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9/11 Tribute In Light Won’t Shine In 2020, A First In 18 Years
By
David Cruz
Published Aug 14, 2020
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By
David Cruz
Published Aug 14, 2020
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For the first time since 2002, the annual Tribute in Light—the dual beams of light that commemorates the victims of the September 11th terror attacks—won’t be lit next month, with organizers citing the health risks of the pandemic.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which manages the installation of the annual at the Battery Parking Garage in Lower Manhattan, announced the news on its website on Thursday, calling it a “difficult decision.” After consultations, the museum concluded “the health risks during the pandemic were far too great for the large crew required to produce the annual Tribute in Light.”
Installing the lights usually takes a crew of about 30 technicians, electricians, and stagehands 10 days before the switch is turned on.
The pandemic has also forced the museum to scale back the commemorative ceremony on September 11th, including a live reading of all 9/11 and 1993 bombing victims that has traditionally been conducted by victims' family members. A recording from the museum’s "In Memoriam" exhibition will be used instead to minimize the risk of exposure to families visiting that day.
Tribute in light , 2017
Laura A. Markey / Shutterstock
“As we continue to develop plans for this year’s 9/11 anniversary, our hope is to gather on the Memorial plaza, adhering to state and federal guidelines as they relate to social distancing and public gatherings,” said Alice M. Greenwald, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, according to the New York Post.
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation—named after an off-duty firefighter who died at the World Trade Center after running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to assist in recovery efforts— intends to organize its own ceremony, a live reading of the names in Lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center Memorial, according to CBS 2 New York.
The lights were first lit six months after the attack by the Municipal Art Society before transferring ownership to the museum. It became a fixture following the second anniversary of the attacks, and an interpretive symbol for observers. The lights, featuring 88 7,000-watt xenon light bulbs placed in two 48-foot squares, can be seen up to 60 miles away. However, the lights have confused migrating birds, which prompted organizers to turn the lights on and off for 20-minute periods.
Organizers hope the pandemic subsides enough to be lit for the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
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9/11
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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