July 4 live from the U.S. Capitol, bringing some of America’s most beloved performers together for an Independence Day concert and fireworks that is televised on PBS. Related Alan Jackson’s ‘Finale’ Concert Was a Celebration of a Country Music Icon Lauyrn Hill Receives Living Legend Icon Award After Incredible Tribute at 2026 BET Awards: 'I Want People to Know What We Can Do' Kelly Rowland Salutes Sylvia Rhone With Ultimate Icon Award at 2026 BET Awards: 'Music Needs Us to Stand Up for It Like Never Before' This year, as the country heralds its Semiquincentennial, A Capitol Fourth: 250 th Weekend Celebration is starting early, moving its annual festivities to July 3 to get the jump on a crowded slate. “Not only are there tons of things going on in Washington, there’s tons of things going on all over the country,” says Michael Colbert , executive producer of A Capitol Fourth . “We’ve heard already from so many public television stations how excited they are that we’re kicking off this year a day early. Next year, we’ll go back to the Fourth, as we’ve always been.” Joining host Alfonso Ribeiro will be a packed roster of artists across the musical spectrum including Chicago , Trace Adkins, Patti Labelle , Kool & The Gang, Carly Pearce, Alan Jackson , Loren Allred, Angel Blue, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Broadway cast of Just in Time , as well as actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna. “We really try to have something for everybody,” Colbert says. “You start out with a blank sheet of paper, and you end up with just an unbelievable group of artists from so many wonderful genres.” Given the nature of the holiday, the focus is on American performers, but in past years “we have been blessed here and there to have friends from other parts of the world to come and celebrate with us,” he says. 'A Capitol Fourth' In these divisive political times, A Capitol Fourth (and its sister, the National Memorial Day concert) remains devoutly nonpartisan. “Since day one, these have been completely nonpartisan, and they’re always going to be,” Colbert says. “There’s no other way to do it. Left, right or center, everybody is for celebrating our birthday.” Also special this year to commemorate the 250 th birthday, the concluding fireworks will shoot off from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia, home, instead of the usual location on the National Mall in D.C., as actress/singer Allred sings “God Bless America.” “What a perfect connection to 250 years ago,” Colbert says. “We wouldn’t be a country if it weren’t for George Washington.” The concert airs commercial-free starting at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations across the country, and then many markets immediately repeat it, so the special takes up PBS’s entire three-hour primetime block that night. The program, presented by Boeing, also streams on YouTube