WETA Celebrates America at 250

In Ken Burns’s epic six-part series, thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. This inspiring series is free to watch on WETA PBS on select dates in June and July. Click here for airtimes. The entire series is available to stream for free on WETA+ through July 12.

The 25 for 250 collection explores America’s history, culture, and communities. Five new films or series will be added each month through September, with many titles also airing Saturday nights on WETA PBS. Highlights include episodes of Ken Burns’s The American Buffalo, The Civil War, and The American Revolution, and The Vote from American Experience. WETA+ also offers several additional collections of streaming series and films including What to Watch After the American Revolution and Must Watch History Documentaries.

WETA celebrates the nation’s youngest citizens with the PBS Kids series America’s Awesome Kids. This collection of 25 live-action mini-documentaries produced by GBH Kids and PBS stations nationwide, including WETA, will air on WETA PBS Kids during the series Alma’s Way through June, showcasing children coast to coast and the positive impact they are making in their communities. WETA helped spotlight Kingsley, age 8, of Washington, D.C. In his segment, aspiring astrophysicist Kingsley visits the Air and Space Museum, and later celebrates the Chinese New Year by performing a traditional dragon dance and making dumplings with a friend. His segment is available to view online at pbskids.org.

In March, WETA Arts put a spotlight on the recent large-scale restoration work done at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, revealing new insights about the private person behind the public figure. The May episode returned to Mount Vernon to explores how, the estate fell into disrepair in the mid-19th century, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association stepped in to save the mansion. Both episodes are available to stream on WETA+.

WETA’s documentary Arlington National Cemetery goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner life of the hallowed American site, introducing the dedicated people who orchestrate the complex operation of this sacred place. The one-hour program also delves into the intriguing history of the cemetery from the Civil War to the present, and follows soldiers of The Old Guard — the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment — who stand guard at The Tomb of the Unknowns. The film shares deeply personal stories, introducing several parents whose children are buried at the cemetery and examining the site’s emotional role in their lives. It is available to stream on WETA+.

WETA Classical’s new weekly series America 250: A Classical Portrait continues in June on HD Channel WETA Virtuoso, Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Hosted by James Jacobs, the series traces the arc of American classical music from the colonial era to the present day, with June programs spotlighting America’s evolving classical music sound and the many different voices its national music came to encompass. Content from the series airs across all WETA Classical platforms; learn more at the WETA Classical Score blog.

Kicking off the celebration of America at 250, A Capitol Fourth: 250th Weekend Celebration, will be broadcast live and streamed nationwide from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, July 3 from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on WETA PBS. It will also be available to stream for free on WETA+.

Featuring multi-platinum hitmaker and country music icon Trace Adkins, this beloved 46-year holiday tradition is America’s annual birthday party at the U.S Capitol, with all-star musical and patriotic performances by pop, country, R&B, Broadway, classical and gospel artists along with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. The concert finale will feature a spectacular live fireworks show over George Washington's Mount Vernon – the biggest display ever at the iconic home of America’s first president.

America: Made In Virginia – 250 Years Together, airs Saturday, July 4 at 8 p.m on WETA PBS and is available to stream for free via WETA+. Set in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, this special program pays tribute to America’s Semiquincentennial with live performance, historic interpretation, music, narration and more. Participants include Ken Burns, Judy Collins, Michael Feinstein, Ryan Speedo Green, Kelli O’Hara, Richard Thomas, Adrienne Warren, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, and Virginia Chorale. The evening culminates with a dramatic fireworks and drone display set to a patriotic score performed by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band.