If you have never been to Macy’s fireworks, you are missing out. A lot! I’ve been to almost everyone, including COVID ones, and it never fails to blow me away. Yet, this year stands to be the most remarkable ever — it is America’s 250th anniversary and I can’t wait to see what Macy’s has in store!
The 50th annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks falls on America’s 250th birthday, and New York City is not treating it like any ordinary summer night. Over 85,000 pyrotechnic shells in 30 colors will launch from six barges across three separate launch zones — the lower East River near the Seaport, the lower Hudson River in partnership with Jersey City, and the Brooklyn Bridge itself. A new laser show will illuminate the bridge’s stone towers and cables. The whole spectacle runs 27 minutes, set to a live musical score and a performance by Alexia Jayy, winner of NBC’s The Voice Season 29.
The Ticket Lottery — Enter Before Monday Night
Before we get into locations, you need to know this: the City of New York is giving away 100,000 free tickets through a public lottery for the two prime viewing areas — Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Seaport. The lottery is open right now at july4.events.nyc and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 29. Directions are pretty easy to figure out. Winners are notified by email between June 30 and July 2 and may claim up to four tickets. Children under 2 don’t need a ticket.
If you haven’t entered yet, stop reading and go do it. Then come back.
If you win the lottery and can choose only one location, choose Brooklyn Bridge Park. Stretching along the Brooklyn waterfront from the Manhattan Bridge down to Atlantic Avenue, the park puts you directly across the water from the Seaport launch zone, with the Brooklyn Bridge itself looming overhead as a launch site. You will have the fireworks in front of you, above you, and reflecting off the water below you simultaneously. There are three separate viewing zones within the park, and lottery winners can select their preference when claiming tickets. The park closes entirely on July 4 until ticketed entry begins at 4 p.m., so plan to arrive early and settle in. NYC Ferry will not serve Pier 6 or Dumbo/Fulton Ferry Landing all day on July 4, so do not count on the boat — take the A/C to High Street or the F to York Street and walk down.
The Promenade in Brooklyn Heights, just north of the park’s main footprint, is also a ticketed area this year. If you live in the neighborhood or know someone who does, that elevated walkway with its unobstructed Manhattan skyline views has always been one of the finest perches in the city. Expect it to be packed by early afternoon.
On the Manhattan side, the Seaport District — Fulton Street down to the piers along the East River — is the other ticketed viewing area in the lottery. You are essentially standing at the launch zone here, which means you will feel the concussion of each shell in your chest. The tradeoff: you may be craning your neck straight up for much of the show. But the Seaport’s renovated waterfront, the lights of the bridges overhead, and the sheer spectacle of being that close make it a legitimate contender. Seaport Entertainment Group is managing the area, and the atmosphere there tends to be festive well before the show begins — restaurants and bars along Fulton Street and Pier 17 will all be drawing crowds from the afternoon.
Didn’t win the lottery? Don’t give up on a great view. The City is opening non-ticketed public viewing areas along the FDR Drive in Manhattan, managed by the NYPD. These areas open at 6:00 p.m. Specific access points are still being confirmed at july4.events.nyc, but historically the FDR zones have covered stretches from roughly Maiden Lane up through the East 20s, giving a straight shot across the water to the East River barges. The view is slightly more distant than the prime lottery zones, but the fireworks are enormous — 85,000 shells is 85,000 shells. Bring a blanket, bring food (no alcohol, no large bags, no lawn chairs are permitted), get there by 5:30 p.m. at the latest, and you will have a perfectly excellent Independence Day.
New York’s greatest advantage on July 4 is vertical real estate. If you have access to a rooftop in Lower Manhattan, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, or the South Slope, you may be watching the show in greater comfort than anyone holding a lottery ticket. The fireworks this year launch from multiple points — the East River, the Hudson, and the Brooklyn Bridge — which means a rooftop with clear sightlines west or east has a genuine chance of catching at least part of the display. Buildings on the water side of the FDR — particularly in the East Village, Two Bridges, and Financial District — have long been some of the most coveted private spots in the city for exactly this reason. Know someone who lives there? Call them now.
The Jersey City waterfront across the Hudson is not Manhattan or Brooklyn, but it deserves a mention because this year it’s a launch zone. The lower Hudson River barges will be firing from the water between Jersey City and Lower Manhattan, which means that side of the river is not watching fireworks from a distance — it’s watching them from directly below. The city of Jersey City is hosting a full day-long festival and concert series leading into the evening. Viewing spots along the waterfront include York & Hudson, Grand & Hudson, Essex & Hudson, Washington & Dudley in the Paulus Hook section, and Hudson & Harborside, among others. ADA-accessible viewing is available at 70 Hudson Street. PATH train to Exchange Place or Grove Street is your fastest shot from Midtown or the West Village.
Prohibited items at all public viewing locations include alcohol, backpacks, blankets, cigarettes, drones, large coolers, lawn chairs, large bags, and umbrellas. Security searches are mandatory. Dress accordingly and carry only what you can hold. The show starts at 9:25 p.m. Doors and access points open well before that, but the sky doesn’t light up until late. Plan your dinner before you get into position — you are not leaving once you have a good spot. The Brooklyn Bridge Park lottery closes Monday, June 29 at 11:59 p.m. The lottery is at july4.events.nyc. It is free, it takes two minutes, and 100,000 tickets is actually a lot of tickets. Your odds are not bad. Enter.
This is the 50th show. It is America’s 250th birthday. New York City does not get sentimental about many things, but this is one of them. Wherever you end up standing on July 4th, you will remember it.
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