How does America celebrate 250 years?

Revelers across the nation balance patriotism, World Cup fever and political division

- Alexandra Del Rosario and Lila Seidman

PEOPLE gather at Huntington Beach's Fourth of July parade, which has been going strong for 122 years.

America marked its 250th anniversary of independence Saturday in a manner fitting with the times in 2026.

Military jets buzzed crowds of awestruck parents and children. The air filled with the sounds of fireworks, even before the sun set. Classic cars and marching bands crept along parade routes, nodding to the nostalgia-tinged mid-century that has come to dominate the notion of "a better time." But it did not take long for the divisive politics of our age to take center stage.

It started with a fiery speech by President Trump on Friday, in which he railed against communism, followed by Democratic leaders slamming him for divisive, harmful rhetoric on a day that should bring people together.

Some Fourth of July celebrants wanted to talk about anything but politics. Topics ranged from California's lovely weather to the dangerously broiling temperatures on the East Coast to the World Cup, where, on Sunday, Mexico will take on England in a game where many in L.A. at least are likely to share our founding fathers' disdain for the Brits.

In Santa Monica, parade-goers lined Main Street decked out in shiny red, white and blue leis and tank tops bearing stars and stripes. They waved small American flags as salted sea air wafted in from the Pacific Ocean.

Venice resident Dana Paris, wearing a red, white and blue U.S. soccer jersey, attended the annual event for the first time.

Amid global political turmoil, "I just feel like I have to be out here, showing my colors, showing my Americanism and remembering that we are all different," she said.