Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
9/11 Tribute Lights Pierce The Night Sky
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Sep 12, 2010
Modified Sep 13, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 10
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Sep 12, 2010
Modified Sep 13, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In honor of 9/11 and all the people lost in the terrorist attacks, the Tribute in Light shone yet again through the sky of the Financial District. Initially a temporary installation that ran through March 11 to April 14, 2002, the lights have become a yearly tradition and sign of remembrance every September 11th. Next year, the 10th anniversary of the attacks, will be their last year. However, there was a bit of a SNAFU with last night's lighting.
The lights had to be shut off around 11 p.m. after a group of about a thousand birds flew into the lights. The New York City Audubon Society had warned the folks running Tribute of Light about confusing the birds, and ordered the lights to be shut off. The beams were turned on about a half an hour later, and not as many birds returned. A similar bird gathering happened in 2004, and the Audubon Society warned the birds were "seemingly unable to break away - and in danger of depleting crucial fat reserves needed to carry them to their southern wintering grounds."
Though it is definitely planned through next year, sponsors at the Municipal Art Society say they would like to see it become a permanent installation. President Vin Cipolla told the Times, "That would require either a piece of ground or a long-term commitment to a rooftop." Co-creator Gustavo Bonevardi said he'd be happy wherever the installation goes. "Because Tribute in Light is visible from so many places it belongs to the city as a whole and not to this one ’sacred spot.’ The Tribute in Light has never been on ground zero, but it seems to have hit a nerve with the city and to have been very healing.”
Tagged
9/11
battery park
birds
lights
tribute in light
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .