Healey-Driscoll Administration Partners with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for July 4 Massachusetts 250 Signature Event

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced on Monday, November 3 that the 2026 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, produced by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), will headline the Massachusetts celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The free public performance on the Charles River Esplanade, officially designated as the state’s MA250 Signature Event, will anchor a multi-year, statewide commemoration highlighting Massachusetts’ leadership in shaping the nation’s founding and future. The 2026 event will feature high-profile talent, expanded viewing opportunities, and an enhanced fireworks display that will illuminate the Charles River, celebrating Massachusetts’ creativity, collaboration, and community spirit.

“Massachusetts is where the American story began, and in 2026, we will once again take center stage in celebrating the ideals that continue to define our nation,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The Boston Pops has been a proud and beloved Fourth of July tradition for decades, and this partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra will make the 250th anniversary celebration bigger, more inclusive, and more inspiring than ever. This milestone is about honoring our past while shaping a future where Massachusetts leads with creativity, courage, and unity.”

The 2026 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will be broadcast nationally and streamed worldwide on CNN. The event will be broadcast regionally on WHDH Channel 7. Information on performers and hosts will be announced soon. 

"As an organization dedicated to serving the diverse communities across Massachusetts, the BSO has been presenting Boston's free July 4th celebration for over five decades. We are honored to partner with the Commonwealth in making this year's Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular an event that all Massachusetts residents can be proud of,” said Chad Smith, President and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. “The state's generous funding, along with broad support from corporate sponsors, our national media partner CNN, and our regional media partner WHDH, will ensure that this year's event is the biggest ever, shining a light on what continues to make Massachusetts one of the most dynamic and innovative places in the world."  

This statewide celebration would not be possible without the generous support of our donors and corporate sponsors. Click here for a full list of sponsors. If you are interested in supporting MA250 and the 2026 Fireworks Spectacular, please contact Joan Jolley, Director of Corporate Partnerships, at jjolley@bso.org. 

Boston’s Fourth of July

More than 90 years ago, before Arthur Fiedler became conductor of the Boston Pops, he was struck with an idea that was to transform the orchestra’s relationship to the City of Boston. He believed that if great literature was available for free in public libraries, and masterpieces of art could be viewed for a modest fee in museums, then great symphonic music should be accessible to the masses on a similar basis.

Fiedler, who was at the time a violist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra , as well as a conductor of his own ensemble, set about raising funds to bring his idea to fruition. After two years, on July 4, 1929, the first free Esplanade Concert was performed at the specially constructed acoustic shell along the banks of the Charles River. The orchestra was composed of roughly half the musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. That first season of free concerts, which attracted more than 208,000 people, was such a resounding confirmation of Fiedler’s vision that BSO management was swayed to sign Fiedler to a three-year conducting contract, which was only the beginning of five decades of leading the Boston Pops, until his death in 1979.

In 1974, businessman David Mugar collaborated with longtime friend Fiedler to revitalize the July Fourth tradition, adding fireworks and cannons to the grand finale. The innovations were successful and led to what was likely the high point of Fiedler’s career: the July Fourth concert in 1976. The special bicentennial event attracted more than 400,000 people and made the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the largest audience in the history of orchestral concerts (a record since broken with the 1998 attendance of 500,000+ and many others exceeding that figure). David Mugar, who served as event founder and executive producer until 2016, personally funded the event until 2000 and created Boston 4 Celebrations Foundation (B4), which served as the production arm of the live event and television broadcast. B4 was responsible for securing sponsorship deals, as well as a 10-year deal with CBS, bringing the event to millions as a primetime network special. The baton was passed in 2016, when Mugar retired and the BSO took over leadership and management of the event and television broadcast. 

In 2017, the BSO opened a new page in its history with the first self-produced Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. The upcoming 2026 performance will continue the legacy of this exceptional event, celebrating the 250th Anniversary of United States Declaration of Independence in 2026.