Where to See Macy's 4th of July Fireworks in New York City

The Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks are returning to the Hudson River this year in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River for the Dutch. This change has thrown many people's fireworks viewing plans into chaos. Where do you see fireworks now if you live in Brooklyn, where in Manhattan will you be able to see the fireworks?

Needing to bring order to this chaos, I've sorted rounded up the best places to see the 4th of July fireworks all around New York City:

There will be 6 barges in the Hudson River located between 24th Street and 68 50th St.

The fireworks will start at 9:20 pm.

You should probably plan on arriving before 7pm to get a good spot, maybe earlier for some places.

Best Fireworks Viewing Locations:

12th Avenue and the West Side Highway
12th Avenue and the northbound lanes of the West Side Highway will be closed to cars from 2pm from 23rd St to 59th Street and turned into a giant block party for fireworks viewing. From 4pm on, people will only be allowed access at 24th, 26th through 30th, 34th, 40th through 44th, 47th through 52nd, and 54th through 57th.

Macy's advises that there will be very limited viewing of the fireworks above 59th St. This makes no sense. I have tried to call both Macy's and 311 and no one has been able to answer this. [UPDATE: I was dubious, and my contact at NYCgo confirmed that Macy's is only recommending officially sanctioned locations that will have police, crowd conrtrol and port-a-potties.] As far a I can gather, Riverside Park will be open and should have OK views of the fireworks with less crowds.

Battery Park City and the Battery
Macy's also says the Battery and Battery Park City are not viewing locations. Again, as far as I can tell Battery Park City will actually be an ideal location to watch the fireworks because you will be able to see both the Macy's fireworks and the New Jersey fireworks at Liberty State Park. From The Battery, you probably won't be able to see the Macy's Fireworks, but will have a great view of the NJ fireworks and it will probably not be very crowded there.

The West Side Piers
Macy's recommends Piers 54 (13th St) and 84 (44th St) as the best locations for perfect views which means they are going to have the worst crowds. All other piers will probably be closed.

De Witt Clinton Park
De Witt Clinton Park (Between 11th and 12th Avenues and 52nd to 54th St.) is the only officially recommended location that has playground equipment and grassy lawns, making it a worthwhile destination to get there super early and park a good spot. Bring a sheet to mark your territory, a picnic and play in the park while you wait for the fireworks. This won't be an original thought, though, so plan on getting there extra early.

Other Alternatives
If you're not picky about things like dates, you could celebrate the 4th of July on the 3rd with little to no crowds. Both the Staten Island Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones have fireworks after their games on Friday. The Staten Island Yankees also have a game on Saturday and you'll be able to see the NJ fireworks from there.

Another option is to head to New Jersey where the crowds won't be as bad. See our recommendations for where to see the fireworks from New Jersey.

Macy's Official Fireworks Website