Paying for the party: 250th celebrations requiring everyone to dig deep

Flags fly at the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day at Dorchester Heights in Boston on March 17, 2026

Ella Adams |SHNS

In what world do Henry Knox and Chance The Rapper cross the same path?

In Massachusetts, during a semiquincentennial celebration that stretches from Revolutionary War heroes to Grammy-winning performers.

Knox took center stage on Evacuation Day in March,marking 250 years since the British evacuated Boston after he trekked a cannon, guns and artillery 300 miles through a New England winter from Fort Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights.

Chance The Rapper will take to the stage on July 4, when Massachusetts joins the rest of the country in celebrating 250 years since the birth of the nation.

But the celebrations feature more than just Knox and the Chicago rapper. The Bay Staters who have been gearing up for this for years are at the heart of it.

“The idea of Revolution started back in 2015. When we got started, we were the only people talking about the 250th in Massachusetts. Of course, that would change over time,” said Jonathan Lane, whose name was mentioned by nearly everyone working behind the scenes on the anniversary festivities. Lane is executive director of Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations working to commemorate the semiquincentennial.

The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism was given the large task of developing a marketing and communications strategy to “use the anniversary of the revolution as a way to promote Massachusetts as an exceptional, and dare I say revolutionary, place to visit, to live and to work,” Executive Director Kate Fox said.

Behind the semiquincentennial

The state travel and tourism office has been working on the 250th promotion since 2024, while programming has been taking place since 2025 and will mostly culminate in July. The state’s American Revolution 250th Anniversary Coordinator Sheila Green said in January that events have varied from a musical about the Revolution set in Springfield, to special exhibitions, series of talks across towns, reenactments and murals in places like Greenfield and Boston.

There’s money behind the movement. Through two rounds of MA 250 grant funding, MOTT doled out $3.5 millionin total grants to organizations and entities looking to host anniversary events. Fox said they’ve invested $2.5 million in marketing and promotional services, $2 million to support the July 4 “signature event,” and another $2 million to corporate and media partnerships.

MOTT supported 96 events across the state via its grant program, though the MA250.org website lists more than 700 events.

"The grants were never intended to cover full expenses for the different promotions and programs across the state. When people have questions and are looking for connections, we do our very best to connect communities and organizations with partners who would strengthen the stories they're telling," Fox said.

“I will be frank and say that, maybe this was a fool’s errand, but we never had the resources to do all the things we wanted to do. But we're finding the resources to do all the things we need to do,” Lane said, adding that he has “written dozens and dozens and dozens of grant support letters for places from Hingham to Somerville to all the way out in the Berkshires.”

The Commission on the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the Revolution has been working for years in an advisory role, or as a "vehicle to solicit feedback and serve as a springboard" to let groups across the state know what's going on and how to connect with each other, co-chair state Rep. Sean Garballey said.

“The overarching reason that the commission was formed was to target federal monies that would come for the 250th efforts. There was a federal mandate that in order to get funding, states had to have commissions formed to access it,” Garballey said. “Unfortunately, the funding never materialized as many had hoped.”

Through MOTT and nonprofits like Revolution 250, "there's been a great job done pivoting to campaigns that use state and private dollars," Garballey added.

It took three years to create the state commission, Lane recalled.

“Part of that was COVID, for sure. But it was a fight to create. We thought all the funding would go through America 250 and had to go through a state commission,” he said, echoing Garballey.

"Now you look back and say, 'Wow. Gee whiz, I wish I had those three years back,’" Lane reflected. "The glory of history is that hindsight is 2020. I'm sure John Adams looked back at his life and said, 'Wow if I had known everything that was going to happen, I would have done some things differently.' So I take comfort in that."

America 250 is the U.S. Congressional Commission planning the nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, led by former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios, who was appointed to the role by former President Joe Biden. U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission members include private citizens, U.S. representatives and senators, and ex officio members from all three branches of the federal government and its agencies.

While Massachusetts has been working closely with America 250, the same isn't true with a different, national task force called Freedom 250, per MOTT. Created by President Donald Trump, the group is behind the Great American State Fair set to be hosted in Washington, D.C. from June 25 to July 10. Trump is now set to headline the fair after musicians, including Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, the Commodores, Morris Day and Young MC, backed out of the lineup.

Reenactors line up at a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day at Dorchester Heights in Boston on March 17, 2026.

Ella Adams / SHNS

Garballey's commission co-chair, state Sen. Paul Mark, remembers America 250 commissioners being "impressed" with Massachusetts' 250th plans during a meeting at Faneuil Hall in 2023.

"I think a bit changed after the election of 2024; that there was certainly a different vibe and a curiosity as to how things might change under the new presidential administration, and how that might impact events in Massachusetts," Mark said. Major events like the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the Battle at Lexington and Concord last April, the multiple Knox Trail events in early 2026, and the anniversary of Evacuation Day this March went according to plan regardless, Mark said.

Fox said that based on anecdotal evidence, events including the Lexington and Concord 250th had much larger crowds than they would in a typical year.

"I think we're back to a place that we're excited about July 4, and we keep emphasizing how in Massachusetts, our commitment, our role in the American Revolution actually happened before the Declaration of Independence," Mark said. "We kind of won the war here first, and then the rest of the colonies, and what became the country, kind of followed suit."

Organizations, communities and business partners “stepped up and closed the gap” of anniversary funding, Mark said. And as lawmakers negotiate a final budget compromise, they are pondering a few Revolution-related earmarks tucked into their respective proposals.

As lawmakers negotiate a final fiscal 2027 budget compromise, they are hashing out a few 250th anniversary-related earmarks tucked into House and Senate proposals. (This chart was formatted with the help of AI.)

In a 2024 economic development bond law, lawmakers tucked $1 million for the town of Lexington's 250th-related events; $20,000 for joint anniversary "planning and programming" between Danvers, Danvers Alarm List Co., Danvers Historical Society and Peabody Historical Society; and $2.5 million to the city of Boston “for the construction planning, capital projects and deferred maintenance by Revolutionary Spaces, Inc. at the Old State House and Old South Meeting House.”

Corporate funding is another part of the story.

Enter Eastern Bank CEO Bob Rivers, who chairs the Massachusetts 250 Executive Committee and has been leading statewide and corporate engagement for the 250th.

"In the end, it's gone well, although it's never easy, especially when you're in the midst of a year like this one, where there's lots of demands for funding from the private sector," Rivers told the News Service. "Certainly it's FIFA, who is looking for money to support the World Cup tournament. You've got a number of ballot initiatives out there this year, such as rent control and the reduction of the state income tax and others. That corporate money is being poured into to provide support or opposition for those. The governor, of course, is in the midst of a re-election campaign, so those candidates are reaching out for money."

To be an official sponsor, the committee required companies to give at least $250,000, Rivers said. As of May 15, the committee had more than 20 companies and organizations that had provided at least at that level, led by Takeda and Eastern Bank, Rivers added.

At a November commission meeting, Green said over $6 million had come in from sponsors giving above $250,000 each —including Takeda, Eastern Bank, Amazon, Bank of America, Fidelity, Liberty Mutual, M & T Bank, New Balance, Optum, Sanofi and Vertex.

The Healey administration touted the committee's role in celebrations, having "confirmed leadership support from MA250, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Dunkin’ who, along with more than thirty other sponsors and partners, will ensure that the 2026 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will serve as one of the nation’s largest July 4 celebrations."

Fox, of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, said in May that the state’s 250th Executive Committee raised $16.5 million for the 250th initiative.

From a local lens

"At the end of the day, it's going to come down to the local communities and organizations to fund what they want to happen," Lane said.

That's the case in towns like Concord, where the vast majority of events happened leading up to April 19, 2025 — the 250th anniversary of the battle at Lexington and Concord.

"The budget that we developed for the event totaled $1.187 million. And about 61% of that was allocated for public safety related-needs and purposes. That's everything from police and fire, our public works staff, public health, etcetera," Concord 250 Executive Committee Co-Chair Gary Clayton said. He began volunteering in 2022 and spent three years working on the endeavor. Clayton said his "informed estimate" put between 75,000 and 100,000 people in Concord on April 19.

Concord's funding came from a variety of sources, Clayton said, between town-raised private funds from individuals and nonprofit organizations, competitive state grants, American Rescue Plan Act funding, and town funding. He said the funding obtained through town meeting covered “a significant fraction” of the costs.

Most localities don't have unlimited cash, and the festivities come as many struggle with tight budgets. The Town of Rutland in May announced that it would cancel its traditional Fourth of July fireworks, parade and concert "due to anticipated staffing limitations," shortly after voters rejected a proposal that would have increased property taxes to fund public safety services.

“Although the 4th of July Committee successfully raised the funds needed for the event, the celebration cannot take place without adequate public safety staffing. Police, fire and EMS personnel are essential to ensure the safety of attendees, manage traffic, and maintain emergency response coverage throughout the town," the Rutland Fire and Police Department, 4th of July Committee and town wrote in a Fourth of July letter, adding that the decision was based “solely on public safety considerations.”

"Funding's been the big challenge in all of this — that's not just a Massachusetts problem. It's something that 250th organizations up and down the East Coast and across the country have been trying to find," Lane said. He named the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati — a hereditary society of Revolutionary War officers’ descendants — as one of the biggest supporters providing grants. The Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution have chipped in, Lane said, as Revolution 250 has been working "boots on the ground" to help groups find partner organizations and financial resources.

Reflecting on past and future

Rivers called MOTT the "quarterback" for connections.

"Ultimately, we'll see how it goes, but at this point I feel like we're in very good shape," Rivers said. "My own personal vision was, you know, I grew up in Massachusetts, and the Bicentennial in '76 was when I was 12 years old. And being a kid who was very interested in history and so forth, I remember it well."

"What I hope that we do in the end, is that this is a celebration that other children — 12-year-olds, or every other age, above and below — look back on this and say, 'That was really something.' Because that's my own recollection of the Bicentennial in so many ways," he reflected.

On July 4, Lainey Wilson, Chance The Rapper and Trombone Shorty will take the stage at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade as special guest artists for the annual fireworks event hosted by the Boston Pops. The event will include a drone show during a performance of the "1812 Overture" and later the fireworks display choreographed with a Pops performance.

Massachusetts' American Revolution 250th Anniversary Coordinator Sheila Green holds up a Massachusetts 250 Coca-Cola can on June 9, 2026 at a meeting of the Commission on the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the Revolution. Coca-Cola is among sponsors of America 250, which she said will have a team handing out the themed cans outside of Faneuil Hall on July 4.

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On June 9, Green said that Boston is one of the cities that has been selected by America 250 to participate in the "Great American Block Party." She said America 250 will have a team featuring activities in place for Fourth of July, including morning parade, a Declaration of Independence reading at the Old State House and harbor activities before the Esplanade extravaganza.

While excitement abounds for the Fourth of July, Mark reflected on his favorite event that has happened leading up to the big celebration: the Knox Trail 250th, which spanned stops across the state all the way to the Berkshires.

"I met for the first time ever, my counterpart senator in New York state," Mark laughed. "I went to events that were happening over the border in New York, and she came to our events in Great Barrington. And I thought it was a great example of thinking about regionally how we need to collaborate the same way we did 250 years ago, but to make sure that our interests as a region and our interests as a state and as local communities are still being heard, both in Boston and in Albany and in Washington."

"The lead-up to the American Revolution and to what made us take that step towards independence — I think a lot of those lessons are coming back into light and becoming especially relevant over the past 16 months," Mark said.

Mass Humanities, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and historical societies across the state have been instrumental in showing why revolutionary history is still relevant today, and in expanding "the vision of who participated in the Revolution," Lane said, including the people who "lived on the margins of society" at the time.

Those exhibitions include the likes of the Patriots of Color exhibit at the Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors in Boston, which features “overlooked histories” of Black, Native and multiracial men and women who were part of the struggle for American independence, and an exhibit at Boston’s Museum of African American History exploring Black experiences during the revolutionary period, called “Black Voices of the Revolution: Liberty, Emancipation and the Struggle for Independence.”

“Contextualizing the history, which can be tricky, has certainly been a challenge, but something that has provided an educational opportunity for everybody involved in the work,” Fox said. "I have spent a career in cultural and heritage tourism, and so seeing people engage with the history in contemporary ways is really exciting."

Events are lined up across the state even after July 4.

Boston Harbor will host an international gathering of tall ships and military vessels as part of Sail 250 from July 11 to July 16. The Healey administration has called it "a multi-state celebration tracing America's maritime history along the East Coast." Boston is the final port of the voyage, where more than 60 tall ships from over 20 countries will land. The administration has invested $4 million to support the event’s "infrastructure, public safety, transportation, and operational needs."

A national reading of the Declaration of Independence is slated for July 8 at 6 p.m. EST, 250 years after its first reading in 1776, and communities across the state and country are being encouraged to participate simultaneously.

Every state and U.S. territory is also contributing to an America 250 time capsule — a vessel that weighs one ton and will be buried 10-to-15 feet underground on July 4 outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Green said at a June 9 commission meeting that Massachusetts submitted a letter from Gov. Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll; a letter from co-chairs Mark and Garballey; an archival letter from Ben Franklin and John Adams written to the Massachusetts delegation from Paris, warning that the British troops were heading back to their coast; an archival letter from John Hancock written to the Massachusetts delegation on July 6, 1776; a copy of an original print of the Boston Massacre done by Paul Revere; and a copy of the George Washington Congressional Medal given to Henry Knox by Washington.

Each state will also create its own time capsule, which the commission began work on in early June.

Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts.