Thousands of fireworks, more than two dozen military flyovers and a reflective address from President Trump — one expected to carry political overtones — will headline Saturday night’s “Salute to America” celebration in Washington, DC, for those willing to endure the summer heat.
The large-scale event on the National Mall, marking America’s 250th birthday, is being billed by enthusiastic organizers as a “once in a lifetime” celebration, even as officials work to protect crowds from the sweltering temperatures forecast for the nation’s capital.
Here’s what to expect as the July 4 celebration unfolds:
Flyovers
The aerial displays are scheduled to begin at 1:14 p.m. ET, when one of NASA’s supersonic F-5 light fighter jets is set to roar over Washington, launching a steady lineup of flyovers above the National Mall.
According to Freedom 250’s packed schedule, aircraft flyovers and demonstrations will continue hourly through 8:22 p.m.
Among the aircraft expected to perform for the crowd are the US Navy Blue Angels, the US Air Force Thunderbirds, F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-22 Raptors, F-35 stealth fighters, and US Coast Guard helicopters and fixed-wing planes.
The US Army’s Golden Knights parachute team is also scheduled to conduct multiple jumps, while Trump’s new Air Force One is expected to make several passes over the festivities.
The flyover program is set to conclude at 10:36 p.m. with a B-1 stealth bomber conducting an “afterburner night pass,” shortly after Trump’s remarks and around the start of the fireworks show.
Trump’s remarks
The president is expected to arrive on the National Mall in the evening, where he’ll address the crowd beginning at 9:45 p.m. from a massive stage in front of the World War II Memorial, with the Lincoln Memorial serving as a backdrop.
“He’ll reflect on the last 250 years of this still very young country,” a senior administration official told The Post. “He’ll also talk about what he sees in the next 5, 10, 15 years. It’ll be a good chance for him to also remind people of all the accomplishments that we’ve made, not just in the past year and a half, but during his first term as well, and some of the administration’s priorities moving forward for the rest of the term.”
While focused on celebrating America, Trump’s speech will include “rally messaging elements,” according to the official, and incorporate some of the elements he deployed during his speech on the National Mall last week kicking off the Great American State Fair.
Trump supporters can expect barbs from the president aimed at the “communists” who have unseated congressional incumbents in recent midterm primary elections and other political commentary.
“He’s never apolitical,” the senior administration official noted.
Freedom 250’s schedule suggests Trump will speak for about 45 minutes, but if he decides to go off-prompter – as is often the case – the remarks may take double that time to complete.
On Wednesday, Trump teased that he would give a lengthy speech to spite the extreme heat.
“By the way, on July 4th, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m gonna go and I’m gonna make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything,” he said outside the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.
Record-setting fireworks
“Salute to America” organizers plan to unleash a pyrotechnic display of historic proportions to end the evening.
More than 850,000 fireworks will be launched from two land sites and eight barges in the Potomac River over the course of 40 minutes after Trump’s speech concludes.
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If organizers can pull it off, the spectacle will shatter the Guinness World Record for the largest fireworks display, previously set when 810,904 projectiles were launched during 2016 New Year celebrations in the Philippines.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience from a fireworks perspective,” said Rocco Vitale, the president of Pennsylvania-based Pyrotecnico, the company producing the display.
“I would highly encourage people to come down and enjoy the show.”
Pyrotecnico, Event Strategies, Inc., and Freedom 250 have been working on the show since January, and Vitale indicated that from the outset the goal was to go big to mark the historic occasion.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to make sure that this is an experience – America 250 is an experience in itself – and this fireworks display is going to add to that amazing moment for the country,” Vitale said.
“It’s difficult to put into words how big of a scale this fireworks display is,” he continued. “It is an absolutely huge fireworks display … one on a scale that people have never seen before.”
While promising that the entire show will be “fantastic and amazing,” Vitale teased a particularly spectacular beginning and end to the display.
“We wanted to really make sure that the first visual of this really met the moment,” he said, “and it opens up in a way that people will be in awe.”
“And of course the ending of it is just a grand finale that no one has ever seen before.”
While pyrotechnics unfold, a mixed military band featuring members from all branches of the armed forces will play 11 songs spanning six decades of popular music, including Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,’” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.”
Vitale said his team is keeping an eye on the forecast but he doesn’t expect the weather to impact the show.
“We’re just looking for a nice little wind,” he said. “A good breeze will help us push the smoke out.”
Freedom 250 and Pyrotecnico declined to comment on the cost of the spectacle.
Tight security
For the first time, the National Mall’s Independence Day celebration has been designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) — a status usually reserved for presidential inaugurations, the State of the Union address, major political conventions and gatherings of world leaders.
The designation means the Secret Service will be in charge of coordinating the dozens of federal, state and local agencies helping secure the show.
The heightened security posture comes after the feds foiled a drone attack plot targeting Trump administration officials attending the UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House South Lawn last month.
“Anything that we do, we always put security in the forefront,” the senior administration official said, noting the NSSE designation allows for more resources and assets to be deployed, as well as increased intelligence gathering.
Those hoping to see the spectacle in person are encouraged to arrive at the Washington Monument grounds no earlier than 4 p.m. to minimize their time in the heat.
Gates open at 5 p.m.
Water and cooling stations, misting areas, shaded rest areas and additional medical personnel will be available inside and outside the event space to help spectators cope with the holiday heat wave.
