Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen to kick off CNN’s July 4 coverage with NYE-inspired special

CNN has announced its plans for coverage of America’s upcoming observance of its 250th anniversary of independence. 

The centerpiece of its coverage will be an evening special inspired by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s “New Year’s Eve Live” with “Independence Eve Live with Anderson & Andy: Celebrating 250.”

The special airs Friday, July 3, 2026, from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET. It will include coverage of New York’s midnight ball drop honoring the nation’s semiquincentennial.

Then, on July 4, 2026, CNN will feature “The Fourth in America: Celebrating 250.” Coverage will include the festivities on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as well as the Great American State Fair. 

Special coverage begins at noon with Brianna Keilar and Laura Coates anchoring from the nation’s capital.

Cooper and Pamela Brown will pick up coverage at 6 p.m. from Boston as the network airs the “Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.”

Dana Bash and Boris Sanchez will anchor coverage throughout primetime from the National Mall in Washington.

In New York, CNN’s Sara Sidner and Victor Blackwell will anchor from the top of the Empire State Building, including coverage of the city’s expansive fireworks show. CNN’s Elex Michaelson and Cari Champion will anchor the network’s coverage from San Diego starting at 11 p.m.

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Additional dayside coverage highlights include: 

• John Berman on a scavenger hunt exploring the revolutionary history of Boston
• Erica Hill in New York City as a flotilla of tall ships from around the world sails into New York Harbor
• Danny Freeman in Philadelphia
• Andy Scholes in Nashville
• Randi Kaye in Provincetown, Massachusetts
• Donie O’Sullivan from George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• Derek Van Dam on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
• Nick Watt in Los Angeles
• Julia Benbrook at the White House
• Plus reporting from Bill Weir, Harry Enten and more

In addition to Boston, Washington, and New York, CNN will feature fireworks displays from more than a dozen cities across the country, including Philadelphia, Nashville, San Diego, Houston, St. Louis, Seward, Alaska, and Kauai, Hawaii.