Independence Day Events

Visitors help lift and fold the American flag on Independence Day.

NPS Photo / A. Rimstidt

Independence Day at Mount Rushmore

Each year on July 3rd and 4th, visitors to Mount Rushmore National Memorial have the opportunity to experience a variety of educational programs, patriotic tributes, and musical entertainment in celebration of Independence Day.

Specific times and locations are published on the park’s Event Calendar once they are confirmed.

Planned Daily Events Include:

• Presidential re-enactors representing the four presidents on the sculpture: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
• At scheduled times, the presidents will give presentations, sign autographs, and mingle with visitors on the Memorial grounds.
• Visitors will also have the chance to enjoy Indigenous hoop dancing, music, and storytelling throughout the day, featuring hoop dancer Jasmine Pickner-Bell, along with storyteller and historian Sequoia Crosswhite.

July 3^rd

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: Beginning on Thursday July 3, 2025, from 5:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. local time, a number of National Park Service (NPS) areas will be closed or have public use limits imposed.

The closure and public use limit are to provide for operational activities related to a dignitary visit.
The full notice is available to the public.

If you are planning on joining Independence Day activities on July 3rd, 2025, please note there will be extra security measures at the Memorial. After parking, visitors can expect to go through a security screening. The following list of items will be prohibited:

Aerosols	Ammunition	Animals other than service animals	Backpacks, bags, and soft sided coolers exceeding size restrictions: 18”x13”x7”	Bicycles
Balloons	Hard-sided coolers of any size	Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)	Explosives	Firearms
Flammable liquids	Folding chairs or camp chairs	Glass, thermal, or metal containers	Knives	Laser pointers
Mace/ Pepper spray	Multi-tools (Leatherman, Gerber, etc.)	Packages	Range Finder	Razors
Recreational motorized mobility devices	Selfie- sticks	Signs exceeding size restrictions 20’x3’x1/4”	Structures	Supports for signs and placards
Toy guns	Tripods and monopods	Umbrellas with metal tips	Weapons of any kind	Any other items determined to be potential safety hazards.

These security measures apply only to July 3rd, 2025.

July 3rd will kick-off the park's celebration at 9:30 am with the presidential re-enactors providing an in-character news conference in the Carvers' Café. Questions are asked by a park ranger hosting the news conference and visitors will have the opportunity to ask their own questions for the presidents to answer.
The July 3rd events will culminate with a special evening program beginning at 7:00 p.m. featuring musical performances by The Air Force Academy Band. The evening will conclude with the song Armed Forces Medley, the Lakota flag song performed by Sequoia Crosswhite, and the national anthem will be performed by the Air Force Academy Band as the sculpture is being lit. The Ellsworth Air Force Base Honor Guard will retreat the American flag.

Daytime activities:

George Washington:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - News Conference, Carver's Marketplace
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Roving the park grounds
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Roving the park grounds

Thomas Jefferson:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - News Conference, Carver's Marketplace
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Declaration of Independence, Flag Folding
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Roving the park grounds
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center

Abraham Lincoln:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - News Conference, Carver's Marketplace
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Roving the park grounds
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Roving the park grounds
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center

Theodore Roosevelt:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - News Conference, Carver's Marketplace
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Roving the park grounds
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Roving the park grounds

Indigenous Cultural Programming:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Hoop Dancing with Jasmine Bell, Grand View Terrace
• 9:30 - 10:15am - Presentation by Sequoia Crosswhite, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Heritage Village Talk
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Heritage Village Talk
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Heritage Village Talk
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Heritage Village Talk

Evening Activities:

• 7:00pm - Mount Rushmore Superintendent Remarks
• 7:10pm - United States Air Force Academy Band
• 9:00pm - Sequoia Crosswhite: Lakota Flag Song
  National Anthem
  Sculpture Lighting
  Flag Retreat by Ellsworth Air Force Base Honor Guard

July 4^th

July 4th daytime visitors can start the day with a flyover from Ellsworth Air Force Base at 9:00am and from there enjoy the presidential re-enactors and Lakota Hoop Dancer Jasmine Pickner-Bell throughout the morning and afternoon. In the evening there will be musical performances by The Air Force Academy Band with the traditional Evening Lighting Program to follow.

Daytime activities:

Ellsworth Air Force Base Flyover:

• At 9:00am Ellsworth Air Force Base will fly a B-1 Bomber over the Memorial.

George Washington:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Roving the park grounds
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Roving the park grounds
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Roving the park grounds

Thomas Jefferson:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Roving the park grounds
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Declaration of Independence, Flag Folding
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Roving the park grounds
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center

Abraham Lincoln:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Roving the park grounds
• 2:00- 2:45pm - Roving the park grounds
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Autographs in the Visitor Center

Theodore Roosevelt:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Roving the park grounds
• 11:00 - 11:45am - Autographs in the Visitor Center
• 12:30 - 1:15pm - Presentation, Theater B in the Visitor Center
• 2:00 - 2:45pm - Roving the park grounds
• 3:30 - 4:15pm - Roving the park grounds

Indigenous Cultural Programming:

• 9:30 - 10:15am - Hoop Dancing with Jasmine Bell, Grand View Terrace

Evening Activities:

• 7:20 - 8:45pm - U.S. Air Force Academy Band
• 9:00 - 9:45pm - Evening Lighting Program

Parking

There is no fee to visit the Memorial; however, the $10 parking fee will be in effect. Active-duty military personnel will park for free and parking for seniors is half price. Keep the parking receipt as it is valid for one year of parking. Visit our fees and passes page to learn more about parking at the Memorial.

Check back regularly for updates.