NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — After the pandemic kept viewers home last year, spectators will once again be allowed to watch the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show in the city this Sunday.
The show is expected to be as spectacular as years prior, and Kathleen Wright, the production director of the event, tells WCBS 880’s Lynda Lopez they are thrilled to welcome in-person viewers again.
“Just like last year, we are so excited to be able to bring the fireworks to New Yorkers and everyone across the country will be tuning in on the fourth,” Wright said. “We're excited that we're back to a ‘normal’ show with 25 minutes featuring more than 65,000 shells and effects.”
She says for the 2021 show on Sunday, in-person spectators and viewers around the country can expect some new and exciting displays.
“There's always something new that you can expect, so this year we will be featuring a lot of really exciting new shapes and colors in the show. So, you'll see eclipsing fans and triple-linking rainbows, there will be red, white and blue waterfalls,” said Wright. “We'll be creating these dramatic effects across the river and these effects will go almost 1,000-feet up in the air.”
However, the show will not forego classic displays that thousands of people look forward to every year, including the “Macy’s Golden Mile,” which is when “thousands of golden-hued shells create this dramatic cascade across the East River.”
She says the company and the production team are excited to bring the show back with in-person viewing and sees it as a sign that New York is overcoming the pandemic.
“The Macy’s fireworks are the largest Fourth of July celebration in the nation so we're just excited to bring something back that feels like it's bigger and better than ever in a year when we feel we need it most,” Wright said of the display.
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Wright notes that the show will be produced on five barges in the East River, located in the water off Midtown, so the best places to view the show will be in a location where there is no unobstructed view of the waterway.
Macy’s will post on their website the most up-to-date information for where entry points and access points for public viewing will be. To stay up to date visit Macys.com/Fireworks.
Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference on Thursday, however, noted that the best viewing spots will be along the FDR Drive and along the waterfront in Brooklyn and Queens, as usual.
“There will be dedicated viewing areas, there will be street closures, lots of precautions being taken by the NYPD to make sure everyone is safe,” the mayor said.
The mayor had initially said there would be designated areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated spectators, but that has changed.
“People are adults. We are telling them if they are not vaccinated it's wise to wear a mask to protect everyone around you – we're encouraging that,” de Blasio said.
There will, however, be designated entrance areas with metal detectors, searches and a ban on backpacks, large blankets, seats, umbrellas and alcohol.
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