Expect road closures and crowds on Sunday as one of the nation’s first big events for America’s 250th anniversary is held on the National Mall.
About 15,000 people are expected to attend Rededicate 250 at 12th Street along the National Mall, officials have said.
What is Rededicate 250?
Billed as a “national day of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving on the National Mall, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States,” organizers say the event is family-friendly and free to attend, although attendees must RSVP.
“It is a historic gathering to give thanks for God’s providence, reflect on our nation’s story, and rededicate America as One Nation under God,” organizers said on their website.
Gates will open at 9 a.m. The main program is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a headliner worship concert, organizers said.
President Donald Trump and several top administration officials will join mostly conservative Christian clergy for the event, which was organized by a nonprofit called Freedom 250. Its website describes it as a public-private partnership “leading the presidential programming for America’s 250th anniversary,” which culminates with the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth.
The day will include worship music, prayers and speeches from Cabinet heads and other Republican officials, along with religious leaders and others. Trump and several other speakers will address the crowd by video, while others will speak in person, according to the Associated Press. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson are expected to participate.
Some critics are calling Rededicate 250 an effort to “hijack” U.S. history with a false, Christian nationalist narrative, which they say fuses American and Christian identities and threatens a constitutional separation of church and state, as the Associated Press reported.
Religious leaders on the Rededicate 250 program include several longtime Christian supporters of Trump, among them evangelist Franklin Graham and pastors Paula White-Cain, who heads the White House Faith Office, Robert Jeffress and Samuel Rodriguez. Also scheduled are Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron and Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, the only faith leader on the program representing a non-Christian faith.
Here’s a list of road closures for Sunday
Anyone planning on going to the National Mall should use mass transit if possible, officials recommended.
People in the area should expect a wide security perimeter and traffic closures, interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffery Carroll said earlier this week.
Closures around Rededicate 250 will be along 7th and 12th streets and the roads around the National Mall. Not far away, George Washington University’s commencement ceremony will be happening on the grounds of the Washington Monument between 15th and 17th streets.
Police shared the following list of road closures, but be aware that these could change.
The following streets will be posted as “Emergency No Parking” from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Constitution Avenue between 15th and 14th streets NW
- Madison Drive between 4th and 14th streets NW
- 7th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW
- Jefferson Drive between 4th and 14th streets SW
- 12th Street between Madison Drive and Constitution Avenue NW
The following streets will be closed to vehicle traffic from about 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- 15th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW
- 12th Street between Madison Drive and Constitution Avenue NW
- Madison Drive between 7th and 14th streets NW
- Jefferson Drive between 7th and 14th streets SW
The following streets will be closed to vehicle traffic from about 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- 15th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution avenue (southbound only)
- 7th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW
- Madison Drive between 4th and 7th streets NW
- Jefferson Drive between 4th and 7th streets NW
- 12th Street Expressway (tunnel)
The following street may be closed intermittently for public safety:
- 14th Street from Constitution Avenue NW to Independence Avenue SW
You can follow @DCPoliceTraffic on X for road closure updates from police.
What to know about security
Police have been planning for a wave of events that includes Rededicate 250 for more than a year.
“We will be ready,” D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said earlier this week.
In light of the rise of political violence, law enforcement agencies are coordinating at the highest levels for these events.
Carroll said MPD is “in close coordination” with the Secret Service, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies, but there are no specific credible threats toward any of D.C.’s upcoming events.
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