MACY’S TO CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF JULY 4TH FIREWORKS IN NYC
On Monday, July 4, the nation’s largest patriotic pyrotechnic display will ring, thunder and boom over New York City as the 40th Anniversary Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks come to life. Set over the East River, Macy’s annual Independence Day celebration will dazzle millions of spectators with an unparalleled display of color, shapes, light and sound. Beginning at approximately 9:25 p.m., the celebration will illuminate the shores of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn with more than 56,000 effects in Macy’s largest pyrotechnic display in more than a decade.
The 40th edition of the celebration will showcase a 25-minute incredibly synchronized display featuring new shells and effects. From multi-colored transformation ghost shells which ignite in one color, disappear and reappear in another position in the sky having changed hues to blue jellyfish; the ever-popular happy faces with blinking eyes; and a mesmerizing list of effects in 22 different colors including gamboge, lavender and magenta; the show will be a feast for the senses. The 2016 celebration will also feature the New York debut of pyro-writing, an explosive version of skywriting created using fireworks which will spell out U.S.A. in the night sky.
In addition to the pyro in the sky, this year Macy’s is putting light into the hands of revelers everywhere via a partnership with the Makelight app. A new mobile special effects platform, Makelight has specially designed a program to incorporate audiences into the display. On July 4, spectators will marvel as their phones synch with the awe-inspiring display mirroring the colors seen in the show as they ignite the night. Spectators in New York City and at home can participate by downloading the Makelight app, available free on Google Play and iTunes.
Revelers enjoying the show are encouraged to experience the full explosive display by tuning in to radio station 1010 WINS to hear the musical score to which the show is choreographed. Spectators lining the shores of the East River will also enjoy an NYPD Helicopter flyover and an FDNY Waterboat show prior to the start of the display.
Independence Day spectators from coast-to-coast can catch all the action in the sky by tuning to NBC’s two-hour live national broadcast of “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” beginning at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, with an encore presentation at 10 p.m. (check local listings). In addition to the pyrotechnic splendor, the 4th of July’s most popular entertainment special will be hosted by “TODAY” show co-hosts Willie Geist and Tamron Hall, and will feature performances from Kenny Chesney, 5 Seconds of Summer, the Radio City Rockettes, Meghan Trainor, and more.
“As the nation’s premiere Independence Day pyrotechnic display, the 40th anniversary of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks promises to celebrate America’s 240th birthday in grand style,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks. “Bringing friends, family and loved ones together under a blanket of stars, Macy’s Fireworks, always the nation’s largest display, grows even larger, pulling together a grand spectacle with more than 56,000 effects ignited from five firing locations on the water, making this year the biggest Macy’s Fireworks show since our once-in-a lifetime millennial display in 2000.”
Since 1976, when Macy’s celebrated the nation’s bicentennial with a grand pyrotechnic display at the Statue of Liberty, Macy’s Fireworks have grown to become the nation’s largest Independence Day celebration, annually attracting more than 3 million spectators and tens of millions of viewers nationwide who marvel at the synchronized explosions and soaring musical tributes.
