In NYC’s Times Square: America250 Announces Lineup For Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show Airing On Third Of July

America250 Announces Star-Studded Lineup for Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show at One Times Square

Nationwide Livestream Broadcast Benefit Show to Feature Performances by Mary J. Blige, Brad Paisley, and NE-YO – with Jim Gaffigan as Host

The Giving 4^th Broadcast Benefit Show Seeks to Raise Funds for Diverse Charitable Causes Nationwide and Transform America’s Independence Day as a New Tradition of Generosity

Editor’s note: Staten Islander previously covered this event when it was first announced back in April.  There are many events scheduled for this extra special semiquincentennial celebrations planned for this weekend and into next week.  Readers interested in a dramatization of the life of Ben Franklin and his friend Rev George Whitefield might enjoy A Great Awakening, which we reviewed. You can see a brief clip compilation video there which is not on our YouTube channel.  

NEW YORK – One Times Square –– home of the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball – and America250, the national nonpartisan organization charged by Congress to engage every American in celebrating and commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the United States, today announced the line-up of performers participating in the Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show, set to stream nationwide on July 3. The historic broadcast show at One Times Square will celebrate the official launch of Giving 4th, America250’s new national initiative calling on all Americans to add something new to their Independence Day celebration: giving back to the causes and communities they care about.

The nationwide livestream will include performances by nine-time GRAMMY® winner and Academy Award nominee Mary J. Blige, three-time GRAMMY® winner and 14-time CMA Award winner Brad Paisley, and three-time GRAMMY® winner NE-YO. Emmy® Awards winner and GRAMMY® nominated comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan will serve as the show’s host and MC.

Giving 4th aims to solve the critical “summer slump” endured by local nonprofits, which face a dramatic midyear decline in donor support. The Giving 4th initiative acts as a nationwide call to action to break this cycle. Throughout the summer season, Americans are invited to make a pledge to support a nonprofit or cause they care about. On July 4th and thereafter, participants fulfill these pledges by donating directly to any registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, shifting the focus of Independence Day from passive celebration to active, local investment. To ensure measurable impact, America250 is collaborating with GivingTuesday, the global generosity movement, to track charitable donations nationwide.

“On July 3, One Times Square will serve as the broadcast home for a national moment Americans can experience from wherever they are,” said Rosie Rios, Chair of America250. “This benefit show brings together extraordinary artists and a simple call to action: celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by giving back to the causes and communities that matter most to you. That is the lasting tradition we hope Giving 4th will inspire.”

The broadcast will also feature additional performances by musician Dave Bray, a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Veteran and national recording artist, The Bombshells, a vocal trio specializing in music of the World War II era and the Great American Songbook, and DJ Chris Washburn, American professional DJ.

These performances will lead up to the Ball Drop at midnight ET to usher in July 4, 2026. For the first time in history, the Times Square Ball will drop not once, but eight times to mark midnight in every American time zone.

Watch in the Livestream and Listen on iHeart.com

Independence Day weekend is a time when Americans gather with family, friends, and neighbors — at home, at local celebrations, and in communities across the country. To meet people wherever they are, the Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show will stream live and free on America250.org and the America’s Block Party Mobile App on iOS and Android.

Pre-show programming begins on July 3 at 9:45 a.m. ET with the first Ball Drop for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Giving 4th Broadcast will stream live and free for people around the world on July 3, from 9:00 p.m. ET on July 3 to 12:15 a.m. on July 4. While the main show will conclude at approximately 12:15 a.m., the livestream will continue throughout the evening as the countdowns continue west through Central Time, Mountain Time, Pacific Time, Alaska Time, and Hawaii-Aleutian Time. The final Ball Drop will occur at 7:00 a.m. ET for American Samoa.

One Times Square will serve as the broadcast stage for this national moment. Unlike New Year’s Eve, there will be no public viewing area in the plazas or streets of Times Square for this event, and the show will not be visible from outside the building.

As the show’s exclusive audio partner, iHeartMedia, the largest audio company in the United States that reaches more than 250 million Americans every month, gives people a way to join the experience from home, on the road or from their own July 4 gatherings. The audio experience of the show will be exclusively available across iHeartMedia stations nationwide and digitally on the Freeform Radio channel on the iHeartRadio app.

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July 4th: America’s Block Party in the Sky

Following the Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show on July 3, One Times Square will host America’s Block Party in the Sky, a complimentary public event with reserved participation, on Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 5 from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Set atop the elevated Times Square Skywalk – a 360-degree wraparound viewing deck, offering a unique river-to-river vantage point of the Manhattan street grid, and a glass walkway – visitors will get an up-close view of the Declaration of Independence transcribed on a glass wall of the Skywalk, reflect on its meaning, and capture a one-of-a-kind photo moment with the founding document’s words set against the Times Square streetscapes. Guests will have an opportunity to write their own message of giving and reflection on a piece of confetti that will be released in Times Square during this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

The experience will be made available to America’s Heroes, including veterans, active military, retired military, and first responders, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. both days – before the opening to the general public. Reservations for complimentary reserved participation are available at OneTimesSquare.com/a250.

America250 Drives Momentum from Sea to Shining Sea

America250 continues to build nationwide participation and its strongest momentum yet through values-based programming focused on service, storytelling, education, innovation, culture and community engagement. Across its programs, America250 is creating opportunities for Americans to learn, participate and share their stories as part of a national commemoration designed to build long before and endure long after the fireworks, including:

• 13 million service hours recorded through America Gives.
• 824,000+ flags distributed through America Waves.
• 28 states (and counting!) visited by the Our American Story mobile recording studio.
• 30 college student finalists competed in America’s Startup.
• Multiple artists signed for America’s Soundtrack.
• More than 20,000 entries and 550 awardees over three contest years for America’s Field Trip.
• Nearly 4,500 attendees at the America Innovates event in San Francisco.
• 429 members in the Congressional America250 Caucus, making it the largest bipartisan, bicameral caucus in U.S. history.

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About America250

America250 is the national nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in celebrating and commemorating the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is spearheaded by the congressionally-appointed U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and its sole-supporting nonprofit organization, America250.org, Inc., together known as America250. This multi-year effort kicked off with America’s Invitation on July 4, 2023: a national public engagement campaign inviting all Americans to share their stories and their hopes and dreams for the future of this country. Leading up to July 4, 2026, America250 is working to provide opportunities for all Americans to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look to the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond. To learn more, visit America250.org, and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

About One Times Square

One Times Square is a 26-story building located at the intersection of 42nd Street, Seventh Avenue, and Broadway in the heart of Times Square. Originally built as the headquarters for the New York Times at the turn of the 20th century, the building is being reimagined as a destination for experiential entertainment. The building has served as the focal point for the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Celebration since 1907 and continues to play a central role in the world’s New Year’s Eve traditions. For more information, visit onetimessquare.com.

Banner Image: Reasons to celebrate.  Image Credit – America250