July 4 Fireworks: Brooklyn Viewing Parties Ruined After Macy's Scraps Barge

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — Macy's is changing its Fourth of July fireworks show this year so that the display will only be easily visible from Midtown viewpoints.

The Independence Day show, which Macy's promises will be its biggest in 20 years, will be partially relocated this year to be less visible from the Lower East Side and Williamsburg. Macy's is axing its "satellite" barge, which sent fireworks into the sky from a location just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, and will only be launching from barges between 23rd and 41st streets, amNew York was first to report.

Since Macy's returned to the East River in 2014, the show has included a concentration of barges near Midtown plus an additional barge near the Brooklyn Bridge. This year's switch means that revelers hoping to get a clear view from the Financial District or Brooklyn Bridge Park will have to go elsewhere for a straight shot at the show. (Want more local news? Subscribe here for free news alerts and neighborhood updates from Patch.)

Bars and restaurants in both neighborhoods told amNew York that they had to cancel lucrative July Fourth events once they realized the show wouldn't be visible from their vantage points, as it had been in years past. Brooklyn Bridge Park has also been cautioning neighborhood residents that they won't be able to view this year's show from the park.

Here's where to watch this year's July 4 show.

"Macy's Fireworks have been launched from various waterways, neighborhoods and locations in New York City annually since 1976 and will continue to bring joy to millions of New Yorkers, visitors from around the world and the nation this year," a Macy's spokesman said in a statement.

"Many factors contribute to the choice of location including show design, size/scale of the pyrotechnics used, safety requirements, accessible public viewing locations and available city resources, to name a few. These elements have, and will continue to, changed from year to year."

A map of Macy's fireworks and list of recommended viewing locations is available here. The company says the show easily viewable from Midtown Manhattan, Gramercy, the East Village and the Lower East Side, Long Island City, and Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Credit: Stephanie Keith / Stringer / Getty Images News