Macy’s Fireworks over the East River on July 4, 2014 (Diana Robinson/ Mayoral Photography Office)
June 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Macy’s famous Fourth of July fireworks show will be spread over multiple days this year with quick surprise displays across the five boroughs.
Fireworks will illuminate the sky for short five-minute displays from June 29 through July 1 and again in a televised July 4 finale, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today.
The mayor said this year’s 44th annual show will be very different from past years, when there was one large single firework show.
“This year is going to be different,” de Blasio said during his morning briefing.
“It will not be like the past where there’s one big giant show. We do not want a lot of people out watching.”
The fireworks were sent off from the Brooklyn Bridge and surrounding barges in the East River last year, but had been lit from barges off Hunters Point South Park the four years prior.
“This year, we are taking our Fireworks show on a trip across the city,” said Susan Tercero, Executive Producer Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks.
The fireworks will be launched from various land and water-based locations across the city, but the exact locations and times will be not be announced until shortly before the displays.
“We’re only going to let out information about specific points very close to the actual moment when these shows happen,” de Blasio said.
The displays will be short and their locations will be a surprise to prevent overcrowding of spectators.
“Each show is brief and will be over before residents can gather at the source,” a release for the show states.
De Blasio said many New Yorkers will be able to see the five-minute displays from their own rooftops and nearby parks.
This will prevent thousands of people from traveling to and gathering in a single location to watch the show.
The celebration will end on July 4 with a national broadcast of the filmed five-minute firework displays from days prior as well as musical performances and a live grand finale firework show. It will go live on NBC from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“These five-minute surprise displays will showcase Macy’s signature pyrotechnic design and scale, while encouraging spectators to continue following safety and social distancing measures,” Tercero said.
