US plans big 250th anniversary celebration in Cinquantenaire park

The United States embassy in Belgium is planning "one of the biggest 4 July celebrations outside the US" to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary this summer, according to American ambassador Bill White.

The celebration is reportedly planned for Cinquantenaire park, which White described to US media as "the Brussels equivalent of the Arc de Triomphe".

White claims the park will be rented out for 5,000 guests to watch a fireworks show by American company Grucci and a Nato air display. Approximately 2,000 of the guests will be American military personnel and their families.

The ambassador, known for using a bombastic style of communication similar to President Trump, emphatically placed the celebration in a historical context and referred to the role of the United States in Belgium during the first and second world wars, saying the event should not only be a celebration, but also a tribute.

“We want to create an event that will be remembered for years to come,” said White.

American country singer Alexis Wilkins is expected to fly in to sing the American national anthem and Euractiv reports that pop star Katy Perry may perform.

Perry will already be in Belgium the day before for Werchter Boutique, although her presence at the celebration has not yet been officially confirmed.

White also claimed that “the King of Belgium and the prime minister will bring the cake”, but the palace confirmed to Bruzz that King Philippe will not be attending the anniversary celebrations and there has been no confirmation yet as to whether prime minister Bart De Wever will be present.

The administrative aspects of the dossier also do not appear to have been finalised, with the authorities noting that they have only received an "initial application" from the embassy to privatise the park and did not have any further details at this stage.

Relations between Belgium and the United States faced new strain recently after White accused the Belgian state of antisemitism for its investigation into Jewish ritual circumcision in Antwerp.