How many days until the 4th of July?

Independence Day, July 4

Independence Day, better known as the Fourth of July, celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a federal holiday in the United States, marked with fireworks, parades, barbecues and time with family, and for many people it is the high point of the summer.

In 2026 the country marked the 250th anniversary of independence, the semiquincentennial, with celebrations across the nation. The countdown above now runs to the next Fourth of July.

Reading from outside the US? July 4 is a US holiday, so in most other countries it is an ordinary working day. The countdown uses your own time zone and counts to the start of July 4 where you are.

When the holiday is observed

The date itself never moves: Independence Day is always July 4. What can move is the day off. When July 4 falls on a Saturday, the federal holiday is observed on Friday, July 3. When it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on Monday, July 5. Many employers and schools follow the same rule.

In 2027 July 4 is a Sunday, so federal offices close on Monday, July 5, and many people get a three-day weekend. The line under the countdown always shows the observed day for the coming Fourth.

How the countdown works

The page counts down to midnight at the start of July 4 in your device’s time zone, so a friend in another state may see a slightly different number of hours. Choose a unit under the counter to see the time left in weeks, days only, hours, minutes or seconds.

On July 4 itself the page shows the day instead of a counter, and from July 5 it counts down to the next year. The list under the counter shows how far away the three big US summer holidays are: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.

The 4th of July for the next five years

Fourth of July traditions

Fireworks are the best-known tradition, usually after dark on the evening of July 4. During the day many towns hold parades and outdoor concerts, and families gather for picnics and barbecues, often in red, white and blue. When the holiday is observed on a Friday or Monday, some towns move their fireworks to that day or to the nearest weekend, so it is worth checking your local schedule.

The Fourth also sits in the middle of the American summer, after the summer solstice in June, which makes it a popular week for trips and time off.

Put the Fourth of July countdown on your Home Screen

1. Install Left on your iPhone and open Ahead.
2. Tap Add a date ahead, choose New date and name it Fourth of July. Set Starts to July 4 and Repeat to Yearly.
3. Add Left’s Ahead widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen and choose the date in Edit Widget.

Because the date is the same every year, a yearly date rolls over to the next Fourth of July by itself. The Home Screen widget guide covers each step, and the countdown widget page shows the other styles.

Read more

• The best countdown widgets for iPhone
• Add a widget to your iPhone Home Screen
• Organise your dates in Ahead and Since

Questions