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Behind the Scenes At The Macy's 4th Of July Fireworks
By
Jacob Dobkin
Published Jun 29, 2010
Modified Jun 29, 2010
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By
Jacob Dobkin
Published Jun 29, 2010
Modified Jun 29, 2010
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This morning we took a trip out to the secret, secure location* where Macy's is loading 40,000 fireworks shells on to six enormous barges ahead of this Sunday July 4th fireworks show. We weren't allowed on to the actual barges: Apparently handling explosives involves a license from the FDNY. But we were able to snap some pictures of the pyro-techs from SoUSA loading and wiring the display, and we also got to play with a bunch of dummy shells—specially prepared to prevent bloggers from blowing themselves up!
Remember: This year the fireworks display is on the Hudson River (again)—so if you want to see the show, make sure you don't go to the East River by mistake!
*We realize that some of you will be able to tell where these pictures were taken. Please refrain from putting the location (even the borough) in the comments. The FDNY is very concerned about terrorism—and given the amount of high-explosives on these barges, you can understand why.
Tagged
4thofjuly
barges
fireworks
fireworks shells
july 4
macy's
security concerns
Jacob Dobkin
Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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