Red, white and views from both sides!
Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks are set to launch from the East River and the Hudson River, creating an uncommon two-river display as New York City prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday.
The famed patriotic fireworks production, which also coincides with Macy’s own 50th anniversary celebration, is expected to light up the Brooklyn Bridge while drawing crowds in both New York City and Jersey City.
“We are proud to celebrate our 50th anniversary with a once in a generation experience filled with emotional storytelling and signature spectacle to connect millions of people nationwide,” Sharon Otterman, Macy’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
The annual pyrotechnics showcase has shifted between the East River and the Hudson River in different years, but it is rarely staged on both waterways at the same time.
A notable exception came in 2000, when Macy’s presented fireworks over both rivers after a large-scale gathering of ships.
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This year, Macy’s initially sought New York City permits to position fireworks barges on the Hudson River, but officials rejected the request because it overlapped with the Sail250 ship gathering scheduled for that morning, sources said.
According to the sources, the NYPD — already expected to run 12-hour shifts to manage July 4 crowds, America’s 250th anniversary events, the World Cup and possibly Taylor Swift’s wedding — did not have enough officers available to cover security on both sides of Manhattan for the fireworks displays.
The denial prompted Macy’s to request — and ultimately receive — a permit from New Jersey, where two fireworks barges will be anchored off Jersey City, according to sources.
Jersey City’s official viewing access points include the Colgate Clock and several areas along Hudson Street, except from Exchange Place, organizers said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a now-closed lottery giving away 100,000 free tickets for prime East River viewing areas in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Manhattan’s Seaport.
Those ticketed areas cover Piers 1-6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Seaport Square.
Non-ticketed public viewing areas for the East River show will be open along the FDR Drive, but officials had yet to release details as of Tuesday afternoon.
Additional reporting by Nicole Rosenthal
