A Capitol Fourth Marks 35 Years of Celebrating USA's Birthday

Celebrating 35 spectacular years on air, A CAPITOL FOURTH will kick off the country's 239th birthday with an all-star musical extravaganza on July 4. Music legend Barry Manilow will headline the gala anniversary celebration, opening and closing the concert broadcast with a special patriotic medley. Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford will host of the 35th edition. Bradley Whitford is perhaps best known for his role as Josh Lyman in Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing.

Broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, this top-rated star-spangled extravaganza features coverage from 20 cameras positioned around Washington DC, putting viewers front and center for the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation. 

In the three decades since the humble beginning of A CAPITOL FOURTH, a parade of superstars have offered the best in American entertainment and helped set the tone for a spectacular American birthday party. This year, performers will include:

Alabama
Nicole Scherzinger
Hunter Hayes
KC and The Sunshine Band
Ronan Tynan
Robert Davi
Meghan Linsey
Jack Everly
National Symphony Orchestra
Choral Arts Society of Washington
The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own"
The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets
The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery 

Tune in at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, with re-broadcast Monday, July 6 at midnight.