July 4th fireworks on TV: Bigger NYC show to fire 80,000 shells around Brooklyn Bridge

USA Today

04-07-2025

Even TV events with built-in dramatic explosions get a bigger boom with a returning star.
NBC's 49th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks viewing party on July 4 (8 ET/PT, and streaming live on Peacock) brings the holiday heat with the return of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge as a stunning spectacle backdrop for the first time since 2019.
The famed 142-year-old suspension bridge with the telltale Gothic columns will undergo a digital facelift for its pyrotechnical closeup of 80,000 shells, following a concert hosted by Ariana DeBose featuring the Jonas Brothers, Trisha Yearwood, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer, Ava Max and Eric Church.
'The Brooklyn Bridge absolutely stars in the concert and in the fireworks shot off four barges and from various points," says executive producer Will Coss, adding the bridge and columns will be enhanced digitally by "bespoke" projection mapping, which "will bring these static columns to life for the first time."
New Yorkers can view the fireworks from several vantage points in the city. But TV viewers get up close to the biggest televised Independence Day fireworks show. Here's what to know about Macy's 4th of July Fireworks.
The fireworks are desert-tested, 'Oppenheimer'-style
Coss calls the fireworks, a 25-minute "beautifully choreographed dance" to a musical score produced by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and James Poyser, accompanied by a live performance from DeBose.
Gary Souza, the show's pyrotechnic designer for the last 40 years, says he has "literally shopped around the world" for this year's cutting-edge "three-dimensional" display, setting explosions as high as 1,000 feet in the air and firing horizontally from the 1,600-foot main bridge span over the East River.
The bridge will be part of each fireworks burst, which will feature eight to 10 effects, many on the bridge itself. "There will be helixes, waves, and snakes that will progress and intertwine almost like a DNA molecule from bridge tower to tower," says Souza.
Souza traveled to his ancestral country of Portugal to import a shimmering bridge waterfall display. The product arrived a day before Souza's June test of the show's key explosive elements in California's Mojave Desert, an annual event that resembles the "Oppenheimer" test for fireworks, where the full arsenal can be safely inspected.
"They really over-delivered on this waterfall," Souza promises. "It's going to open up like a shimmering curtain in the bridge center all the way across the two towers for 60 seconds and will be one of those 'Oh My Gosh.' moments."
2025 show has more fireworks, fewer drones, still one helicopter
Drones have soared into prominence in the world of fireworks displays, including previous Macy's July 4th celebrations. The 2023 event featured a 500-drone light show, and in 2024, hundreds of "pyro-drones" – equipped to mimic the visual effects of fireworks – took center stage in the spectacle on the Hudson River.
However, the 2025 Macy's show is "taking a break" from show drones, says Coss, focusing the technological highlights on the bridge mapping.
But drone cameras will get "up close and personal to the pyrotechnics," says Coss, supplementing dozens of cameras set in multiple locations to catch the fireworks, along with awed spectators. Still, the best TV camera shots still come from the overhead helicopter, where a high-definition onboard camera captures 'these beautiful, aerial-cinematic shots showing the city throughout the show's entirety," says Coss.
Planning has been underway since last year's show. The final months included the desert test and a detailed digital rendering of the show, allowing producers to "pre-visualize" the most dramatic elements and prepare the cameras.
One can't-miss show moment will feature eight unique fireworks shells individually shot off barges, including one of Souza's favorites: The Morning Glory.
"It's called Morning Glory, but it looks like a jellyfish that bursts into popcorn with red tentacles," says Souza. "That's one you have to look for."
The 'Golden Mile' sets up the grand finale
The "Golden Mile" is a fireworks display shot from 38 positions over the East River with computer precision. That includes a 1,500-ft, gold-shimmering waterfall cascade spanning the bridge, setting up the grand finale of wall-to-wall fireworks.
'It's going to be a patriotic ending, visceral and heart-thumping with crackling reports at the end," says Souza. "We're planning on delivering a highly entertaining, patriotic show that celebrates America's birthday while over-delivering on the spectacle."
Who is performing at the Macy's fireworks?
The Macy's concert is hosted by Ariana DeBose featuring the Jonas Brothers, Trisha Yearwood, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer, Ava Max and Eric Church.
The fireworks' musical score was produced by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and James Poyser, accompanied by a live performance from DeBose.
How to watch the Macy's fireworks and what time?
The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show airs on NBC at 8 ET/PT (streaming live on Peacock) with the fireworks beginning at 9:25 ET/PT. There will be an hour-long NBC encore presentation at 10 ET/PT. Telemundo's telecast will air at 9 ET/PT.