When is Trump's Great American State Fair speech? How to tune in

President Donald Trump kicks off the Great American State Fair with an evening speech on Wednesday, June 24.

The event, starting at 7 p.m. ET on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., promises music and military flyovers including from the F-16 Viper Demo Team and "some of the nation’s most iconic fighter jets and stealth bombers," according to Freedom 250, which is coordinating the kickoff event and subsequent 16-day Great American State Fair.

Music will be provided by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and Armed Forces choirs, along with special musical performances by country singer Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio.

"It's going to be essentially a rally, but we'll call it a rally to America, we're honoring the 250th, and it's going to be something very, very special," Trump said in a video post on social media platform X on June 22. "You're going to love it. We're going to all have a lot of fun together."

Also planned as part of the Great American State Fair Kick-Off Celebration:

• Ceremonial presentations by military honor guards and specialty units from the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service, and Military District of Washington.
• Speakers scheduled include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Chief of Protocol Ambassador Monica Crowley, Retired U.S. Navy SEAL Officer Jocko Willink, and Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Frank Siller.

Here's what else to know, including how to watch it.

What time will Trump speak?

The event begins at 7 p.m. ET and Trump is expected to speak around 8:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch the Great American State Fair Kick-Off Celebration

Many networks are expected to broadcast all or part of the event. On Fox News Channel, "Special Report with Bret Baier" (6-7 p.m. ET/3-4 p.m. PT) and "The Ingraham Angle" (7-8 p.m. ET/4-5 p.m. PT) will be live from the National Mall on Wednesday night.

Other networks with scheduled coverage include CSPAN2 and Newsmax. Freedom 250 is expected to stream the online, as is the Right Side Broadcasting Network YouTube channel.

How to attend the Great American State Fair Kick-Off Celebration

The kickoff celebration and the Great American State Fair are free and open to the public.

While walkups are welcome, you can register for free tickets on the Freedom 250 website. On Wednesday, June 24, the doors open at 3:30 p.m. ET for the event. During the Great American State Fair, doors will open at 10 a.m. ET.

What is the Great American State Fair?

The June 24 event, which includes President Trump's speech, is the start of the Great American State Fair, which runs from June 25 to July 10. 

The event had been expected to include exhibits from all the U.S. states and territories, however, some states have said they will not allocate resources to the event.

Freedom 250, the quasi-government group Trump formed to mark America's 250th birthday, had originally planned a 16-day concert series as part of the event. But many of the  musicians backed out of performing, with several citing the event's perceived political affiliation and confusion around what they signed up for.

In a Truth Social post on May 20, Trump went on to criticize the musicians for getting what he called "the yips," and said that he was planning to organize instead what he called an "AMERICA IS BACK Rally."

Trump went on to say the change in lineup may be for the best, since he is "the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World" and "the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime."

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes, Melina Kahn and Mike Stunson, USA TODAY

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected].