Arizona America250 Events Calendar
Explore our Arizona America250 Events Calendar, your hub for commemorating America’s 250th anniversary in Arizona. This calendar highlights both signature events hosted by Arizona America250 and community-led events taking place across the state.
If your organization or community is planning an event that aligns with the spirit of America250, we invite you to be part of the celebration. Help us build a vibrant calendar that reflects the richness of Arizona’s past, present, and future. Submitting your event is easy and free!
Let’s make history together. One event at a time.
Freedom 250 and 30th Annual California Condor Release Viewing Event
As part of the Freedom 250 initiative, the Bureau of Land Management invites the public for a condor release at the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, Sept. 26. The Peregrine Fund will release four captive-bred California Condors at noon MDT/Utah time (11 a.m. MST/Arizona time). The 30th annual event will be held in person at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument at the Condor Viewing Site, with activities starting at 10:30 a.m. MDT/9:30 a.m. MST, and will be livestreamed via The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel. Those attending the event in person will have the opportunity to talk with condor biologists and ecosystem managers, learn about the birds and their habitat, and enjoy a festival-like atmosphere while waiting for the condors’ first flight. Attendees will also get a chance to meet the BLM’s mascot, Seymore Antelope.
For those unable to attend the activities in person, the event will be livestreamed via The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube channel. To enhance the experience, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Bird ID app team will provide information to users on how to participate in the condor release both in person and online.
The first California Condor release at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was on Dec. 12, 1996. “The BLM is happy to work alongside The Peregrine Fund and other state and federal agencies in supporting the recovery of this iconic species,” said BLM Vermilion Cliffs National Monument manager Robert Bate. “We are proud that America’s public lands provide habitat and landscapes that allow these magnificent condors to thrive,” said Bate.
As part of the Freedom 250 celebrations, the 30th annual condor release will also host the Department of the Interior’s Great American Flag Expedition initiative. This traveling flag highlights “people, places, and stories that define America’s public lands heritage,” with a goal to reach 250 events before the end of the year. Event guests are invited to become a part of history by visiting the traveling flag, taking photos, and sharing stories about how Vermilion Cliffs embodies our nation’s legacy of stewardship.