QUINCY — The National Park Service at Adams National Historical Park will host special programming and events from June 26 through July 5, 2025, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The City of Quincy will also hold its Celebration of Freedom and a Maritime Festival during this period.

On July 1, rangers will share stories of the American Revolution during the day at Peacefield Tent, located on the grounds of the Old House at Peacefield at 135 Adams St. That evening at 6 p.m., authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, along with novelist Jodi Daynard, will speak at the Peacefield Tent.

On July 2, visitors to Adams National Historical Park can participate in a reenactment of the passage of the Declaration of Independence, serving as delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Also on July 2, Hancock Adams Common will host A Celebration of Freedom from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. This event will feature performances by the Colonial Navy of Massachusetts, historian Brook Barbier, the Beantown Swing Orchestra, Lucas Beltran, the Quincy Choral Society, and the South Shore Children's Chorus.

On July 3 at Adams National Historical Park, actors portraying John and Abigail Adams will share their experiences from the American Revolution at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The Conchords will perform music there at noon and 2 p.m. The Maritime Festival at Marina Bay will begin on July 3, running from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Public readings of the Declaration of Independence will take place at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on July 4 at Adams Farm at Penn's Hill, located at 141 Franklin St. in Quincy. The Maritime Festival at Marina Bay will continue on July 4 from noon to 9 p.m., and will conclude on July 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Maritime Festival will include live music, a balloon magic performance, a children's decorate wagon and bike parade, and a Revolutionary War reenactment by the Lexington Minutemen.

Visitors for the events at Adams National Historical Park should park at the Visitor Center at 1250 Hancock St. A park trolley will transport visitors the half-mile from the Visitor Center to Peacefield. The Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde will arrive at Safe Harbor Marina Bay on July 16, escorted by the Quincy Police Marine Unit, and will remain until July 19. The Oosterschelde is a three-masted topsail schooner built in 1918. Public deck tours of the Oosterschelde will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 17, July 18, and July 19.