Showing posts with label fireworks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fireworks. Show all posts

Monday, January 1, 2024

About those New Year's Eve fireworks

We received several queries about the fireworks display that commenced last night around 8... taking some people by surprise (and traumatizing their dogs). 

Given the noise, a few residents thought the brief (5-to-7-minute?) Macy's-grade show originated somewhere in this neighborhood. 

It was, though, coming from Williamsburg and not one of the more-publicized fireworks events. This is via the city's 311 site on the list of legal fireworks displays that the FDNY issued permits for: 
  • Sunday, December 31 at 8 PM 
  • Williamsburg Bridge 
  • Sponsor: Kool Hunter LLC, DBA Heads in the Sky 

Here's part of the grand finale ...

 

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Tuesday's parting shot

Happy 4th! Hope your dogs are less traumatized (except for the 500 people lighting fireworks on the block). 

Back later with a round-by-round analysis with letter grades!

Thursday, October 13, 2022

About those fireworks last night on the East River

Photo via @Jazibaba 

We received a lot of queries last night about the fireworks display that went off last night after 9 on the East River below the Williamsburg Bridge. 

There wasn't any notification about them (as everyone pointed out, this account has one job) ... Which prompted plenty of tweets... and concern! Myles Miller of NBC New York got the scoop today from the FDNY: The fireworks marked the end of filming the fifth and final season of "The The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." All good now?

Monday, July 4, 2022

Monday's parting shot

Thanks to the reader for the rooftop shot tonight (July 4!) ...

Friday, June 26, 2020

Another reader report of a fireworks-related roof fire on Avenue C



The FDNY responded to a report of a fire last night around 9:45 on the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Avenue C... a nearby resident shared these photos...



The cause of the fire is unknown, though the resident suspects it was related to the ongoing illegal firework displays nearby... the reader points out the remains of fireworks in the lights of the fire truck in the photo below...



There wasn't any word of damage to the building, which houses 69 Avenue C Laundromat...



Last Saturday night, people setting off fireworks along Avenue C and neighboring buildings caused a fire on a building rooftop on Fourth Street.

Fireworks-related complaints to 311 and 911 topped 20,000 in 2020, "an unprecedented increase over previous years," Gothamist reported.

The NYPD has started making arrests...

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Reader report: Fire on an Avenue C rooftop caused by fireworks last night



The ongoing fireworks around the neighborhood nearly resulted in a major fire early this morning.

An EVG reader shared the following from along Avenue C:

People setting off fireworks from Avenue C and neighboring buildings caused a fire at 1 a.m. on the rooftop of our co-op. Thankfully someone saw it and called the Fire Department and no one was hurt. Our doors were destroyed by the firefighters gaining entry, and an apartment now has considerable water damage as a result of the effort to put out the fire.

The reader then asked a follow-up question that others have asked: "Is there any effort to try and stop people from lighting these fireworks?"

Updated 9 p.m.

And a few more photos from the roof,







Per another building resident: "Part of the brand new roof will need to be replaced, and the apartment below suffered water damage. It could have been much worse, but just goes to show what happens when neighboring buildings set off fireworks from their roof."

Never-ending July 4 continues



We've received about a dozen emails or DMs from readers about people setting off fireworks around the neighborhood in recent weeks. Received some photographic evidence via Vinny & O from last night around 10th Street and Avenue C.

The increase in illegal fireworks have been documented throughout the city. Per Gothamist on Monday:

According to city data, 849 complaints about fireworks were logged with the city's 311 hotline in the last two weeks alone. That's a nearly 4,000 percent increase from the same period in 2019, which saw just 21 recorded complaints. In the first two weeks of June during the previous five years, there were less than 50 complaints related to fireworks in total.

As with other 311 data, it's not clear that the figures reflect an actual spike in activity. In many cases, the growth of nuisance calls is a better barometer of gentrification than any specific change in behavior. But while illicit fireworks have long served as the sonic backdrop to summer nights in NYC, some residents say the intensity and frequency has been noticeably greater in 2020, with many of the late-night displays appearing strangely professional.

And via NBC 4 on Wednesday:

Now, people in the city that never sleeps have a new audio accompaniment to their surreal spring: Booming, amateur fireworks displays that start at sundown and continue deep into the night.

Illicit bursts of fireworks from street corners and rooftops aren’t uncommon in the city’s neighborhoods in the days before the Fourth of July, but the past few weeks has seen an extraordinary surge in such displays.


In the East Village, there have been reports of fireworks on multiple side streets and Avenues... and a lot of terrified dogs in apartments.

Previously.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

'We will not go quietly into the night!' A midnight fireworks display



An EVG reader shared the above video from last night.

A description from the reader: "Nearing midnight, an explosive celebration on April 3 in the East Village, looking Northwest-ish from First Avenue and Third Street."

There were apparently two rounds of rooftop fireworks — with one lasting nearly a minute. Several people were able to catch the second round...


H/T President Whitmore for part of the headline!

Friday, July 5, 2019

July 4 flashback



A few photos from last evening showing the 43rd Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks® launch ... pics via the vantage Bobby Williams had last evening near Avenue C...





Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Why you may not be able to see the July 4 fireworks from the usual places this year


[2018 6th Street rooftop view of the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks]

In case you are planning to watch the 4th of July Fireworks tomorrow (July 4!) ... you're likely not going to have that view as in did in recent years from your neighbor's roof on Sixth Street (or wherever you may have had roof access...)

This year, Macy's has moved the barges to below the Brooklyn Bridge, which is the star of the show...



So...



Last year, the barges were placed on the river between 23rd Street and 40th Street ... Flashback!


[2018]

This year, the northernmost point that Macy's suggests on its Where-to-Watch map is Montgomery Street and Cherry Street.

And via the Macy's press release...

Since 1976, Macy’s Fireworks have grown in scale and artistry as they burst to life over many of New York City’s waterways and neighborhoods. Incorporating landmarks and celebratory milestones is a Macy’s Fireworks signature. Macy’s last showcased the Brooklyn Bridge when its structure served as the launchpad for key moments in the 2014 show.

This year’s presentation will add three times more pyrotechnic firepower as Macy’s creative team expands the design to include more dazzling and intricate effects firing from locations spanning the entire bridge. On Independence Day, millions of spectators will enjoy jaw-dropping effects launching from more than a dozen points off the famed Brooklyn landmark throughout the 25-minute display.

The fireworks start at 9:20 p.m. And for some reason if you're going to be driving around, here are street closures via NBC 4.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Early morning fireworks on 2nd and B



There were several reader reports of some kind of explosion(s) early this morning around 1.

A Reddit user uploaded a video providing the possible explanation — a street fireworks display ... the video appears to be from Second Street heading east toward Avenue B...

East 2nd St and Ave B, 1am, 12.16.18 from r/nyc


Next question is why. (Or what, if anything, the occasion was...)

H/T The Teenage Oldman!

Monday, November 12, 2018

False alarms: A moment of panic yesterday afternoon on 3rd Avenue


An EVG reader writes in about an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon on Third Avenue shortly before 4.

The reader was on the northwest corner at Ninth Street "when we heard a series of pops, that sounded like gunshots, from a block or two south. We couldn’t see down that way, because of the angle, and because there’s scaffolding up there. People started running north, trying to scatter."

Several people, including the reader, took refuge in a nearby shop, where the employee locked the front door. After a few minutes: "We peeked out, and everything was back to normal, almost immediately. People were walking, and it was like nothing ever happened. After a couple of minutes, we came out. There were a couple of cop cars around, a block or two south, but clearly it hadn’t been a shooting."

The Citizen app had the following sequence...




People who experienced this are curious to learn more about what happened. Was it a bunch of dumb kids with some fireworks? Part of some kind of student art show? Disgruntled Jets fans? Or did someone have a more malicious intent?

Per the reader: "The rapidity of it – the moments of panic, followed by the swift return ... to normalcy, as if nothing had transpired – was surreal, out of a Wallace Shawn play."

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

East River hosting July 4 fireworks again; prepare thee for 'never-before-seen shells and effects'



For the third consecutive year, the Macy's 4th of July fireworks will launch from the East River. [Insert west side taunt here.]

Anyway, here are all the glory details via the official news release released Monday announcing the 2017 edition...

A pyrotechnic anthem for the ages will ignite New York City’s famed skyline on Tuesday, July 4, as the 41st Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks® launch an unrivaled barrage of color, shape, light and sound to celebrate Independence Day.

The nation’s largest pyrotechnic display will come to life over the East River, captivating more than 3 million spectators lining the shorelines, waterways, streets and rooftops of the Big Apple and millions more on television coast-to-coast as together they marvel at the nation’s largest and most exciting party.

Beginning at approximately 9:25 p.m., the first shells will launch the celebration along the shores of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn with more than 60,000 effects rumbling toward the grand finale.

The 41st edition of the festivities will showcase a 25-minute display featuring never-before-seen shells and effects. Pyro Spectaculars by Souza is once again at the helm of the pyrotechnics that will feature multiple new shells including color changing chrysanthemums, purple crackling ghost peonies, orange bees, and pulsing happy faces in 23 electrifying colors including fuchsia, lemon and aqua.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

A seasonal Urban Etiquette Sign on 7th Street



An EVG reader passed along this photo of an Urban Etiquette Sign on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... a sensible request not to throw firecrackers ... they scared the note-writer's dog... and are a potential fire hazard, she writes.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Independence Day: Resurgence. Fireworks will return to the East River.


[2015]

Just in case you missed this from Friday afternoon... the city announced that the Macy's 4th of July fireworks will be back on the East River this, uh, July 4th.

A few particulars via DNAinfo's report:

The show — which will start at 9:25 p.m. on July 4 — will once again be shot off from four barges on the water located between 23rd and 37th streets in Midtown and another below the Brooklyn Bridge near South Street Seaport, officials said.

And!

This is the 40th year for the annual holiday show, which will last 25 minutes and feature more than 52,000 shells, according to organizers.

And now... relieve last year's fireworks via this drone footage...

Two choices. Without music...



...or with musical accompaniment …

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Relive the July 4 fireworks with this East Village drone footage



In case you missed the fireworks last night… or want to relive them… here's some drone footage… it doesn't have any sound, so you may want to pick whatever you think might make some good accompaniment …



Updated 7-6

Here is more East Village drone footage from another source… this video has some musical accompaniment …

Last night


[Photo by James and Karla Murray via Facebook]

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

You will not need to rekindle friendships with people on the West Side this July 4

[Random 3rd Avenue jukebox photo — maybe Paddy Maguire's?]

The East River will play host to the city's Fourth of July fireworks for the second consecutive year.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

The show, sponsored by Macy’s Inc., will feature fireworks from two additional barges and is moving farther north along the river to give Queens residents a better view. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had long sought to return the display to the East River, saying it could be seen by more New Yorkers.

Last year, Mr. de Blasio moved the Independence Day celebration back to the East River after it had been displayed over the Hudson River since 2009.

The fireworks will launch from one double-wide barge south of the Brooklyn Bridge and four barges between 23rd and 37th Streets. The 25-minute show is scheduled to begin at about 9:20 p.m. on July 4 and fire 40,000 pyrotechnic shells into the sky.

The Fourth of July is held this year on July 4.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

The fireworks of the East Village from July 4



James and Karla Murray shared a few photos of the unofficial July 4 firework displays around the East Village from last night… (seemed better than the real thing at times!)





And can we still get in on that $1,000 reward?