For the first time since 2014, Macy’s will move its Fourth of July fireworks to the Brooklyn Bridge, and this year’s display will “add three times more pyrotechnic firepower,” according to a press release, with more spectacular effects being set off across the entire bridge, as well as from four barges off the shore of the South Street Seaport District’s Pier 17. The 43rd annual event, the largest July 4th celebration in the nation, will see the launch of “tens of thousands of shells and effects.”
In 2015, 2017, and 2018, the fireworks were launched from seven barges in the East River between East 23rd and 40th Streets, providing perfect views for Midtown Manhattan and Long Island City. In 2016, the barges were situated closer to Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. With this year’s opening of Hunter’s Point South Park, many thought the event would still be centered around Long Island City, but it’s the Brooklyn Bridge that will be the star.
Last year’s event was Macy’s largest since the year 2000, with 75,000 shells (3,000 of which were fired off every minute) and 20 new special effects. Macy’s will release more specifics on this year’s show in the coming months, but it will begin at 9:20pm and last 25 minutes. The best neighborhoods to see the display are Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, the west side of the Financial District, and the southern part of the Lower East Side.