Capitol Fourth Concert 2018: Livestream, Performers, Times

WASHINGTON, DC — On Wednesday night, the 38th annual PBS Capitol Fourth Concert salutes the men and women in uniform, as well as their families, on Independence Day. The free concert will be held on the U.S. Capitol's west lawn, and the line-up this year includes The Beach Boys, opera and Broadway star Renee Fleming and music legend Jimmy Buffett with the Broadway cast of the new musical Escape To Margaritaville, making their first stop before launching a national tour.

John Stamos is the host of A Capitol Fourth, which airs on PBS from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET. No tickets are necessary and admittance begins at 3 p.m.

Other performers featured are Pentatonix, Broadway icon Chita Rivera; legendary Motown stars The Temptations;country music singer-songwriter and winner of the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist Luke Combs; country music star and American Idol alum Lauren Alaina; 12-time Grammy Award-winner and gospel legend CeCe Winans; Grammy award winning violinist Joshua Bell; and The Voice Season 14 finalist Kyla Jade; with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly, and the United States Army Band.

The concert will also feature a tribute to The Beach Boys, who will be honored for their extraordinary musical career as the fifth-ever recipients of A Capitol Fourth’s National Artistic Achievement Award.

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The Capitol Fourth Concert puts viewers front and center for the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation, says PBS. While the live concert audience is hundreds of thousands, it can also be heard live on NPR member stations nationwide and via the American Forces Network to troops serving around the world.

If You Go To The Concert
Best spots to watch are via the public entrances to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol:

• North (Senate) Side of Capitol Square: Third Street NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
• South (House) Side of Capitol Square: Third Street SW, and Maryland Avenue SW

You can also catch the concert on a PBS livestream:

The Fourth of July wraps up with fireworks launched beginning at 9:09 p.m. ET from the reflecting pool area. The show lasts 17 minutes and 30 seconds and is visible from locations in D.C. and Virginia, according to the National Park Service.

See event maps from the NPS.

If you're viewing from the National Mall, here are tips:

• Plan to arrive early, and to protect yourself from heat-related illness. See Directions and Plan Your Visit.
• Viewing areas on the National Mall near the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool will be accessible only through secure access points.
• Consider wearing hearing protection. These fireworks are BIG and LOUD.
• Consider wearing eye protection to protect yourself from falling debris (ash).
• Consider not bringing pets (some get very scared of the loud booms).
• Immediately following the fireworks, areas along Independence Avenue between the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial will be closed for safety related to the fireworks launch site. The road will re-open after cleanup crews have completed their inspection and removed any hazardous materials.

Other viewing areas include:

• Washington DC: U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, The White House Ellipse, West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, Anacostia Park
• Virginia: U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and the George Washington Memorial Parkway

What not to bring:

• Guns, knives, or ammunition
• Drones
• Alcohol
• Glass containers
• Explosives or fireworks

Recommendations:

• Leave pets at home
• Travel by Metro
• Bring plenty of water
• Recycle

Due to safety concerns and large crowds, no grills, alcohol, glass bottles, or personal fireworks are permitted on NPS property, as grilling and personal fireworks risk fires.

Screenshot of 2017 Capitol Fourt Concert via PBS YouTube