Disney has set out a company-wide salute to the United States’ 250th anniversary, unveiling Disney Celebrates America with live coverage, themed programming and special experiences across its brands and businesses. The centerpiece for viewers is Disney Celebrates America: The Pursuit of Happiness, a two-hour special coming to Disney+ on June 30.
That matters now because the milestone is the Semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and Disney is folding the celebration into one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year. Deborah Roberts hosts from Walt Disney World Resort, while Will Reeve hosts from Disneyland Resort, giving the special a coast-to-coast frame that fits the scale of the occasion.
Disney+ subscribers will be able to follow along through live coverage of the festivities, themed programming and Disney+ Perks, but the company’s biggest push comes during the Fourth of July weekend, when Disney Celebrates America culminates in a 24-hour multi-platform broadcast led by David Muir. That broadcast will take viewers across all 50 states, making the celebration national in reach even as the named pieces of the lineup are still limited.
One of those pieces is Disney Celebrates America: Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash, a live celebration from downtown Nashville that includes one of the largest fireworks and drone shows in the United States, set to a live score by the Nashville Symphony. The company is also tying in Countdown to America’s 250th celebration reporting with rare access inside the Statue of Liberty, produced in close partnership with the Consulate General of France in New York.
There is a lot promised under one banner, and that is where the picture is still incomplete. Disney says the effort spans storytelling, programming and experiences across its brands and businesses, but it has only named select parts of the schedule so far, leaving the full shape of the Fourth of July weekend broadcast to be revealed as the date gets closer. For now, the clearest answer is that Disney is using its biggest platforms to turn America’s 250th into a rolling national event, starting June 30 and building to the holiday weekend.
