It’s a double header this year.
The US turns 250. Macy’s turns 50. New York decided to mark both milestones by setting off a massive amount of explosive powder over the East and Hudson rivers. 🎆
The scale is unprecedented.
This year’s display fires over 85,00 shells. That’s a new high for the show. They launch from the Seaport District, lower Manhattan, and right onto the Brooklyn Bridge lasers. It’s loud. It’s bright. It’s been running since 1975, so you’d think they’d have the timing down pat by now.
“Over 85,000 shots.”
The math checks out for a bicentennial celebration. Or close to it anyway.
Who is playing (and who is hosting)?
Terry Crews returns to the spotlight. Well, hosts it for the first time. If you grew up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine he’s your man for tonight’s broadcast.
The music lineup feels like a shuffled playlist from three different decades. Noah Kahan sings his indie folk. Post Malone brings the pop-rap. Salt-N-Pepa are there to remind us that hip-hop has history. Bebe Rexha, Shabooey, and Blake Shelton fill out the set. It’s a broad tent. Some might argue too broad.
But then you get to the fireworks themselves.
They have their own soundtrack. Jason Howland, the Grammy winner, wrote a score specifically for the explosions. Alexia Jayy, who just won Season 29 of The Voice, sings over the blasts. Live vocals synced with pyrotechnics? It sounds chaotic on paper. Probably works better on the riverbank.
Where can you actually watch?
If you have cable. Good luck finding that in 2025.
The NBC special airs Saturday night at 8 p.m., ET/PT. It runs for two hours. That includes the red carpet pre-show and all the talk. Don’t tune in early if you only want pyrotechnics. You’ll sit through 90 minutes of celebrities talking about fireworks first.
For cord-cutters Peacock streams the whole thing live. It’s free for Peacock subscribers though some local channels might require the Premium tier. Check your specific plan details if you’re worried about blackout rules.
YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu, and Sling all carry NBC live. Sling users need the Blue or Blue+Orange package though and only in select cities. Read the fine print before you cancel your other services.
Stuck abroad?
Maybe you’re on vacation. Maybe you left the laptop in the office and don’t want to go back.
A VPN masks your IP address. It makes your stream look like it’s coming from New Jersey instead of, say, Zurich. It encrypts traffic so your ISP can’t throttle you during the peak hours. Public Wi-Fi is sketchy enough without broadcasting your login credentials to a crowded café network.
Just don’t assume it will always work.
Some streaming platforms ban VPN use entirely. They block the IPs associated with virtual networks. NBC usually doesn’t care unless they suspect fraud, but Peacock gets stricter. Always check the Terms of Service. If you get locked out of a regional broadcast you’re on your own.
Why risk a blackout? Because the show starts at 8. The shells launch around 10. By the time you figure out a workaround the sky is already done exploding.
Unless you live on the bridge.
Then you don’t need a TV.
