where to watch the 2016 Fourth of July fireworks in NYC
Check out our Fourth of July Events Guide too
Monday is the 4th of July and Macy’s annual fireworks extravaganza will be held on the East River for 2016. You can probably expect the same thing as last years display, a 30-minute show beginning around 9 PM of tens of thousands of pyrotechnics launched from the barges along the East River. It’s the 40th anniversary of the event, however, so this year’s display might be even bigger than in previous years.
You’ll be able to see the display anywhere with an unobstructed view of the sky, but there are designated public viewing areas, some of which are ADA/special needs viewing areas, along the FDR Drive and downtown piers at South Street Seaport:
FROM HOUSTON TO MIDTOWN:
HOUSTON STREET
23RD STREET
34TH STREET
42ND STREET
FROM LOWER MANHATTAN:
BROAD STREET GROUND LEVEL
OLD SLIP UPPER LEVEL
PEARL & FRANKFORT
ADA / SPECIAL NEEDS VIEWING AREA:
MANHATTAN: FDR DRIVE SOUTHBOUND LANE AT 16TH STREET & AVENUE C OR 34TH STREET (TOP OF RAMP) AND VIETNAM MEMORIAL PARK
QUEENS: CENTER BLVD FROM 48TH AVENUE TO 49TH AVENUE
BROOKLYN: BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK AT FURMAN STREET AND OLD FULTON STREET, NEAR PIER #1
South Street Seaport is a particularly good place to watch the fireworks, since you might already be there for the free Festival of Independence featuring free live performances from Woods, Lee Fields and more.
There are also places where you can shell out big bucks for a prime view, like the One World Conservatory.
The fireworks will be aired live on NBC, which will feature performances by Kenny Chesney, 5 Seconds of Summer, Meghan Trainor, and Pitbull.
Macy’s is not your only choice for fireworks on the 4th. (We don’t mean your neighbor with the giant bag of bottle rockets, either.) There will be firework displays at Coney Island and Jersey City.
