The Empire State Building threw itself a bit of a dance party on Thursday night.
As fireworks exploded in a spectrum of colors over the Hudson River for the 37th Annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, it was a new light show atop the world-famous building that caught many people’s attention.
Whether it was grand or garish is a matter of opinion, but it was certainly different.
When a new LED lighting system was installed on the building in 2012, it promised the opportunity to light up the skyline with 16 million colors. There have been several light shows since then that showed what the system could do. But on the Fourth, when all eyes were turned skyward, it seemed that every one of those colors illuminated the building at some point.
“I know the Macy’s fireworks are amazing but the Empire State Building lights are stealing the show!!” proclaimed a tweet from a person named Damien Basile.
The music for the program, called “It Begins With a Spark,” was chosen by the singer Usher, and the light show was created by the lighting design artist Marc Brickman to mirror the fireworks.
When the new lighting system, from Philips Color Kinetics, was installed, it replaced an older system that required colored gels to be placed on top of static lamps to light up the building.
Now, the colors can be programmed remotely to change at the stroke of a key. They also glow up to eight times brighter than the old lights.
The building’s owners have promised to maintain strict standards on how the new lights will be used. For instance, no advertising is allowed.
However, the Fourth of July offered an opportunity to show off a bit.
“Partnering the world’s most famous building with the world’s most famous fireworks spectacular can only happen in New York City,” said Anthony E. Malkin, whose family controls the building, in a statement. “As the iconic feature of the New York City skyline, we are honored to have this opportunity to add our unmatchable LED lights to the celebration.”
For those who prefer a more subdued palette, the schedule for lighting on the building calls for white/white/white until the end of the month.
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