A 16-day state fair is among the biggest attractions of the country’s 250th celebration in Washington DC. The Great American State Fair, which features attractions from each of the 50 states, runs from 25 June to 10 July across the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument.

The BBC asked visitors why it was important for them to attend the fair.

Video by Meiying Wu

Produced by Madeline Gerber

The Great American State Fair, celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday, opens Thursday, bringing a Ferris wheel, special exhibits and road closures to the National Mall.

D.C. residents and visitors may have seen a Ferris wheel towering 110 feet over the fairgrounds. It’s free to ride, and it’s the first-ever Ferris wheel to be on the National Mall, a Talley Amusements spokesperson said on social media.

Visitors will also find exhibits representing all 56 states and territories, fair organizers Freedom 250 said, although some states decided not to sponsor programming, several media outlets reported. Metro will showcase its newest and oldest railcars at the fair.

Expect road closures and Metrobus detours into July.

Great American State Fair hours

The Great American State Fair is free and opens to the public at 10 a.m. Thursday. It runs daily through July 10. Each day has a theme, including Make America Health Again (MAHA) Mondays and Military & Veterans Appreciation Day on Sunday, June 28.

Fair hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.

Fairgrounds will be open 10 a.m. to midnight on July 4, when President Donald Trump promised “the largest pyrotechnics display in the history of the world.”

Great American State Fair security: bag policy and prohibited items

Visitors must go through security at the gates on either 12th or 7th street.

“To enhance security screening and expedite entry into the event venue, all attendees will be required to follow the Clear Bag Policy,” the event’s website says. Bags are subject to inspection.

Bag policy: Each guest may bring one clear, see-through bag that does not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″. A small clutch purse not exceeding 10″ x 6″ x 2″ is also permitted. Anyone accompanying a child 6 or under can bring one diaper bag.

Prohibited items: Aerosols (including bug spray and sunscreen), animals, backpacks, food, water bottles, umbrellas, balls, drink tumblers, drones, glass and metal containers, packages, selfie sticks, sign supports, toy guns and weapons of any kind, including firearms, are among prohibited items. See a full list on the event’s website.

Driving and walking anywhere near the National Mall is drastically different as it’s being transformed for the state fair. News4’s Mauricio Casillas reports.

How to get to the Great American State Fair

Organizers recommend you take public transit or ride share. Nearby Metro stations include Federal Triangle and Smithsonian on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines; Archives on the Green and Yellow Lines; and Gallery Places on the Green, Yellow and Red lines.

You can use Metro’s Trip Planner tool or apps like Google Maps to get directions.

“All ride-share services (Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.) must use the designated Ride-Share Pick-Up & Drop-Off areas. Locations will be updated and communicated at a later time,” the event’s website said on Thursday morning.

President Trump kicked off fair after artists dropped out

Trump formally kicked off the celebrations on Wednesday night with a rally that included a series of flyovers by stealth bombers, military bands and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.”

“There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” Trump said.

Trump announced he would headline the event after several musicians pulled out of the event’s concert series. Some artists have said they were misled about the event’s theme and want to avoid political controversy.

The event is organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by Trump that labels itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, NBC News reported.

The fair is just the latest event drawing crowds downtown, prompting extra security and road closures. It follows the UFC fight, problems with the Reflecting Pool and the debut of a FIFA World Cup fan zone.

In August, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix will send cars speeding at 190 mph through D.C.

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Donald Trump kicked off what was intended to be a “spectacular birthday party” for American’s 250th year of independence with a political rally touting his presidency.

“I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” Trump said at the opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair in Washington DC, held on the National Mall. “As you know very well, a short time ago we were a dead country. We were dead. Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us any more.”

He rattled off a list of what he described as victories, including a preliminary deal to end the conflict with Iran, a crackdown on immigration and a tax bill. “In the American Revolution, they had a saying no tax on tea. But with the Great Big Beautiful Bill we did even better,” he said, harkening back to the event’s purpose.

He also boasted about projects he has spearheaded around Washington to beautify the city ahead of its independence anniversary, including his project to make the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool “American flag blue” for the celebrations. The revamp has cost about $14.1m, as the pool has faced setbacks including an algae bloom and peeling polyurethane liner.

Trump repeated a claim, that the administration has offered no evidence of, that the peel was caused by vandals: “Thugs, bad people.”

Before the remarks, attendees gathered on the national mall waved star-spangled flags as the US marine band drummed up energy.

Popular musical acts including the Commodores, Martina McBride and Young MC had been announced as headliners for the opening ceremony, but they and other performers backed out of the event, citing its political undertone. Some states also opted out of participating in the Great American State Fair over similar concerns.

Opera singer Christopher Macchio and country musician Lee Greenwood, whose 1984 single God Bless the USA has soundtracked Maga rallies for years, took the stage instead.

Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of the FBI director, Kash Patel, sang the national anthem. Wilkins, who announced her performance in a Tuesday social media post, had rebuffed online speculation about nepotism factoring into her appearance. “I was invited to sing this anthem on my own accord,” she wrote on X.

Trump has spoken of America’s 250th birthday as an inflection point, a time for the nation to recommit itself to patriotism and faith. But while the events were initially touted as nonpartisan and nonpolitical, many of the scheduled celebrations have morphed into Maga-themed occasions. Those programs include Make America Healthy Again Mondays and an Independence Day celebration that will feature a campaign-style rally hosted by Trump.

The National Mall was also the backdrop for another event celebrating America’s 250th year of independence, a UFC fight that drew ethics concerns over the optics of a for-profit company commandeering a public space.

Freedom 250 is also slated to host another sporting event dubbed the Patriot Games. High school students will compete in physical and mental challenges. Scholarship funding of $125,000 will be awarded to one male and one female champion.

The celebrations come as the Trump administration fields criticism that it has promoted “revisionist” history. Early into his second term, the president signed an executive order to purge the nation’s public monuments of “ideological indoctrination”. Materials referencing slavery, Indigenous people and the climate crisis were removed from parks, although a judge recently ordered the administration to reinstate them.