Free Republic

A six-night projection-mapping spectacle will transform the Washington Monument into a luminous canvas beginning on New Year’s Eve, launching the official national celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with a striking visual tribute to the nation’s story. The commemorative event kicks off December 31, 2025, with a midnight countdown illuminating the Monument as a towering 250-foot birthday candle — symbolically marking the start of the United States’ semiquincentennial year. From December 31 through January 5, nightly displays will project a sweeping visual narrative onto the Monument, highlighting key moments in American history — from discovery and independence to unity and future...