PRPG:

An Expatriate Fourth of July

July 3, 2014

Just because you’re an American and you’re not in America doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate America’s Independence Day.

  • Expatriate Fourth of JulyJuly 4th marks American independence, as well as independence for the Philippines…from the U.S.A. On July 4, 1946, the American government formally recognized the Philippines as an independent nation, ending 50 years of territorial rule. As a show of goodwill, July 4th was established as Filipino-American Friendship Day in the Philippines, recognizing both country’s “birthdays.”
  • 12th Gate is an events planning company in Argentina started by four guys from Georgia. Their signature event for the past few years has been a Fourth of July-themed pub crawl. They’ve signed up several bars in Buenos Aires to offer hamburgers, hot dogs, red-white-and-blue Jell-O, a miniature American flag, some sparklers, and the most American innovation of all—a commemorative T-shirt—all for one ticket price.
  • Stubb’s Bar-B-Q is a Texas-based barbecue chain trying to franchise in China, while also introducing China to barbecue. Each year, it draws increasingly large crowds to an America-themed party on the Fourth of July. Employees pass out miniature American flags, line dancing contests are held, Budweiser is sold, and, of course, fireworks are set off (the majority of which are made in China).
  • The American Society of Sydney, Australia holds a massive, outdoor party, usually on or near Sydney Harbor. It draws more than 1,000 people, and admission is free if patrons “dress American” (whatever that means).
  • In 1912, Danish-Americans bought 200 acres in Rebild, Denmark, specifically to have a place to celebrate America’s Independence Day in their ancestral homeland. They donated it to the country, and it became Denmark’s first national park. It became the site of the largest American-style Fourth of July party (barbecue, fireworks) outside of the U.S., drawing more than 50,000 annual guests to four days of events.