France will stage an elaborate light show at the Statue of Liberty to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the French Consulate said Monday.

The show, described as a "monumental artistic creation," will be recorded in advance and broadcast by ABC at the start of its 25 hours of Independence Day programming on July Fourth.

"The Statue of Liberty will be revealed to the public as it has never been seen before, in a staging designed to magnify its symbolic and emotional power," the consulate said.

"Our friendship goes back 250 years, it is still very strong, it runs deep, and that is why we wanted to do something significant," said Cedrik Fouriscot, France's consul to New York.

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was given to the United States by France in 1886.

France also dispatched its air force acrobatics team to the United States this month to mark the 250th anniversary.

On June 9, eight Alpha jets of the Patrouille de France filled the skies above Manhattan with the colors of the French tricolor as they soared above the Statue of Liberty.