In the middle of a complicated transatlantic dialogue, the United States celebrated its 250th anniversary of independence in Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire on Sunday, located right next to EU institutions.
Nearly 10,000 guests enjoyed a full day of activities and performances that concluded with a drone and fireworks display. Many US military personnel based in the Belgian capital were also in attendance.
Named “250 Years of Independence: Building Our Future Together,” the lavish celebration included various “American activities” such as baseball, a mechanical bull and line dancing. The festivities also featured music and a ceremonial flyover.
The US Ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, opened the celebrations before a high-profile gathering in Brussels, with a line-up of speeches by notable dignitaries, including Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Sending a video message, US President Donald Trump thanked the participants, noting that the people of Belgium and the United States have “defended our common civilisation from the trenches of WWI to the free Belgian forces who fought alongside Americans in WWII.”
Trump added that the 14,000 American soldiers resting eternally in Belgian soil remind “what it takes to preserve the freedom that we joyfully celebrate.”
In his speech, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that for a Dutch person like him and countless others, the US, as Ronald Reagan once portrayed it, is and always will be “the shining city upon the hill, a beacon and a guide.”
“We are here to celebrate a transatlantic relationship and friendship that has created history’s best of times, and stood solid through the worst of times,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said as she praised the event and underlined the American saying, ” ‘Go big, or go home’, and you have certainly lived up to that,” pointing to US Ambassador White.
Protest from locals and several organisations
The venue was subject to heavy security measures and some local protests.
The location has become the subject of controversy due to its invitation-only status in a public park, causing considerable frustration among local Brussels residents.
The Parc du Cinquantenaire has been completely closed off since Saturday evening and remained shut until Monday, with identity checks carried out by a private security firm.
Local residents expressed discontent with the lack of communication about the event, as well as with the multi-day closure of one of the city’s largest public parks amid an ongoing heatwave that has swept across Europe over the past week.
On top of this, the event became an opportunity for anti-US demonstrations by numerous organisations, which took place on the opposite side of the park and in nearby streets, outside of the security perimeter.
Greenpeace unrolled a massive banner in the historic Grand Place square in the Belgian capital. The 600-square-metre banner read: “War. Greed. Energy Crisis. What’s there to celebrate?”
Condemning the use of the occasion to “promote Trump’s political and corporate agenda,” Greenpeace wrote in a statement. “The celebration in Brussels takes place against a backdrop of intensifying global instability driven by the White House,” the statement added.
Private funding and transatlantic ties
Other activist groups, including Extinction Rebellion, Indivisible Belgium and Rise for Climate also denounced the event, protesting against the privatisation of the public park.
“The action that’s going on by Mister Ambassador Bill White is a grift. It is the Freedom 250, a private corporation set up by Donald Trump and JD Vance to bring in corporate money both from the US and Belgium and other European companies,” said Christopher Hunter, from Indivisible Belgium Collective.
“It has taken the anniversary of the United States and turned it into another money-making opportunity,” he claimed.
When asked about the disruption and protests, White admitted he was unaware of the demonstration’s specific motivations. “I don’t know what they’re protesting against, but I’d like to know,” he remarked, according to Belgian media.
Addressing the event’s funding, the ambassador revealed that he had raised more than $5 million (€4.3 million) from over 220 donors, with contributions from both American and Belgian companies and private individuals.
Major sponsors include American multinationals such as Meta, Microsoft, Nike and McDonald’s, as well as prominent Belgian names such as Leonidas, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Sabena, Van Moer Logistics and Sibelco.
When questioned by reporters on whether the scale of the event was specifically designed to help repair strained transatlantic relations, White categorically dismissed the idea of deep friction, pointing instead to the two nations’ shared history.
“Let’s ignore some of the media noise about provoking arguments or highlighting more division than actually exists,” White said. “We know we have a wonderful relationship that we must cherish and continue.”