July 4th traffic, events, and more: What to know as nation celebrates its 250th birthday

Dozens of small vessels will sail down the East River on Friday as New York City gets a preview of this weekend's major maritime celebration honoring America's 250th anniversary.

The Small Ships Parade serves as the lead-up to Saturday's "Sail4th 250" event, which is expected to draw large crowds to the city's waterfront.

Many of the participating vessels, known as Class B tall ships, have been arriving in New York Harbor over the past several days. While smaller than the tall ships featured in Saturday's main event, the vessels will offer spectators an early look at the historic flotilla.

The parade will travel south along the East River on Friday before the larger celebration gets underway Saturday.

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The historic Tall Ship Elissa embarked from Galveston to New York for Sail4th, an event celebrating America's 250th anniversary.

The iconic Times Square Ball is dropping on a day other than New Year's Eve for the first time in its history.

The special series of ball drops on Friday and Saturday is part of the nationwide celebration marking America's 250th birthday.

The festivities got underway at 10 a.m. Eastern as the first ball drop commemorated midnight in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Throughout the day, the ball will drop a total of eight times, marking midnight across every U.S. time zone and inhabited territory as Independence Day begins around the country.

The celebration will culminate with the traditional countdown to midnight in New York City, which organizers say will serve as the centerpiece of the historic event.

The July 4 celebration marks a rare departure from the Times Square Ball's annual New Year's Eve tradition, giving spectators another chance to witness one of New York City's most recognizable symbols in action.

The event is part of the nationwide America 250 commemoration honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

July 4th weekend is here, and if you're making plans for Independence Day, you might want to know what stores and businesses will be open or closed for the holiday. From retail to restaurants, here's what you need to know before heading out for the 4th.

It is recommended to check local store hours as they may vary by location.

What's open and closed on the Fourth of July 2026:

Restaurants:
These chain restaurants will be open on July 4th:

• Applebee's

• Arby's

• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

• Buffalo Wild Wings

• Cheesecake Factory

• Chili's

• Chick-fil-A

• Chipotle

• Cracker Barrel

• IHOP

• In-N-Out Burger

• McDonald's

• Olive Garden

• Outback Steakhouse

• Starbucks

• Sweetgreen

• TGI Fridays

• Waffle House

• Wendy's

• Whataburger

Retail stores:
Most retail and grocery stores will be open on July 4th with the exception of Costco. Others may operate with reduced or limited hours. Make sure to check your local store for hours. The following stores will be open:

• Aldi (reduced hours)

• CVS (reduced hours)

• Dollar General

• H-E-B

• Home Depot

• Kroger and its sister chains (including Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Mariano's and others)

• Lowe's

• Publix

• Sam's Club (reduced hours)

• Target

• TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods (reduced hours)

• Trader Joe's (reduced hours)

• Walgreens

• Walmart

• Whole Foods (reduced hours)

Mail and shipping services:

• Fedex: FedEx office locations will be open with modified hours, but FedEx will not operate delivery services with the exception of Custom Critical and Trade Network deliveries.

• UPS: UPS Store locations will be closed on July 4th, and there will be no pickup or delivery services with the exception of UPS Express Critical.

• USPS: Since the 4th is a federal holiday, USPS and other nonessential government agencies will be closed.

As the nation celebrates America's 250th anniversary, visitors to the Houston Zoo can get an up-close look at one of the country's most iconic symbols, the bald eagle.

There are two female bald eagles at the Houston Zoo: Sally and Mae. They are named after the trailblazing astronauts Sally Ride and Mae Jemison.

According to the Zoo's birdkeeper, Steve Howard, Sally was found on the side of a road, probably after being hit by a car. Her injuries meant she could no longer fly, so she could not be released. Mae was found during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, after she had likely flown into a building. Like Sally, her injuries meant she could never go back to the wild.

SEE FULL STORY: America's Bird: Meet the Bald Eagles at Houston Zoo

As America celebrates 250 years, we're taking a closer look at the bird that became a national symbol.