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Where To See The 2011 Macy's July 4th Fireworks

By

Jen Chung

Published Jul 1, 2011

Modified Jul 1, 2011

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By

Jen Chung

Published Jul 1, 2011

Modified Jul 1, 2011

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As we all know, the Macy's July 4th Fireworks will be held over the Hudson River again, disappointing a good chunk of New Yorkers, but thrilling West Siders and New Jersey. So here's where to check out the pyrotechnics, which start at 9:20 p.m. on July 4th (Monday):

Six barges, situated in the river approximately between 20th and 55th Streets, will feature more than 40,000 shells. There are viewing locations between 22nd and 59th Streets on the West Side, with viewing areas set up here:
- West Side Highway: North-bound lanes and 12th Avenue between 23rd and 59th Streets
- Selected side streets between 11th and 12th Avenues
- PIER 54 (limited access from 14th Street)
- PIER 84 (limited access from 44th Street)

You can also see the fireworks from here:
- 24th Street
- 26th through 30th Streets
- 34th Street
- 40th through 44th Streets
- 47th through 52nd Streets
- 54th through 57th Streets

Also, Macy's notes, "NYPD requests that spectators refrain from bringing backpacks/containers or other large bags as all will be screened for security purposes." And below, straight from the Macy's press release, check out what songs will be playing with the fireworks—yes, Katy Perry's "Firework" is one of them:

Highlights of the 35th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks - Gift of Freedom

Fanfare
The show begins with a thundering rumble of cascading silver diadem chrysanthemums, before a rumbling barrage of blue, red and white reports introduce the patriotic revelry.

Stars & Stripes Forever
It's all about the stars and stripes in this number, as glittering silver, red and blue chrysanthemums give way to whirling silver pom-poms, large red peony shells with blue hearts and layer upon layer of patriotic salute shells.

America the Beautiful - James Taylor
Golden columns rise and give way to red clusters of stars, ruby-colored lace shells, and thousands of bursting red stars in a Macy's first presentation that will hover over the sky for more than 10 seconds and cascade from 800 feet to the water's edge.
The highlight of the beautiful rendition of this patriotic classic will be the silver kamuro shells that will create a sparkling diamond wall in the sky, as they are surrounded by red and blue flower bouquet shells.

Firework - Katy Perry
A multi-colored presentation driven by the song's lyrics will drive the pyrotechnic punch of this portion of the spectacle. Featuring towering tail shells shooting "up, up, up" and popcorn shells hitting their "boom, boom, boom" marks, the dazzling display will have spectators in awe.
The highlight of the song will be the new pinwheel-shaped multicolored flowers and red popcorn shells that will ignite the sky, as well as the barrage of more than 1,800 reports that will burst in a three second span to close the musical moment.

Down By The Riverside - The All Star Marching Band
Golds, purples and greens take center stage in this march, with a spectacular multi-level presentation of shells including the popular cube-shaped explosives.
The new lemon and purple "X" fan shells will debut during this number. The shells, which begin as an X-shaped fan, transform to add double palm branches in purple and green.

Gift of Light - Anika Noni Rose and Karen Olivo
The salute to the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty begins with a gentle scene of gold comets with trailing fuschia sparkles arranged in a lattice shape.
As the song unfolds, multiple blinking shells interspersed with heart-shaped shells will burst into thousands of white light fireworks.
Macy's famed "Golden Mile" will cap the tribute in song, as thousands of golden kamuro shells burst from 1,000 feet in the sky to the water's edge and cover an expanse of more than a mile across the river.

Liberty Fanfare - The Cincinnati Pops
Triple interlaced rings will be one of the many highlights of this presentation as they burst high above the river with their centers glittering in the night.
New pink strobing jellyfish-shaped shells take flight, as new flying saucer-shaped shells in blue hover above.

Amazing Grace - LeAnn Rimes
The acapella rendition of this classic will begin with multi-colored falling leaves bursting above as fans of color emanate from the barges below.
Golden brocade fans will slowly burst in the sky as Macy's tribute to the lives lost during the September 11 attacks begins. Two towers of light from the center barge will rise into the night sky in a solemn tribute to this year's 10th anniversary of that tragic day.

Dynamite - Taio Cruz
Getting back to the celebration of our freedoms, red shells take to the sky in booming style. The pulsing beat of this tune features strobing red dahlias, red umbrellas and lightning flash reports.
Red swirling stars will be a major highlight as their rising silver tails split and scatter every second while the shell heads skyward.
It will be a dynamite ending to this song, as more than 3,600 flash reports, and 3,600 red blinking fans burst in unison, to bring this hit to a close.

This Land Is Your Land - Everclear
Lavender, citron and chartreuse shells open this patriotic classic as butterfly shells with red, green or silver circles arch across the sky.
The famed happy face shells make their long-awaited appearance before giving way to a barrage of gold and silver bees and green crackling willows for the finale.

The Star Spangled Banner - Jennifer Hudson
A sea of red and blue paddy flowers rise for the national anthem as the show begins its penultimate presentation.
Strobing shells change color from glittering silver to blue and then red to silver, lingering in the sky as the anthem builds to its climax.
Red and silver ghost shells, which appear initially in one color, then change direction and transform into a different color, will signal the finale, as wave after wave of gold, red and blue shells, give way to a cascading sea of gold and silver waterfall shells.

God Bless America
The finale to the 35th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks features a patriotic tribute like no other. Beginning with the popular Saturn shells, the song gives way to a barrage of more than 2,000 red, white and blue reports.
The grand finale of America's largest 4th of July fireworks display will consist of a presentation of bright lightning and titanium salute shells that will envelope the river in a rumble to remembe

Tagged

fireworks

july 4 fireworks

july 4th

macy's

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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