PBS’ A Capitol Fourth to host Independence Day Celebration live

The 44th annual edition of “A CAPITOL FOURTH,” broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on PBS, welcomes back iconic actor Alfonso Ribeiro to host and perform on America’s National Independence Day celebration with all-star musical and patriotic performances from pop, country, R&B, classical and Broadway artists.  Our country’s 248th birthday party will be capped off with a spectacular fireworks show over our nation’s capital.

The program will also include the following featured segment:

“A Salute to American Heroes Past and Present,” celebrating the brave Americans from 1776 to today who made our 248 years of freedom possible as—time and time again, in peace and in war—generation after generation of Americans have proudly served in our nation’s Armed Forces. The segment will also honor those of the “Greatest Generation” and welcome two heroic Americans representing all those who served here at home and overseas during the Second World War: a WWII Veteran from D-Day and an original “Rosie the Riveter”: Mae Krier who, in April of 2024, received the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of all the Rosies who served during the World War II era. Active-duty service members will also be honored on stage. The segment will culminate with a special performance by The U.S. Army Chorus of the patriotic classic, “This Is My Country.”

“A CAPITOL FOURTH” airs on PBS Thursday, July 4, 2024 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T., as well as to our troops serving around the world on American Forces Network. The program will be streaming on YouTube and www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth, and will be available as Video on Demand for a limited time only, July 4 to July 18, 2024.