US ambassador throws $5 million Independence Day party in Brussels with burgers, country and a C-130 flypast
Some 8,850 invited guests, a C-130 flypast, country music and millions in corporate donations marked the semiquincentennial celebration.
Funding and scale
Ambassador Bill White told a press conference that the evening event would cost more than $5 million (roughly €4.4 million), raised from 220 donors. Contributions ranged from a single dollar to over $250,000. American multinationals including Meta, Microsoft, Nike and McDonald's appeared on the sponsor list, alongside Belgian names such as Leonidas, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Sabena, Van Moer Logistics and Sibelco.
Programme and air display
Speeches, country music by the Zac Brown Band, a drone show and fireworks were planned. A planned parachute drop was scrapped after mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke refused a permit, citing excessive impact on air traffic during the first big weekend of the summer holidays. A flypast of historical aircraft at 21:00 was cleared, however. The Crucke cabinet said Belgian authorities viewed the aerial tribute as a "symbolic homage to the historical friendship between Belgium and the United States and to the role of American forces in the liberation of Europe".
Dankzij hen zal hier straks a very big airplane voor ons alleen een luchtshow geven boven this very big square... A C-130, made in the USA.
Atmosphere on the ground
Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' blared as guests streamed through security checks conducted by a private firm and Secret Service agents. Free hamburgers, Budweiser cans, a military jeep, linedancers and country acts filled the park. A local resident hung a banner at the end of the queue congratulating the United States on "250 years of imperialism".
Guests of honour
Prime minister Bart De Wever and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte were among the invited dignitaries. White, accompanied by his husband Bryan Eure, thanked God for the good weather and the donors who made the evening possible.
Mixed reception
White expressed hope the party would cement the bond between Belgium and the US, saying both nations' citizens "all love hamburgers", and brushed aside media coverage of diplomatic clashes. He had himself triggered several incidents since his posting eight months earlier, including saying Belgium "resembles an anti-Semitic country". A residents' committee criticised the "ever more frequent privatisation of public space".
