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Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
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Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks is an annual Independence Day fireworks display held in New York City. The fireworks show, usually held over the East River or Hudson River, has been sponsored by Macy's, Inc. each year since 1976, with the exception of 1986 when that year's fireworks display was held as part of Liberty Weekend, marking the restoration and centenary of the Statue of Liberty. In recent years, the fireworks have been preceded by live entertainment.
The event has been televised as a special since 1983 (billed as the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular), originally airing on WPIX, and syndicated nationally beginning in 1991. In 2000, the special moved to NBC, where it has been broadcast ever since; NBC's contract runs through 2035, and is bundled with its rights to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The first Macy's fireworks show in New York City was held on July 1, 1958 to celebrate the department store's 100th anniversary. The 36-minute-long show was directed by Japanese fireworks expert Toshio Ogatsu and set off from four barges anchored in the Hudson River across from 85th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Flight patterns for La Guardia and Idlewild airports were modified during the fireworks display and spectators leaving the event in New Jersey created a traffic jam on Boulevard East in North Bergen that police described as "the worst traffic tieup since Navy Day in 1942." Some local residents did not even know what the fireworks were for and one woman said, "I thought they were celebrating the statehood of Alaska."
From 1959 to 1964, Macy's continued to sponsor an annual fireworks display called "Fireworks-on-the-Hudson" as part of New York's Summer Festival. A tragedy struck the fireworks display held on June 23, 1964 when a defective shell failed to climb and ignited the other shells on one of the four barges in the river, killing two men and injuring four others. After the accident, Fire Commissioner Edward Thompson mentioned that a ban of similar fireworks displays was being considered by the city, unless remote control was used to set off the pyrotechnics.
In 1976, Macy's partnered with The Walt Disney Company to hold a fireworks display in honor of the United States' bicentennial, leading to the show becoming an annual tradition on the 4th of July. The first show was held in Upper New York Bay, with fireworks being launched from three barges in the harbor as well as points on Ellis Island, Governors Island and Liberty Island. The half-hour-long fireworks display was preceded by a three minute gun salute from naval ships in the harbor and also included a helicopter carrying a 60-by-100-foot (18 by 30 m) illuminated American flag while the crowd sang the national anthem along to the music on their transistor radios. A Circle Line vessel carrying New York Mayor Abraham Beame, Police Commissioner Michael Codd, Macy's president Edward Finkelstein, and 500 guests of the department store chain was temporarily commandeered by the Coast Guard and detained for 20 minutes on Governors Island after the boat got too close to one of the barges shooting off fireworks.
Beginning in 1977, the Macy's fireworks show was held on the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan's Upper West Side (between 83rd and 102nd streets). In 1979, the fireworks were forced to be launched from a Conrail-owned property in West New York on the New Jersey side of the Hudson (in lieu of barges in the river) due to the effects of a recent tugboat strike. That year, the fireworks also had to be launched manually because the wires between the shells and controls had been cut by vandals. The fireworks were moved back to Upper New York Bay in 1981 at the request of New York City Mayor Ed Koch after Upper West Side residents had complained about the amount of trash spectators had left after the fireworks display the prior year.
The event was held on the East River for the first time in 1983, with the fireworks show taking place between 23rd and 42nd streets. The FDR Drive alongside the river was closed to traffic between Houston and 49th streets to accommodate spectators viewing the pyrotechnics. The New York Police Department (NYPD) estimated that more than a million people came to the waterfront to watch the fireworks display.
In 1986, Macy's did not host the event, as the fireworks show was held as part of Liberty Weekend, marking the restoration and centenary of the Statue of Liberty.
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Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks is an annual Independence Day fireworks display held in New York City. The fireworks show, usually held over the East River or Hudson River, has been sponsored by Macy's, Inc. each year since 1976, with the exception of 1986 when that year's fireworks display was held as part of Liberty Weekend, marking the restoration and centenary of the Statue of Liberty. In recent years, the fireworks have been preceded by live entertainment.
The event has been televised as a special since 1983 (billed as the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular), originally airing on WPIX, and syndicated nationally beginning in 1991. In 2000, the special moved to NBC, where it has been broadcast ever since; NBC's contract runs through 2035, and is bundled with its rights to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The first Macy's fireworks show in New York City was held on July 1, 1958 to celebrate the department store's 100th anniversary. The 36-minute-long show was directed by Japanese fireworks expert Toshio Ogatsu and set off from four barges anchored in the Hudson River across from 85th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Flight patterns for La Guardia and Idlewild airports were modified during the fireworks display and spectators leaving the event in New Jersey created a traffic jam on Boulevard East in North Bergen that police described as "the worst traffic tieup since Navy Day in 1942." Some local residents did not even know what the fireworks were for and one woman said, "I thought they were celebrating the statehood of Alaska."
From 1959 to 1964, Macy's continued to sponsor an annual fireworks display called "Fireworks-on-the-Hudson" as part of New York's Summer Festival. A tragedy struck the fireworks display held on June 23, 1964 when a defective shell failed to climb and ignited the other shells on one of the four barges in the river, killing two men and injuring four others. After the accident, Fire Commissioner Edward Thompson mentioned that a ban of similar fireworks displays was being considered by the city, unless remote control was used to set off the pyrotechnics.
In 1976, Macy's partnered with The Walt Disney Company to hold a fireworks display in honor of the United States' bicentennial, leading to the show becoming an annual tradition on the 4th of July. The first show was held in Upper New York Bay, with fireworks being launched from three barges in the harbor as well as points on Ellis Island, Governors Island and Liberty Island. The half-hour-long fireworks display was preceded by a three minute gun salute from naval ships in the harbor and also included a helicopter carrying a 60-by-100-foot (18 by 30 m) illuminated American flag while the crowd sang the national anthem along to the music on their transistor radios. A Circle Line vessel carrying New York Mayor Abraham Beame, Police Commissioner Michael Codd, Macy's president Edward Finkelstein, and 500 guests of the department store chain was temporarily commandeered by the Coast Guard and detained for 20 minutes on Governors Island after the boat got too close to one of the barges shooting off fireworks.
Beginning in 1977, the Macy's fireworks show was held on the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan's Upper West Side (between 83rd and 102nd streets). In 1979, the fireworks were forced to be launched from a Conrail-owned property in West New York on the New Jersey side of the Hudson (in lieu of barges in the river) due to the effects of a recent tugboat strike. That year, the fireworks also had to be launched manually because the wires between the shells and controls had been cut by vandals. The fireworks were moved back to Upper New York Bay in 1981 at the request of New York City Mayor Ed Koch after Upper West Side residents had complained about the amount of trash spectators had left after the fireworks display the prior year.
The event was held on the East River for the first time in 1983, with the fireworks show taking place between 23rd and 42nd streets. The FDR Drive alongside the river was closed to traffic between Houston and 49th streets to accommodate spectators viewing the pyrotechnics. The New York Police Department (NYPD) estimated that more than a million people came to the waterfront to watch the fireworks display.
In 1986, Macy's did not host the event, as the fireworks show was held as part of Liberty Weekend, marking the restoration and centenary of the Statue of Liberty.