America’s 250th birthday party goes international
AS Americans honour the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026, people around the world are joining them in marking the occasion. Other countries are commemorating America’s founding in a variety of ways, from minting coins and planting trees to flying over U.S. cities.
Kaci McEwan’s tribute is a red, white and blue tartan made with threads signifying early milestones in American history. “For me, the tartan was about telling a story,” said McEwan of Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design.
“Every thread and colour represents a moment in the journey towards the Declaration of Independence.”
Her Old Glory-themed take on the traditional Scottish pattern has been selected to serve as a symbol of the close cultural ties between the United States and Scotland. McEwan will deliver the tartan to Washington on July 4, Independence Day.
Here are a few more ways other countries are honouring America’s 250th birthday.
At the time of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s visit to the White House in April, the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint issued a commemorative coin in honor of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. The large decorative coin features King Charles III on one side and America’s national bird, the bald eagle, on the other.
“Every detail tells a story of independence, partnership and the values that continue to unite our two nations,” the British Embassy in Washington said in April, when U.K. Ambassador to the United States Christian Turner delivered the coin to the White House.
Japan gifted the United States 250 new cherry blossom trees for the anniversary. The trees will replace aging ones dating to Japan’s original 1912 gift of 3,020 cherry blossom trees. The blossoms draw 1.5 million people a year to Washington for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a springtime tradition that honors the friendship between the United States and Japan.
The United States has sent dogwood trees to Japan in return, establishing a unique diplomatic tradition. President Trump has praised the cherry blossom trees as a “living symbol of the cherished friendships” between our two nations.
The Spanish Royal Mint has issued three limited-edition coins paying tribute to early ties between the United States and Spain. The coins honour Spanish-born Jordi Farragut, who fought alongside the Continental Army in the American Revolution, as well as Spain’s King Charles III, who supported America’s fight for independence from Britain. The third coin recognizes an early U.S. coin modelled after Spanish currency.
The French Air and Space Force’s aerobatic flight team, the Patrouille de France, is commemorating France’s support for the American Revolution with a monthlong tour of flyovers of major East Coast sites, culminating on July 4. Dubbed Liberté 250, the mission features aircraft painted red, white and blue in honour of the American and French flags and bearing the names of U.S. Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.
French pilots will fly alongside American counterparts with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds.
The Italian Navy’s Amerigo Vespucci, a tall sailing ship named for the 16th-century explorer who became a namesake for the United States of America, will visit New York City on July 4. The Vespucci will participate in Sail4th 250, a parade of ships from 20 countries, including Argentina, Germany, the Netherlands and Peru, making it the largest international maritime gathering in modern American history.
