Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Will Be Firing From the Hudson River This Year

Macy’s 4th of July fireworks will be shot off of barges on the Hudson River this year, which hasn’t happened in over a decade. While the celebration originated on the West Side in 1976, it’s generally been held over the East River, because of its proximity to outer-borough residents.

In other words, East Siders used to witnessing the parade of colorful explosions from stakeouts on the FDR Drive will have to tromp west. West Siders can finally stay put. Macy’s has said the stretch between W. 14th and W. 34th St. will offer the best vantage points, but viewers can still catch a good glimpse anywhere throughout the four-mile-long Hudson River Park.

Macy’s has not said whether the display, the 48th of its kind, will be held over the Hudson beyond this year. Indeed, when the fireworks were moved westwards in 2009, it was due to the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson traversing that river. They remained there until 2013, when then-mayor Bill De Blasio decided that Queens and Brooklyns residents could use a bit more fireworks action, and moved them back east.

The explosions will start going off at 8 p.m. Homebodies will be able to witness them on NBC. The television broadcaster, which also holds the rights to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, has held domain over the fireworks show since 2000.

New Jersey, our neighbors across the Hudson, were pleased by Macy’s change of venue. “For the first time in recent years, Macy’s 4th of July fireworks will light up our sky across the Hudson River. We are excited to work with Mayor Adams and Macy’s to view the country’s largest Independence Day celebration from our backyard,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said.

Of course, not everyone is happy about the capitulation. “It’s not fair. It should stay in New York, you know, and give the most value to the the New Yorkers,” Ivonne Azurdia told ABC News 7, adding that she believed other Long Island City residents like her “are going to be a little bit upset about that.”

Macy’s clarified that it is a celebration for all. “We love all of our residents of New York City, this is Macy’s gift to New York City and America,” executive producer Will Coss said. “Each 4th of July, we’re spreading the love. We’ve been on the east side for quite some time. We look forward to sharing the show this year with our West Side residents.”

Macy’s first 4th of July fireworks display was chosen for the nation’s bicentennial, 1976. They partnered with Walt Disney Company to make it happen. That show cost $100,000 and was visible for 25 miles. The department store giant was already well-versed in exploding rockets at the time; they threw their first pyrotechnics bonanza on July 1, 1958, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding.

Three years later, in 1979, Macy’s was forced to shoot off the fireworks from New Jersey due to a tugboat strike. In the early ‘80s, the West Side Residents Association complained about rocket debris, and successfully pressured then-Mayor Ed Koch to move the fireworks south for a couple years.

Macy’s ceded stewardship of the festivities for a year in 1986, when the fireworks display was rolled into Liberty Weekend, which marked the restoration and centenary of the Statue of Liberty. They were then moved back to the Hudson for a three-year stretch between 1992 and 1994.

It took 12 days to organize the 2022 celebration, according to a report by 6sqft. A whopping 1,920 shells were launched every minute, requiring 96,000 pounds of steel mortars. Overall, at least 60,000 shells are launched per show in recent years. Fifty “expert pyrotechnicians” were on hand, in order to make sure no errant explosions occurred. Seven containers, six trucks, and seven forklifts were required for transport.

Last year’s display made history with a pre-fireworks drone show, not to mention an all-female U.S. Navy flyover and a visit from Team USA gymnasts departing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.