NY to experience Macy’s ‘Big Bang’ marketing

Macy’s is out to prove that bigger is better again this July 4 by sponsoring a fireworks display so massive that barges positioned at two locations on the East River in Manhattan are required to launch 40,000 shells.

The 39th annual pyrotechnic extravaganza is scheduled to last 25 minutes and be seen live by an estimated three million people from viewable locations along the shorelines of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Branded as “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks,” the 25 minute spectacle of light and sound culminates a two hour entertainment special broadcast on NBC at 8 p.m. nationwide.

“Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks are the nation’s premiere Independence Day celebration and we are thrilled to once again bring the City of New York a front row view to this one-of-a-kind nationwide spectacle,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks. “With two locations, firing 1,600 shells per minute, this year’s show will cover a large stretch of the city’s famed skyline with incredibly vibrant color and fantastic effects.”

The show will be fired from four barges positioned between 23rd and 37th Streets in midtown Manhattan and from one double-barge positioned below the Brooklyn Bridge.

Helping Macy’s fund the annual event are The Howard Hughes Corporation and Kraft Foods Group brands such as Kool-Aid, Planters and Cracker Jack.