Presidents Day Celebrations to Kick Off America’s 250th Anniversary

These 6 destinations are celebrating with style

a parade with u s army old guard fife and drump corps

During Presidents Day weekend, Alexandria, Virginia, will celebrate George Washington with a birthday parade. Events throughout the country honor presidents and serve as a kickoff to the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

Courtesy George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee

Amy Brecount White,

AARP

Published January 20, 2026

This year, the country celebrates its semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, and some see Presidents Day weekend as the kickoff to the yearlong celebration. Officially a celebration of Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22, 1732), the day’s proximity to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12, 1809) earned it the more general, “Presidents Day” – celebrated on the third Monday in February – among Americans (and American advertisers) starting in the 1980s.

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Older adults can use these mid-February celebrations to visit key landmarks to engage their inner history buff – and maybe learn something new. Follow in the footsteps of 11 percent of Americans age 50-plus who planned to travel for a weekend getaway in 2025, according to AARP’s 2025 travel survey.

“The 250th [anniversary] is a time of reflection,” says Mindy Farmer, historian at the National Portrait Gallery. “We often remember our own lives through who was president, so how better to reflect on the nation’s history than through the presidency?”

Here are six family-friendly sites where Presidents Day (Feb. 16) can be celebrated.

a person reading from a book about abraham lincoln at an event

The National Portrait Gallery’s Presidents Day celebration will feature craft workshops as well as live music and stories about U.S. history.

Matailong Du

National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.: More than pictures

The only place you can find portraits of all American presidents outside the White House, the National Portrait Gallery’s celebration will “highlight joyful moments and heroic stories that shaped the nation,” Farmer says, and there will be activities for all ages.

On Feb. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the gallery hosts “250th Festival: A Celebration of Our Story.” Dancers from the Washington Ballet perform two sets — one inspired by the exhibition “American Winners: Athletes and Entertainers Who Shaped the Nation,” the other, a dance workshop that visitors can participate in. There will be craft workshops, including printmaking and collage, as well as live music and stories about U.S. history. All visitors will receive a commemorative booklet on how to celebrate the 250th anniversary all year. Guided tours will focus on current exhibitions, such as presidential portraits and modern prints of Civil War photographer Mathew Brady’s negatives. Admission: Free; registration encouraged.

a person dressed as george washington sits in the back of a car during a birthday parade for the president

The George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria, Virginia, features an appearance by someone dressed as the nation’s first president.

Courtesy George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee

Alexandria, Virginia: Celebrating America’s first president

Celebrate Washington in his adopted hometown of Alexandria with more than a month of festivities. From Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, local restaurants join the “cherry challenge” to incorporate the food item most associated with Washington into their menus. Gather the grandkids for a treasure hunt about Washington and Alexandria and enter a prize drawing. At 2 p.m. every Sunday in February, join a free, two-hour Washington-focused tour starting at Christ Church.

More than 1,200 people usually participate in the free Feb. 14 parade, says Sue Johnson, the chair of the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee. This year’s theme is “Virginia’s son, America’s Founding Father,” she says. The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drums Corps unit also marches, along with the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line, who dress like Revolutionary War soldiers. Best of all, says Johnson, you’ll see “General Washington and Martha in a horse and carriage.”

About 10 miles away, Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon has free admission to celebrate his birthday on Feb. 16. There will be a George Washington character interpreter, a fifer demonstration and an Army caisson training demonstration, and his library will be open for tours.

Unpredictable winter weather means Mount Rushmore’s festivities begin in May.

Courtesy National Park Service

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills, South Dakota: Quintessential USA

The uncertainty of winter in South Dakota has prompted this National Park Service site to launch its grand celebration of the 250th anniversary on Memorial Day weekend. Mount Rushmore will unveil a new movie for its nightly program, which features a ranger talk, the film and the lighting of the memorial.

And, of course, there is the monument itself. During “summer visitation, every day is Presidents Day,” says Blaine Kortemeyer, Mount Rushmore’s operations manager for interpretation. Highlighting four of our most revered presidents, the memorial is “an amazing work of art.”

Visitors are encouraged to contemplate the contributions of presidents Washington, Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, Kortemeyer says. Washington and Jefferson “are the baseline foundation of our democracy … directly, hands-on, involved in the creation of the country,” he says. Lincoln is “involved in the preservation of the nation, holding us almost physically together.” He lauds Roosevelt for his legacy of conservation in setting aside 230 million acres of land “for recreation and preservation.”

The 2026 program will also include a salute to veterans and gold star families, who then “retreat the colors [respectfully lower the U.S. flag] for the night,” Kortemeyer says. “It’s 2,500 people every night with a standing ovation, with the sculpture and with the veterans call. It’s a quintessential USA moment.” Admission: Free. Parking: $10 per car; $5 for those 62 and older.

Head to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, during Presidents Day weekend for the Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show. Fireworks will light up the sky over four nights in mid-February.

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Lake Havasu City, Arizona: Fireworks like you’ve never seen

This fantastical annual Presidents Day weekend fireworks show in the clear desert air lasts four nights, Feb. 12 to 15, and will get you prepared for Fourth of July festivities. Organized by the Western Pyrotechnic Association, these pyro professionals at the Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show demonstrate the latest advances in fireworks technology at one of the biggest fireworks displays in the West. Expect to see “world-class pyromusicals from some of the top display companies in the country,” says D.J. Dutra, chair of Winter Blast 2026. A pyromusical is a fireworks display that’s been synchronized and choreographed to a musical track.

The show takes place in the Special Activities and Recreation Area Park (SARA) and can be viewed from the Havasu 95 Speedway race track. During the day, you and your family can enjoy the park’s 1,100 acres, including the SARA Crack trail, a challenging 5-mile (round-trip) canyon hike, a BMX track, playgrounds and rodeo grounds. No pets are allowed; early arrival is encouraged. Dutra recommends arriving before sunset and facing westward to enjoy nature’s own fireworks.

Admission: $10 per vehicle (cash only) to enter SARA and $10 per person (cash only) for seats in the speedway grandstand (no advance sales); free on Feb. 12.

In a cross-cultural celebration, the sister cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, commemorate George Washington during a ceremony on a bridge that links the two countries. Here, participants in the parade on Feb. 22, 2025.

Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Laredo, Texas: Celebrating every day USA

The border town of Laredo hosts a multifaceted celebration of Washington starting Jan. 10 and running through Feb. 28, with more than 25 events. The 128th Laredo celebration includes an air show, a carnival and a two-day jalapeño festival.

On Feb. 21, the town hosts a parade with the theme of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” “The theme highlights the everyday heroes and role models who continue to inspire future generations,” explains the application to participate in the parade. “It also encourages us to recognize the places, events and simple blessings that spark joy and unite our communities.”

Before the parade, a special bridge ceremony on the international crossing that joins Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, takes place between men costumed as George Washington and Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (Mexico’s “father of independence”), accompanied by children in colonial costumes and a fife-and-drum band, according to The Washington Post. Representatives from the celebration committee and elected officials from both cities meet on the bridge to exchange greetings and affirm the long-standing connections between the two communities. Admission: Free for the parade and air show; other events require tickets and charge admission.

people walking around and observing inside the museum of the american revolution

Head to the Museum of the American Revolution for talks on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as “The Declaration’s Journey” exhibit.

Courtesy Museum of the American Revolution

Philadelphia: Interact with history

Family-friendly activities abound throughout the Philadelphia area over the holiday weekend. On Feb. 13, the National Constitution Center unveils its new interactive “America’s Founding” gallery, which explores the road to independence, the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The exhibit showcases cherished artifacts, such as a copy of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, digital interactives about the debates during the nation’s founding and an interactive Declaration of Independence. Admission: $24.95 on-site for adults; $19.95 for adults 65-plus, as of Feb. 13.

The Museum of the American Revolution hosts talks focused on Washington and Lincoln, along with its Revolution Place, which recreates three 1700s Philadelphia neighborhoods, including a military encampment and tavern. Admission: $25 for adults; $21 for those 65-plus.

On Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Washington Crossing Historic Park has whirligig-game making, musket-firing and artillery demonstrations and a birthday card contest. Admission: Free.

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An award-winning writer and local park steward, Amy Brecount White loves to sample local fare and stroll through forests. She has written for National Geographic Travel, Smithsonian, The Washington Post and Sierra magazine.