Although America’s birthday isn’t technically until July, an early celebration is underway: Freedom 250, the public-private organization established by President Donald Trump to commemorate America’s semiquincentennial, will host a six-night light show at the Washington Monument to ring in the New Year.
The first display will begin at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 31, and end just after midnight. On this inaugural night, organizers promise “a special New Year’s Eve countdown moment, illuminating the Washington Monument with a 250-foot birthday candle.” The rest of the projections, scheduled from Thursday, January 1, through Monday, January 5, will run from 7 to 10 PM. No word yet on what specifically those visuals will include, but a video posted by the DC Council’s official X account shows what looks like a test run of the display.
A bit of a late night/overnight sneak preview of the projections expected on the Washington Monument on New Year’s Eve pic.twitter.com/LSfPYCl5jd
— Council of DC (@councilofdc) December 30, 2025
Each night of the event is free and open to the public on the National Mall—no tickets are required. Visitors will not need to go through security before entering, a Freedom 250 spokesperson confirmed to Washingtonian.
This is not the first time the Washington Monument has lit up to honor a national milestone: Back in 2019, the National Air and Space Museum commissioned a projection to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
The upcoming New Year’s Eve display is the first in a series of semiquincentennial celebrations that Freedom 250 will host throughout the year. Future National Mall events include a May 17 prayer gathering and a “Great American State Fair,” slated to run from June 25 to July 10.
