The City of Chattanooga have announced a series of community events celebrating America 250. The slate of celebrations is rooted in music, fireworks, patriotism, technology, and family fun, and is designed to bring the whole community together around Chattanooga’s iconic riverfront locations.
The America 250 series kicks off with music and poetry at Renaissance Park, leading into Chattanooga’s iconic annual Pops on the River celebration in Coolidge Park, then pivots to an interactive sing-along of the hit musical Hamilton, before ending with the largest-ever drone show in the community’s history at the Chattanooga Riverfront, Unite 250, held in partnership with Hamilton County government.
"Americans have developed a reputation over the last 250 years as a welcoming, industrious, and enterprising people — a nation of immigrants that cast off the tyranny of the old world, transforming from a camp of struggling colonists into a beacon of freedom for all of humanity by dedicating themselves to a constitution that enshrined and protected the basic rights of our citizens," said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “As we celebrate our first 250 years and turn toward the next century, I ask that we take a moment to reflect on what distinguishes these United States from the despots our forefathers fled, and not fall prey to the voices of those who would divide us for their own gain.”
The series of programs brings together creative artists from the region and beyond to help celebrate not only the country’s first 250 years, but to also re-center around what the next 250 years may hold. Programs were produced in partnership with local artists, Hamilton County Government, and the America 250 organization.
The America 250 Celebration Series includes:
June 28 — Democracy Speaks: Opening Celebration @ Renaissance Park (5:30 PM – 8:30 PM).
- Rhyme N Chatt and the City's Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy present the next phase of Poetry Pathways, Democracy Speaks. This community celebration explores freedom, justice, democracy, and community through poetry and spoken word, featuring poets, live music, food trucks, and a community gathering in a creative outdoor setting. This Tennessee America 250 Program is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States.
July 2 — Pops on the River @ Coolidge Park (4:00 PM – 11:00 PM).
- Chattanooga’s riverfront celebration for over 30 years, traditionally held on the Thursday prior to July 4th, is a large-scale community event featuring an evening of live music, fireworks, food, and family-friendly activities. It includes a Homegrown Vendor Market, food trucks, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and Kids Zone activities, culminating in a large-scale fireworks display. This Tennessee America 250 Program is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States
July 3 — Hamilton in the Round @ Renaissance Park (7:00 PM - 10:00 PM).
- A free outdoor community screening and interactive sing-along of the hit musical Hamilton. Held in the round circle, guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets for an evening of music, storytelling, and community. Lyrics will be available for the audience to sing along, and food trucks will be onsite.
July 4 — United 250 Mayors’ Finale Celebration @ Chattanooga Riverfront (Riverfront Nights starts at 2:00 PM, drone show at 10:00 PM)
- The unifying finale event for the entire celebration series. This free downtown celebration, produced in partnership with Hamilton County, will feature a world-class 500-drone show above the Tennessee River in a choreographed patriotic performance, along with a dramatic 1,000-foot pyro waterfall cascading from the Market Street Bridge.
This Tennessee America 250 Program is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.