Happy 4th of July!
Happy Independence Day from your friends at Sister Cities! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend with your loved ones celebrating America and 250 years.
At Sister Cities, we are proud to be partnered with our beloved sister city: Villanueva de la Canada in Spain. As an extension of that pairing, we are also pleased to support an amazing program called America & Spain 250.
The America & Spain 250 Initiative is an international educational and cultural initiative created to commemorate 250 years of the relationship between Spain and the United States (1776–2026). It was launched on July 4, 2023 by the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
The program’s mission is to highlight the often-overlooked role Spain played in the founding and development of the United States and to celebrate the enduring friendship between Spain, the United States, and the broader Spanish-speaking world.
Watch this video to learn more:
Some of the initiative’s major goals include:
Raising awareness of Spain's crucial support during the American Revolutionary War, including financial aid, military campaigns, and supplies that helped the American colonies.
Promoting educational resources for teachers and students about Spain's influence on American history.
Sponsoring museum exhibitions, lectures, concerts, historical commemorations, and cultural exchanges throughout 2026, including an informative event that took place at The Huntington Museum back in April of this year.
Encouraging partnerships between historical societies, universities, cultural organizations, and communities in both countries.
The program is supported by many prominent organizations, including:
And we are excited to share that on the 4th, supporters of the America & Spain 250 program will be marching in NYC’s Independence Day Parade in Lower Manhattan.
Happy 4th, and cheers to America & Spain 250!