Macy's 4th of July fireworks show 2025 brings NYC spectators to tears as they ‘celebrate the spirit of America'
Thousands of spectators gathered across the Big Apple were awed at the patriotic pyrotechnic miracle of the 49th Annual Macy's 4th of July fireworks show — a spectacle that unleashed a flood of emotions Friday night.
The celebration, which kicked off at 9:25 p.m., featured 80,000 shells launched in the night sky from four barges on the East River — including a ghost shell that rocketed 1,000 feet in the air — and an unprecedented art show projected on the majestic Brooklyn Bridge.
'Thank you, Macy's, every year for what you do. I'm crying. Yes. I'm crying. This is New York City. This doesn't happen this way, anywhere else,' Brooklynite Maribel Abreu, 54, told The Post as she wiped tears from her eyes at South Street Seaport's Pier 17.
'There's (nothing) more beautiful than the Brooklyn Bridge in the world, and the bridge was on fire today.'
6 The 49th Annual Macy's 4th of July fireworks show illuminates the Big Apple sky Friday night.
AFP via Getty Images
Sherrie Hughes, 40, an Army veteran who fought in Afghanistan and was visiting from California, summed up the fraternal spirit shared among onlookers from around the city — and the world — created by the breathtaking show.
'There is no other place like New York City to celebrate the spirit of America,' Hughes, a former New Yorker, said.
'This seemed purposeful.'
6 Many spectators said the Brooklyn Bridge was the star of Friday's Fourth of July fireworks show.
REUTERS
The fireworks extravaganza was a much-needed distraction from the 'climate we're in right now. We all need to unite as a people, and all come together, and all celebrate together,' added Hughes, whose favorite part was the explosions that looked like a waterfall cascading from the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River below.
And she wasn't the only one deeply stirred by that stunning display.
'The waterfall was insane. It's probably one of the best fireworks that's ever happened in New York. It is probably, like, the best event ever. … Incredible show. Just incredible,' Abreu's 16-year-old son, Maxwell Lizardi, gushed.
6 The awesome display of 80,000 firework shells wasn't enough to wake this tot sleeping on his dad's shoulder.
AFP via Getty Images
6 Many spectators were so moved by the fireworks display that they told someone close that they loved them.
AFP via Getty Images
Sol Pereya traveled from Cordoba, Argentina, with her parents and brother specifically to see this year's fireworks.
'We knew that this was very special and very unique, so we tried to do everything to schedule everything to be here today,' the 27-year-old said.
Her family was so touched that they huddled together in the middle of the show and told each other how much they loved each other.
6 Residents from around the city took in the stunning fireworks show Friday night.
Getty Images
6 For the first time, visual art was projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge's towers as part of the Macy's 4th of July fireworks show.
AP
'I think that we will treasure this moment for the rest of our lives, honestly,' an emotional Pereya said. 'The Brooklyn Bridge, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. We're still trying to figure out the words to describe it.'
Many longtime New Yorkers who were among the throng of onlookers come to see the show noted that they don't remember fireworks ever being shot off the Brooklyn Bridge before Friday night's display.
Arbeu and Lizardi watched with astonishment as an American flag projected on one of the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge unfurled in a scroll before it was replaced by an American eagle that soared over an open road.
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