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National Independence Day Parade in Washington canceled due to heat

Several other events planned for the holiday in the US capital have also been canceled due to the heat or will be held on a limited scale

WASHINGTON, July 4. /TASS/. The annual parade celebrating US Independence Day on July 4 has been canceled due to extreme heat, the organizers said.

"The organizers of America ‘s National Independence Day Parade, scheduled for July 4, 2026, at 10:30 a.m (2:30 p.m. GMT), have regretfully canceled the parade due to extreme heat in the Washington DC region," the organizers said in a statement on the parade’s website. Temperatures in the District of Columbia are expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day.

"This decision was made after extensive consultation with the National Park Service, the District of Columbia City Government, and Freedom 250 (an organization created to organize the nation’s celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence - TASS), and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff as the top priority," the statement noted.

Several other events planned for the holiday in the US capital have also been canceled due to the heat or will be held on a limited scale. Aerobatic teams are scheduled to perform regular flights over Washington throughout the day. As a result, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has suspended arrivals and departures until July 5. A fireworks display will also take place in Washington this evening.

The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, proclaimed the United States’ freedom from the British Empire. Congress adopted the document on July 2, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two days later, Congress approved a revised version of the document and ordered it to be printed and distributed to the public. Therefore, July 4 is considered the day the US was founded.