Macy’s 2012 4th Of July Fireworks Diss Brooklyn… Or Not?

By on February 28, 2012 11:43 am in Arts and Entertainment, Events

We reported earlier Tuesday that unfortunately for residents of Brooklyn, Queens and the east side of Manhattan, Macy’s had announced that—for the fourth consecutive year—the 2012 Fourth of July fireworks would be launched from barges in the Hudson instead of the East River.

However, this evening, Orlando Veras, a spokesman for Macy’s Fireworks contacted the Brooklyn Heights Blog with the following: “I wanted to write to clarify some information about the location of the 2012 Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks. Please note that currently, the location(s) have not been confirmed. Unfortunately, earlier this week, the Macy’s Fireworks “coming soon” page on our website posted language relating to last year’s show. We expect confirmation on the location of this year’s show sometime in early Spring. Once this information is final, it will be widely distributed and advertised to inform both the media and general public.”

Our earlier post referred to a 2010 press conference by Councilman Stephen Levin calling for the fireworks to come home to the East River, citing the benefit to Brooklyn businesses, residents and the historical significance of the East River in the Battle of Brooklyn.

Macy’s, meanwhile, responded that year to an inquiry about why they continue to diss Promenade viewers, and was told that the display actually began on the Hudson River, and that its location is determined by the show’s design/effects and the opportunity for a “maximum number of spectators to see the show live.” The spokesman assured then that “we will continue to move the show to different locations in NYC in the future as we celebrate milestones or add new and exciting elements/effects.”

We’ll update BHB readers as soon as we know where the 2012 Fireworks will actually take place.

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  • Knight

    Maybe the people of Brooklyn should stop shopping at Macys. They’re way overpriced anyway.

  • Hicks St Guy

    good, now we won’t have to read the inevitable complaints about the noise, the smoke, the visitors, etc. I’ll really miss the one that complained that the noise made them grind their teeth. sigh.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    You’ll still have to hear the complaints about the visitors, they show up fireworks or not.

  • Christie

    LOL. I remember the first year Macy’s moved the fireworks to Weehawken and I didn’t get the memo. I walked up to the Montague entrance to the promenade and boy were all those people pretty ticked off.

    And Arch is right. Every year, they just keep showing up – fireworks or not. I make it point to walk to the promenade to watch people boo now.

  • Gerry

    @ Arch Stanton you are correct still hundreads show up on The Promenade to seek fireworks each year.

  • Jorale-man

    It’s all about pleasing their customer base – more Macy’s shoppers apparently live in NJ than in NYC. Someone should start an alternative show on the East River/NY Harbor. Who says they can’t have some competition?

    Grucci Fireworks, for instance, do a lot of the big events around the country. They’re based on Long Island so maybe they’d do the East Side?

  • Teddy

    Even if we don’t get Macy’s Fireworks (again), we still have a bunch of other firework displays that we can see and hear. We just need to check the fireworks schedule at newyorkorkology.com.

  • Teddy

    edit: newyorkology.com

  • Greg

    “t’s all about pleasing their customer base – more Macy’s shoppers apparently live in NJ than in NYC. ”

    That may be Macy’s strategy, but what percentage of people watching the Fireworks know that Macy’s sponsors it? I lived in NY for 13 years, and only knew that Macy’s was involved a couple years ago- after they moved it to the Hudson.

  • Mary Heller

    My family and I have already boycotted Macy’s and won’t shop there until the July 4 fireworks comes back to the East River. It won’t make a hill of beans difference to their income but it certainly taints their goodwill among New Yorkers like those who live in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Manhattan’s East side. Really sad and disgusting that Macy’s goes for the rich people.

  • Blayze

    The view sucks from the West Side Highway anyway. Unless you own a gosh darn condo in Hoboken, you mind’s well forgeddahboutit.
    On the promenade, the fireworks were right on top of you. It was like a thrill ride, particularly with better landmarks providing awesome backdrops like the bridges and the lower Blandhattan skyline. Now, they’re blasted over the Hudson where there’s too much generic crap blocking people directly from the waterfront, ruining views and making it an otherwise lame experience. Sure, the promenade got incredibly crowded, a drunk lady fell on my sister after she tried to sleep on one of the heightened brick walls lining the thing. Don’t ask me why she did it, you’re always going to get idiotic riff-raff, but that is what makes it fun.

  • JL

    The Macy’s fireworks firing barge usually line up nicely on East River but the current construction of Louis Kahn Four Freedoms park on Roosevelt Island and and United Nations Headquarter renovations for the past few years may have been the problem for the past year, hopefully Louis Kahn park opening this year will bring firework back Franlkin Roosevelt Four Freedoms park will bring the fireworks back to East river- not to mention much better view for all in Queens and Brookyln instead of NJ folks! the East River firework with view of our NY landmarks and fireworks are long tradition of our city!