Boston Pops Announces Lainey Wilson, Chance The Rapper, Trombone Shorty, and Megan Hilty as Special Guest Artists and Jane Lynch as Host at 2026 July 4 Fireworks Spectacular Celebrating Massachusetts and America 250

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops to Perform at the Beloved Independence Day Concert on the Charles River Esplanade

Also Joining the Pops on the Hatch Shell Stage are the Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and USS Constitution Color Guard 

The entire July 4 concert and fireworks display will be broadcast locally in Boston on WHDH-TV Channel 7 and streamed on the CNN app and CNN.com (7:00-9:30 p.m. ET).  Portions of the event including the fireworks also will be carried live on an international CNN broadcast of July 4/America 250 celebrations. 

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular returns to the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade for its 52nd year on Saturday, July 4, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET. Led by legendary conductor Keith Lockhart, the Pops concert welcomes four very special guest artists: Grammy-winning country music superstar Lainey Wilson, three-time Grammy winner Chance The Rapper,  Grammy-winning NOLA icon Trombone Shorty, and Tony- and Grammy-nominated actress Megan Hilty. Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Lynch joins as host.

As the Signature Event of the Commonwealth’s MA250 (Massachusetts 250) initiative honoring the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, this year’s free July 4 concert anchors a multi-year, statewide commemoration highlighting Massachusetts’ legacy of leadership and innovation in shaping the nation’s founding and future.  

Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, with support from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), established the MA250 Executive Committee to lead the statewide celebration.  Chaired by Bob Rivers of Eastern Bank, the Committee brings together business, civic, and cultural leaders to drive engagement across Massachusetts.  Working together, the Committee confirmed leadership support from MA250, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Dunkin’ who, along with more than thirty other sponsors and partners, will ensure that the 2026 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will serve as one of the nation’s largest July 4 celebrations. (Full Sponsor List Below) 

With an all-American lineup of top-tier guest artists led by Wilson, Chance, and Shorty, a revolutionary-themed drone show during the performance of the 1812 Overture, and a fireworks display choreographed to music by the Pops, the event will showcase Massachusetts’ creativity, collaboration, and community spirit to an in-person audience expected to break attendance records and millions of broadcast viewers on CNN and on WHDH-Channel 7. 

In honor of the 250th, this year’s musical program features the world premieres of two new works by contemporary American composers. The first, commissioned by the Boston Pops, sets a poem entitled “Song of Massachusetts” written and performed by Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson to a score by BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon. The other, “Spirit of America,” is composed by James M. (Jim) Stephenson in celebration of America 250 and includes reference to “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” “paying homage to those who came before us and who lived and died to protect the truths we hold self-evident,” according to the composer’s statement. 

The in-person event also includes the screening of “We Declare,” the winning video about the Declaration of Independence created by 8th grade students as part of a statewide civics competition presented by iCivics (more info). The winning students will be introduced at the show. 

As always, the free concert includes a patriotic singalong and other Independence Day favorites performed by the Pops along with the Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the USS Constitution Color Guard. We also welcome a talented young pianist from Berklee College of Music: Pelin Su Yavuz, who was one of the winners of our annual Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition in 2024.  

The event will conclude with a stunning fireworks display illuminating the Charles River and choreographed with music performed by the Boston Pops, beginning at 9:15 p.m. 

The entire July 4 concert and fireworks display will be broadcast locally in Boston on WHDH-TV Channel 7 and streamed on the CNN app and CNN.com (7:00-9:30 p.m. ET). Portions of the event including the fireworks also will be carried live on an international CNN broadcast of July 4/America 250 celebrations.  

Public access to the Oval lawn in front of the Hatch Shell opens at 12 p.m. Throughout the afternoon, the Esplanade will offer a variety of concessions and activities for all ages.  These include a collaboration with The LEGO Group to assemble a giant American Flag with the help of onsite attendees and advance support from four Massachusetts libraries in Methuen, New Bedford, Pittsfield, and Worcester who will work during the month of June to pre-build blocks that will be transported to the Esplanade for the project.  [More Info] 

Statement from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey: 
“Massachusetts is where the American Revolution began, and this July 4, we’re proud to welcome people from across the state and country to celebrate 250 years of our nation’s history right here in Boston. From the incredible lineup of artists including the Boston Pops and fireworks over the Charles River, this year’s Spectacular will honor our past while celebrating the energy, creativity and diversity that define Massachusetts today. We’re excited to share this special moment with millions of people here in Boston and watching around the world.”

Statement from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu:
“This year’s Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will be an unforgettable celebration for our residents and visitors from around the world, honoring Boston’s revolutionary history, the courage of our communities, and the traditions that bring us together. Boston’s July 4th festivities are a cherished opportunity for friends and family to come together in celebration. We are proud to host this iconic event and to provide a memorable experience for all.” 

Statement from Bob Rivers, Chair of the MA250 Executive Committee and Eastern Bank Executive Chair and Chair of the Board of Directors: 
“As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, this year’s Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is shaping up to be exactly that—spectacular. We thank the Commonwealth’s business, nonprofit, and community leaders, sponsors and partners for their collaboration in helping to make this event possible, where everyone can enjoy one of the nation’s largest Independence Day celebrations from right here in Massachusetts.” 

Statement from Keith Lockhart, Boston Pops Conductor: 
“Back in 1976, Boston celebrated America’s Bicentennial with the great Arthur Fiedler leading the Boston Pops on the Esplanade, breaking records for live attendance and national TV viewership and establishing Boston as the place to celebrate Independence Day.  A half century has passed and, after 30 years of leading the Pops’ July 4 Fireworks Spectacular event myself, I am especially excited about what we have planned this year to celebrate the Commonwealth’s revolutionary history and America’s 250th. I’m thrilled to welcome Lainey Wilson, Chance The Rapper, and Trombone Shorty, major stars in three distinctly American genres, in their Hatch Shell debuts.  The amazing Boston Pops, America's Orchestra, will perform patriotic favorites, as well as two world premiere pieces composed for this historic occasion. With the Pops providing the soundtrack for our biggest-ever fireworks display, this year’s event is going to be one for the record books, and I can’t wait to strike up the band!” 

Statement from Chad Smith, BSO President and CEO:
“For well over a year, we have been working closely with Governor Healey, the MA250 Committee, the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism, and many others to make this year’s Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular the centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s America 250 celebration and a showcase of Massachusetts’ revolutionary spirit and history of innovation. We could not be more excited to share some of the details that will make this year’s event our biggest and most exciting ever. The Boston Pops is honored to again host this free concert, and we are so grateful to Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, and MA250 Chair Bob Rivers for their partnership in this event, and to Mayor Wu and the City of Boston and DCR Commissioner LaChapelle for their continued support.

"The Boston Pops made history when it was founded back in 1885 to present summer concerts of light classical and popular music as a means of offering year-round employment to the musicians of the Boston Symphony. Under conductor Arthur Fiedler, the Pops began presenting free concerts on the Esplanade in 1929, and in 1974, with the help of David Mugar, the Pops’ July 4 event became the Fireworks Spectacular. Over these many years, the Pops’ July 4 event has exemplified the BSO’s longstanding commitment to bringing people together through extraordinary music making, and we look forward to celebrating America 250 with you whether you join us on the Esplanade or watch on CNN or WHDH.”

Statement from Josué González, BSO Vice President, Education and External Engagement: 
“We’re thrilled to partner with libraries so that people from all over the state can be part of the celebration, whether or not they attend in person.  Public libraries that provide free access to technology, internet, and materials for everyone regardless of age, origin, ability, background, or views are a cornerstone of a democratic society. Massachusetts is home to the first public library in the nation, so it is fitting that they and the people they serve be included in a celebration of our nation’s freedom.”

Composers of World Premiere Works

Carlos Simon is a Grammy-nominated composer, curator, and activist who was appointed the inaugural Composer Chair of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for a three-year term, starting in 2024. He is the current Composer-in-Residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and frequently writes for the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera. As part of the BSO’s E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One festival in January celebrating America 250, the BSO performed his Good News Mass, and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players (BSCP) gave the world premiere of his Gardner Suite, which was inspired by works in Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The BSCP performs the Gardner Suite at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico on May 31. Next fall, the BSO will perform Simon’s new Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. Raised in Atlanta with a long lineage of preachers and connections to gospel music to inspire him, Simon is based in Washington, where is he on the faculty of Georgetown University. 

James M. (Jim) Stephenson’s music has been described as "astonishingly inventive" (Musical America), "deserving to be heard again and again" (Boston Herald), and "exquisite music" (Chicago Tribune). These accolades have resulted in continued new collaborations involving his music with esteemed ensembles such as The Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, the symphonies of Baltimore, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Houston, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival, Brevard, Colorado Music Festival, and other performing groups like Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. His "Fanfare for Democracy" premiered at President Biden's Inauguration and was subsequently commissioned by 51 orchestras (all states) across America, premiering with the Boston Pops in 2021. His "Spirit of America" will also be featured at the upcoming America 250 Boston Pops July 4 program broadcast on CNN. His Symphony No. 2, "VOICES," has won two awards, and has been performed nearly 75 times in the last decade. Stephenson has written concertos, sonatas, and chamber music for musicians from nearly every major orchestra, and has been a collaborator with Joshua Bell on many occasions. His recent “Quartet for a New Tomorrow” was premiered in Lithuania in early 2026, and was immediately followed by three United States performances, with three more scheduled in the coming months. On his future schedule are two more symphonies, several concertos, other orchestral and wind ensemble works, and a new "Odyssey of the Orchestra" for the Naples Philharmonic's young audiences. Jim is a 1990 graduate ('with distinction') from the New England Conservatory.  

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Thank you to Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular Sponsors 

Lead Sponsors: MA250, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Dunkin’. 

Supporting Sponsors: Amazon, Bank of America, Biogen, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, Eastern Bank, Fidelity Investments, Liberty Mutual Insurance, M&T Bank, Meet Boston, New Balance, Optum, Pilot House Associates, TJX Companies, Rob and Jen Waldron, and Thomas and Winifred Faust.  

Additional support is provided by: AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, The Chiles Foundation, Eversource, The Fairmont Copley Plaza, General Dynamics, Leader Bank, National Grid, Millipore Sigma, Point 32 Health Companies, P&G Gillette, The Red Sox Foundation, Samuel Adams, and Suffolk.  

Public Safety and Site Restrictions

The rehearsal on July 3 is closed to the public. 

Gates will open to the public at 12 p.m. (noon) on July 4. 

Alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis are prohibited on the Esplanade per Mass DCR rules. 

More public safety information including details about when Storrow Drive will be closed to vehicles will be provided by state officials closer to the day of the show and posted on the event website. 

About Massachusetts 250

The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) commemorates Massachusetts’ role in the American Revolution with the Massachusetts 250 campaign, celebrating 250 years of the country’s independence and the state’s revolutionary spirit. The statewide campaign highlights often-told stories like Paul Revere’s ride while uplifting underrepresented voices and unveiling untold stories with hundreds of events presented across the Bay State. For more information, please visit massachusetts250.org and follow the campaign on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.   

About the Boston Pops July 4 Fireworks Spectacular and Keith Lockhart

Since 1929, the Boston Symphony’s Pops orchestra has performed its free Independence Day concert on the Esplanade, a beloved Boston tradition first conceived by Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler and carried on by John Williams and, since 1995, Keith Lockhart (see bio). A fireworks display became part of the tradition in 1974 when the late David Mugar became the event’s producer, which he remained until 2016. In 2017, the Pops opened a new page in the BSO’s history, presenting its first self-produced Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.