OO-RAH: Homecoming 250 to Honor Navy and Marine Corps

As preparations for the historic celebration honoring the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are underway, Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps (Homecoming 250^TM), the non-profit organizing the milestone event, has secured a significant fundraising opportunity to support the commemoration. Thanks to a challenge grant from a generous anonymous donor, every dollar donated to Homecoming 250 between now and December 31, 2024, will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $400,000.

Matching the challenge grant will mark a significant step toward meeting Homecoming 250's multi-million-dollar fundraising goal. The funds will support a series of iconic events during the celebration, which will take place in Philadelphia, Camden, and along the Delaware River from October 9 to October 16, 2025. The weeklong festivities will kick off on October 9 with a breathtaking parade of ships where historic, replica, and active-duty Navy ships will make their way down the Delaware River. Additional festivities include a special Veteran’s reunion picnic, chances to tour ships including the Cruiser Olympia, Battleship New Jersey, and submarine Becuna, a special flyover by the Blue Angels on the Navy’s 250^th Birthday, and a Victory at Sea concert featuring performances from Navy and Marine Corps Bands.  

November 10, 2025—the Marine Corps’ official birthday—will feature an equally historic celebration. Homecoming 250 will host the 100th Marine Corps Birthday Ball at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, where Commandant John Lejeune hosted the very first Birthday Ball in 1925 alongside Major General Smedley Butler. To further honor the Marine Corps’ origins, at the site where Tun Tavern, traditionally recognized as the birthplace of the Marine Corps, is being recreated as “The Tun” in Philadelphia’s Old City district, just 250 yards from where the original tavern was built in 1693.