After the pandemic put a hold on 2020 celebrations, the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks are set to light up New York Harbor again this year — and Kings County has some of the best views.
Billed as a celebration of the essential workers who kept the country running during the coronavirus outbreak, the festivities will kick off after sunset from New York Harbor, giving waterfront neighborhoods across the borough front row seats. The show itself will start at approximately 9:25 pm, according to organizers, but television broadcasts of the Macy’s spectacular will begin at 8 pm.
The Downtown crowd
Some of the borough’s most popular spots to catch the Fourth of July fireworks are in Brooklyn Heights, chiefly the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Due to the fireworks location up the east river in Midtown this year, you might have a hard time catching them from lowland Brooklyn Bridge Park
That hasn’t stopped waterfront eateries in the park from offering Fourth of July specials with views of the fireworks — such as Estuary at One15 Brooklyn Marina in Brooklyn Bridge Park, boasting tables just steps from the water’s edge at $150 per person. For a more affordable option nearby at Pier 6, pizzeria Fornino is offering rooftop reservations at $50 per person.
Head to the north
North Brooklyn is home to a wealth of waterfront promenades and parks, which are sure to be buzzing on the fourth. Running along Kent Avenue and the East River, the public esplanade at the 420 and 444 Kent apartment buildings promises great views, as well as Domino Park, Grand Ferry Park, North Fifth Street Pier and Park, Marsha P. Johnson Park, Bushwick Inlet Park, and WNYC Transmitter Park in Greenpoint.
If the parks themselves prove too packed, Kent Avenue provides plenty of clear vantage points toward the harbor, like where it intersects with Metropolitan Avenue near a large empty lot. The location of the fireworks barge along lower Midtown in the East River will make north Brooklyn one of the best vantage points for the display.
Points south
For Kings County’s own pyrotechnics display, the place to be is Coney Island.
After a 23-month break, the Alliance for Coney Island will revive its weekly summer fireworks tradition beginning with a July 4 blowout at 10 pm above the boardwalk, with regular fireworks shows scheduled for every Friday thereafter through Labor Day.
“Twenty-three months since our last fireworks show, which is hard to believe, we are grateful to be able to bring these events back and can’t wait to see the smiling faces on the boardwalk,” said Alliance for Coney Island Director Alexandra Silversmith during a June 28 press conference announcing the 2021 fireworks.
