It is presented from the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and is also simulcast by NPR and the American Forces Network.

[1][2] One journalist described the event as "a mix of patriotism and pop culture ... as the National Symphony Orchestra launched into Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with accompaniment from an Army artillery squad, a spectacular fireworks display erupted over the Washington Monument.

[6] In 2019, the concert was held alongside Salute to America, a separate Independence Day event organized primarily by then-President Donald Trump.

The special instead incorporated pre-recorded performances (including one that paid tribute to first responders), although the fireworks on the Capitol were still broadcast live.

Performers over the years have included Roberta Flack and Marvin Hamlisch (1987); Suzy Bogguss (1998); Lee Ann Womack and Ray Charles (2000); Chuck Berry, Aaron Carter and Aretha Franklin (2002); John Williams, Dolly Parton and Kristin Chenoweth (2003); Robin Gibb and Clay Aiken (2004); Stevie Wonder (2006); Hayden Panettiere, Little Richard, and Bebe Neuwirth (2007); Huey Lewis and the News, Taylor Hicks, and Jerry Lee Lewis (2008); Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Andrew von Oeyen, and the cast of Jersey Boys (2009); Gladys Knight, Lang Lang, and Reba McEntire (2010); Jordin Sparks, Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison, Steve Martin, and the Steep Canyon Rangers;[17] Josh Groban, Little Richard, and the cast of Million Dollar Quartet (2011); Megan Hilty, Phillip Phillips, Matthew Broderick, Kelli O’Hara, Javier Colón, Kool & the Gang, Apolo Ohno, and John Williams (2012); and Williams, Hilty, Manilow, Neil Diamond, Jackie Evancho, Candice Glover, Scotty McCreery, and the cast of Motown: The Musical (2013).

Following live entertainment, its finale begins with a rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture by the National Symphony Orchestra (complete with cannon fire from the United States Army Presidential Salute Guns Battery and the concluding verse sung by the Choral Arts Society of Washington), and the National Park Service's fireworks show above the Washington Monument.