The History of Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Become a paid member to listen to this article

Since 1976, millions of spectators have gathered throughout the city on July 4th to marvel at the grandeur of Macy’s annual Independence Day fireworks. Whether it’s over the East River or Hudson River, Macy’s has always put on a jaw-dropping display from barges on the water, synchronized to music. Yet, what we see as a New York 4th of July tradition actually began as something unrelated to the holiday.

Vintage Poster, Courtesy of Macy’s, Inc.

Macy’s first-ever fireworks show was a celebration of Macy’s 100th Anniversary, rather than America’s birthday. On July 1st, 1958, over the Hudson River, a million people watched the store’s first-ever large-scale pyrotechnics show. It wasn’t until 1976, in partnership with The Walt Disney Company, that Macy’s 4th of July fireworks shot became an annual tradition. That year, the fireworks were set off in honor of America’s bicentennial. The show was first televised in 1991.

This year, Macy’s 49th fireworks show will shoot off from the Brooklyn Bridge and four surrounding barges in the Lower East River. The sky will light up as 80,000 shells burst into the air, emitting 30 vibrant colors. Another fun feature of this year's show will be state-of-the-art projection mapping displayed on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The onboard preparation of shells and firing mortars still takes up to 12 days and dozens of pyrotechnicians. On the barges, they hand-load each one of the shells into the mortars and then hand-wire those shells into the computer.