Celebrity performers set to headline the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., were announced Wednesday, as the exposition marking the country’s semiquincentennial draws near.
Freedom 250, the organization spearheaded by President Donald Trump that is hosting the 16-day fair, revealed a combination of country, rap, pop, rock, soul, and funk artists will be performing, including Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, Bret Michaels, rapper Vanilla Ice, pop duo Milli Vanilli, Flo Rida, and The Commodores. The entertainers will take turns headlining the stage every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night throughout the fair, which will run on the National Mall from June 25 through July 10.
“In the upcoming weeks, Freedom 250 will continue to announce more incredible performers, speakers, and participants,” the organization said in a press release, touting the exposition as free to the public.
Two artists originally announced as part of the lineup later told fans they would not be performing at the fair. Morris Day & and The Time pulled out, while Young MC cited concerns that the festival will be politically charged. C+C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams also expressed concern about the event’s ties to Trump and suggested he would pull out, though he also said on social media that “I might do the motherf****** show,” arguing that “the day I let you … tell me what to do is the day I die. … You can’t cancel me.”
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“I have informed my agents that I will not be performing at the Freedom 250 event,” Young MC wrote in a post to Instagram. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, Spin magazine describes it as “‘Trump-backed.’”
The fair promises to highlight all 56 U.S. states and territories in “a World Fair-style” celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The exposition will feature a 110-foot Ferris wheel overlooking the National Mall and a newly refurbished Smithsonian National Carousel, among a host of other exhibitions and themed initiatives.
