Cyrus's first live performance of "Party in the U.S.A." at the
Teen Choice Awards held on August 9, 2009. Clothed by a tank top that revealed a portion of her bra, black hot pants, and leather boots, Cyrus and backup dancers appeared from a trailer. Midway through the performance, Cyrus danced atop an ice cream pushcart with a pole (which was suggested to be a
dance pole by numerous critics) for approximately forty seconds. Cyrus described the performance to be about her heritage: "[My] performance tonight is funny, but I wanted it to be about [something more]. I'm like, 'This is to represent where I am from. I'm so proud of it.' All the girls trying to be Hollywood and stuff with their big glasses, me shooing them away." Ian Drew, senior editor of
Us Weekly said, "She already has this risque image, so it really wasn't much of a stretch. That's how
Britney [Spears] took off. She was the good girl gone bad, and it looks to be working for Miley as well." Other contemporary critics used negative comparisons to Spears, but Cyrus welcomed the comparisons via a post on her official
Twitter account. In 2009, Cyrus continued promotion for the single and
The Time of Our Lives, performing "Party in the U.S.A." on
NBC's
Today and
VH1 Divas in the United States. In the winter, she promoted the track in the United Kingdom at
95.8 Capital FM's
Jingle Bell Ball, the annual gala for
British royal family,
Royal Variety Performance, and
Alan Carr: Chatty Man, as well as in Ireland on
The Late Late Show. Cyrus performed the song on all venues of her first world concert tour, the
Wonder World Tour, which extended from September to December 2009. During each performance, Cyrus was clothed by a black tank top, black hot pants, black leather boots and a denim vest as images on the overhead screens depicted an abundance of sites in and representations of the United States. She roamed throughout the stage with several backup dancers and, mid-performance, entered a luggage cart that escorted her throughout the stage again. Mikael Wood of
The Los Angeles Times, who attended the September 22, 2009, concert at the
Staples Center in
Los Angeles, believed "Cyrus managed a reasonable approximation of a rapper" in the performance. In 2010, while promoting her ''
Can't Be Tamed album, Cyrus performed "Party in the U.S.A." at Rock in Rio concerts in Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain, the 1515 Club in Paris, France, G-A-Y club in London, Good Morning America'',
2010 MuchMusic Video Awards, in
Toronto, Ontario. and a concert at the
House of Blues in
Los Angeles, which was streamed across over 30 websites owned by
MTV Networks. In 2011, she performed the song in her second and third world concert tours, the
Gypsy Heart Tour , along with various American references, including
Mount Rushmore, the
Statue of Liberty and the
Liberty Bell In 2013, Cyrus sang "Party in the U.S.A." during her performances held to promote
Bangerz album. She performed the single on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 2013
iHeartRadio Music Festival in
Las Vegas,
Today, and the series of Jingle Ball concerts in December (including
Jingle Bell Ball in Los Angeles). In 2014 she included this song on her
Bangerz Tour. While singing "Party in the U.S.A.", Cyrus has shorter blonde hair, a leotard with red, white, and blue sequins, a white cowboy hat, star-spangled boots, and a set of fake teeth during the performance. The backup dancers were dressed as American monuments. Her performance received positive reviews from critics. Théoden Janes of
The Charlotte Observer wrote, "She turned a verse of Party in the U.S.A. into a cool, cocky rap" and John J. Moser of
The Morning Call said that the performance resonated with the audience, even though Cyrus was lifted atop a huge pedestal. Jane Stevenson of the
Toronto Sun wrote, "She went for a big ending, with fireworks, confetti, an elevating stage and dancers dressed as Abe Lincoln, Mount Rushmore, the Liberty Bell and The Statue of Liberty for the final older song Party in the U.S.A." A critic from
Nashville Scene wrote, "Party in the U.S.A. was sung by Miley and screamed back by the people in the crowd. Cue red-white-and-blue confetti. Cue fireworks. Pack the
Bangerz Tour up and put the circus back on the road. Fans in other cities need to party, too." Cyrus also performed the song during the musical festival on June 21, 2014,
Summertime Ball at
Wembley Stadium of London, in front of 80,000 people. In honor of
Pride Month, Cyrus performed "Party in the U.S.A" at the Capital Pride in
Washington, D.C. on June 11, 2017. On September 15, she performed the song for the
BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, accompanied with other songs like "
Malibu", "
See You Again", "
Younger Now" and a cover of
Roberta Flack's "
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". Cyrus again performed the "Party In the U.S.A." along with "
Edge of Midnight" and "
Prisoner" on ''
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest'' in
Times Square on December 31, 2020. ==Cover versions==