FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The concert is held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The public gates will open later than usual at 7 pm on July 3rd due to the heat in Washington, DC. The concert will still begin promptly at 8 pm. Guests are strongly encouraged to bring an ample supply of water to stay hydrated. Water bottles & coolers are allowed.

Updates can be found on the U.S. Capitol Police’s website in the Media Center.

Public access opens at 7:00 p.m on July 3rd.
The public will not be admitted to the West Lawn of the Capitol before that time.
Checkpoints will be set up, and all bags and parcels will be checked.
Guests will be required to enter through a metal detector.
The gates are located at the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds.
There are viewing areas for the use of guests with disabilities.

The concert is free and open to the public.
No tickets are necessary.

Due to excessive heat, the United States Capitol Police released a statement that the public will not be able to attend the 8pm July 2nd rehearsal of A Capitol Fourth.

Details can be found on the U.S. Capitol Police’s website in the Media Center.

The July 3rd live broadcast, however, will take place as scheduled at 8 pm and is open to the public. Please be advised that public gates will open later than usual at 7 pm due to the heat in Washington, DC. Guests are strongly encouraged to bring an ample supply of water to stay hydrated. Water bottles & coolers are allowed.

A list of prohibited items can be found on the U.S. Capitol Police’s website in the Media Center.

Taking the Metro to the concert site is strongly advised due to traffic volume and street closures put in place for the event.
The nearest stations are Federal Center SW (Orange/Blue lines) and Union Station (Red line).

There are two designated viewing areas for guests with disabilities which include a monitor with closed captioning for the hearing impaired. After you arrive at the grounds of the Capitol, let a park ranger or an event staff member in a yellow shirt know you need access to this area and they will be able to direct you.

The live broadcast of A Capitol Fourth premieres on July 3rd at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT and is finished at 9:30 p.m. ET.

A Capitol Fourth premieres live on July 3rd at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT.
To be certain of the air time in your area, be sure to CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS.

The livestream of A Capitol Fourth is available on this website, the A Capitol Fourth Facebook page, and our YouTube channel.
Video on Demand of the show is available for two weeks following the live broadcast.

You’re in luck! The vast majority of public television stations replay A Capitol Fourth immediately after the show concludes. In most areas, this is from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET, but CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS to be sure.
Some public television stations also replay the show within a few days.
Video on Demand of the show is available for two weeks following the live broadcast.

Our 2026 host and performers will be listed in the performers section of this website.

Unfortunately, copyright restrictions do not permit us to issue video or audio copies of the program. However, we hope you are able to watch the broadcast, and we encourage you to tell others about it.