As you prepare to attend and have fun at tomorrow’s fireworks viewing event, please read and share the following information with your friends, family and visitors.
There will be no street parking on any roads south of the Roosevelt Island Tram station beginning today at 8 p.m. through Wednesday’s fireworks viewing event.
On Wednesday, there will be limited visitor parking at the Motorgate. RI residents and patrons with a monthly permit/access card will be accommodated first. Residents and employees of Island businesses should be prepared to show proof of residency or employment at the Roosevelt Island Bridge. The Helix ramp has re-opened to two-way vehicular traffic.
The Red Bus and Tram will operate on a weekday schedule. The bus will not circulate south of the Tram station after 12 p.m. It will make all its other normal stops along the normal route. There will be no Octagon express bus. (There will be golf carts at Tram station to assist those needing additional help traveling south to the Cornell Tech campus or Southpoint Park).
The NYC ferry will operate up until 2 p.m. The MTA will operate a full F train schedule to and from Roosevelt Island. Residents and visitors are urged strongly to use public transportation when making their travel plans.
There will be security and bag checks at the various eastside and westside entry points (please see map bleow) to the day’s activities.
The Cornell Tech campus will be open all day. The school’s café will operate an outdoor grill, with food for purchase, beginning at noon. Southpoint Park will open at 5 p.m. and will host a bevy of food truck vendors, family and children’s games, amusements and DJ music.
You do not need a ticket to view the fireworks from either the Cornel Tech campus or Southpoint Park.
FDR Four Freedoms State Park will open at 6 p.m. Individual ticket holders should be prepared in advance to show their printout, or barcode ticket via their mobile device, when coming to the Four Freedoms Park security checkpoint.
The following list of items will not be allowed in the viewing areas:
• NO alcoholic beverages
• NO beach umbrellas, tents, or canopies
• NO large coolers, oversized bags or backpacks
• NO grills or cooking
• NO fireworks, sharp objects, and weapons of any kind
• NO bicycles, roller skates, scooters, skateboards, or sports activities (Bicycles brought to the site may be chained outside the event area. Please remember to bring a chain and lock with you if you must reach the event by bicycle.)
• NO camera tripods and lighting equipment.
• NO portable audio systems or speakers. Music will be broadcast throughout the evening.
• NO glass bottles
• NO smoking
• NO bullhorns or noise makers
• NO pets other than licensed service animals
• NO littering
• NO tree-climbing, fishing, or feeding of wildlife
• NO climbing of embankments or seawalls
Individuals who bring any banned items to the event will be asked to leave them outside the security area. RIOC and its staff assumes no responsibility for unattended items.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us host a safe and fun event for everyone.
RIOC is working hard, with our July 4th partners Cornell Tech and FDR Four Freedoms State Park, to produce a fun and safe viewing event for everyone....
... There is no ticket required to watch the show at the Cornel Tech campus or Southpoint Park. There is a free ticket required to be admitted to the Four Freedoms Park.
As a courtesy for Roosevelt Island residents, they will be allowed to go online at rioc.ny.gov to register for up to four tickets per household, 24 hours in advance of the general public.
At noon, Thursday, June 28, Roosevelt Island resident are encouraged to go to the RIOC website, rioc.ny.gov, click on the July 4th fireworks banner at the top of the page and register for free tickets. FDR Four Freedoms State Park’s capacity for this event has been set at 1,300. To watch the fireworks at Cornell Tech or Southpoint Park you do not need a ticket.
RIOC adds:
FOURTH OF JULY FAMILY FIREWORKS CELEBRATION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2018
5 PM-10:30 PM
SOUTHPOINT PARK, CORNELL TECH & FDR FOUR FREEDOMS STATE PARK
TICKET REQUIRED FOR FDR FOUR FREEDOMS STATE PARK
OVERVIEW
The iconic Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show is on the East River again this year and the show begins at approximately 9:20 p.m. More details about the show are available at https://www.macys.com/social/fireworks/. As part of the Independence Day celebration, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, along with Cornell Tech and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park, invite you to join our family-friendly viewing spots at Southpoint Park, the Cornell Tech campus and at FDR Four Freedoms State Park.
Please carefully review all of the event details below.
REGISTRATION
You do not need a ticket to view the fireworks at Southpoint Park or at Cornell Tech’s campus. You must register online to receive a free ticket to the fireworks viewing at FDR Four Freedoms State Park. You can register for up to FOUR free tickets PER HOUSEHOLD, using your name, home address, and email address. Children ages 4 and under do not need tickets.
Individuals registering multiple times will be eliminated from the system and WILL NOT RECEIVE TICKETS.
General online ticketing will open at noon on Friday, June 29, 2018. To register for tickets please go to rioc.ny.gov and click on the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks banner.
WRISTBANDS
If you are attending the FDR Four Freedoms Park ticketed event, please print your ticket or show your confirmation email on your smart phone to collect a wristband for entry. Wristbands will be distributed inside Southpoint Park, outside the west gate of Four Freedoms Park. You will need the officially issued wristband to enter Four Freedoms Park. This rule is extremely important for public safety. Anyone without a wristband will not be permitted inside. There will be no standby tickets available.
ENTRANCE
All those entering Southpoint Park and the Cornell Tech campus will need to go through security checks at the entrances east or west of Tram Plaza. Entrance for the ticketed space in FDR Four Freedoms State Park is first-come, first-served with wristbands. The official capacity for the ticketed event is 1,300 attendees.
Gates open at Southpoint Park at 5 p.m. and at Four Freedoms State Park at 6 p.m. All visitors will be subject to airport-style security. The Cornell Tech campus is open to the public throughout the event, however we reserve the right to stop further entry should the area exceed capacity and/or pose a public safety danger.
Expect a 10-to-15 minute walk from all modes of transportation to Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms State Park. There will be no Red Bus going south of the Roosevelt Island Tram Plaza.
No seating will be provided at the viewing locations. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or folding chairs.
Additional portable toilets will be placed throughout the Cornell Tech campus and Southpoint Park to supplement the park’s restrooms.
Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged. No parking will be available on Roosevelt Island.
No entrance is permitted into Four Freedoms State Park after 9 p.m.
EVENT PROHIBITED ITEMS
NO alcoholic beverages
NO beach umbrellas, tents, or canopies
NO large coolers, oversized bags or backpacks
NO grills or cooking
NO fireworks, sharp objects, and weapons of any kind
NO bicycles, roller skates, scooters, skateboards, or sports activities (Bicycles brought to the site may be chained outside the event area. Please remember to bring a chain and lock with you if you must reach the event by bicycle.)
NO camera tripods and lighting equipment.
NO portable audio systems or speakers. Music will be broadcast throughout the evening.
NO glass bottles
NO smoking
NO bullhorns or noise makers
NO pets other than licensed service animals
NO littering
NO tree-climbing, fishing, or feeding of wildlife
NO climbing of embankments or seawalls
Individuals who bring any banned items to the event will be asked to leave them outside the security area. RIOC and its staff assumes no responsibility for unattended items.
ALL BAGS WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH AND COULD PROHIBIT ENTRY.
FOOD
Attendees will be able to purchase grill specials, beverages and Cornell Ice Cream on the Cornell Tech patio, as well as from several food trucks in Southpoint Park; including Dippin’ Dots, Wafels & Dinges, Paris on Wheels, Sweetface Snoballs and Nathan’s.
No food is allowed inside FDR Four Freedoms State Park attendees please limit beverages to water.
ENTERTAINMENT
Starting at 5:30 p.m. in Southpoint Park, children’s activities and entertainment, including bounce houses, double inflatable slides, a balloon artist and face painters will be available. There will also be DJ music entertainment and a simulcast broadcast of the Macy’s Fireworks soundtrack in Southpoint Park.
DIRECTIONS
Cornel Tech, Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms State Park are located on the southern half of the Roosevelt Island, all south of the Roosevelt Island Tram Station. Visitors are strongly encouraged to use public transportation to attend the event. No parking will be available on Roosevelt Island on July 4.
Subway: Take F Train to the Roosevelt Island stop. Follow signs to Cornell Tech, Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms State Park.
Ferry: Take the Astoria line to Roosevelt Island. Follow signs to Cornell Tech, Southpoint and FDR Four Freedoms State Park. The ferry service will end at 2 p.m. on July 4.
Tram: Take the Tram at 59th Street and 2nd Avenue. Travel time to Roosevelt Island is five minutes with trams departing every 7 1/2 minutes. Exit at the Roosevelt Island Tram Station. Follow signs to Cornell Tech, Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms State Park. If you take the Tram to Roosevelt Island from 59th and 2nd, you can use your MTA subway card. MTA subway cards are available at the Tram station in Manhattan.
Bus: From Queensboro Plaza overpass, take the stairway down north side to corner of Crescent and Bridge Plaza North. Take the Q102 Queens surface bus to Roosevelt Island. Follow signs to Cornell Tech, Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms State Park.
ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES
For guests with limited mobility who require assistance, golf carts will be operating on the Island; picking guests up at the Roosevelt Island Tram Plaza, and dropping them off at the security checkpoint outside Southpoint Park. RIOC staff will be on the ground between the Tram and the park entrance on the south end of the Island to help guests with directions and to answer questions.
UPDATE 6/28 - The Roosevelt Island residents advanced notice tickets for FDR Park Fireworks viewing were sold out in less than an hour.
UPDATE 7/1 - From The Cafe on Cornell Tech campus.
We will be hosting some food and beverage options for the 4th of July.
Our main grill will be up and running by noon on Wednesday and we anticipate serving until the fireworks display.
UPDATE 7/3 - From RIOC:
On Wednesday July 4, visitor parking at the Motorgate garage will be limited to ensure adequate parking for residents and patrons with a monthly permit. Residents without a monthly access card should be prepared to show proof of residency when approaching the Roosevelt Island Bridge at Vernon Boulevard.
Residents who need to park in Motorgate should arrive no later than 5 p.m., on July 4, to secure admittance.
Also there is no street parking on all Roosevelt Island roads south of the Tram station beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 3.
July 4 Fireworks celebration at FDR Four Freedoms Park, Cornell Tech campus and Southpoint Park - Tickets for viewing Fireworks at FDR Park will be made available to Roosevelt Island residents one day in advance of the General Public.
There will be more security this year with NYPD and private security. Every person will have to go through check points. Total security from Roosevelt Island Bridge to FDR Park.
Southpoint Park activities will include Bounce houses, Giant Slides, Inflated Obstacle Course, 5 food trucks, plenty of toilets
Both trams cabins will be running by July 4.
Both sides of Helix will be open by July 4
Tram Elevator project has started with fencing placed in Manhattan Tram Plaza area
Public purpose applications will be available in July
Roosevelt Island cooling centers will be open during day and evening until 10 PM.
Westview privatization - diligently working on trying to resolve open issues - Board may be called back during the summer to approve an agreement
No tickets needed for best RI views of Macy’s July 4 fireworks
In less than 13 days, more than 75,000 fireworks will ignite the sky over the East River, from seven docked barges, in the Big Apple’s largest celebration ever of the nation’s birthday. The prime viewing location on Roosevelt Island for this year’s highly-anticipated Macy’s NYC July 4 Fireworks show does not require a ticket or reservation.
This year, Southpoint Park and Cornell Tech’s newly opened campus - 2.5 acres of elevated, unobstructed public space just south of the Roosevelt Island Tram station - will allow thousands to enjoy an evening of pyrotechnic fun. Be sure to arrive as early as possible to secure vantage spots for yourself, friends, and family.
The 25-minute fireworks extravaganza starts at approximately 9:25 p.m. and is reported to be Macy’s largest display ever.
At Southpoint Park, residents and guests can enjoy a wide variety of activities including live DJ entertainment, dancing (when the music moves you), bounce houses, face painters, and balloon artists. Also on hand will be food trucks and other vendors.
At both Southpoint and Cornell, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. No alcoholic beverages or grilling will be permitted.
There will be no vehicle traffic or Red Bus service, south of the Tram Station and buses will run on a regular weekday schedule with no Octagon Express.
Due to severe overcrowding and safety issues at last year’s viewing party, officials at FDR Four Freedoms State Park have reduced the capacity of visitors that will be admitted to the park this year. A limited amount of tickets will be made available to the public via the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s website at rioc.ny.gov on June 29 beginning at noon.
Stay tuned to our website and social media channels for more updates.
Four Freedoms Park Conservancy is thrilled that Frankin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park will be a venue for viewing the Macy’s Annual 4th of July Fireworks in the East River. As always, the Conservancy’s priority is the safety and well-being of visitors and personnel at the park.
In consultation with NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Conservancy is implementing best-in-class security protocols, including maximum park capacity to ensure the safety and comfort of all.
The FDR Park spokesperson said that 1100 tickets will be distributed to the public for park entrance and that the total capacity will be limited to 1300 that includes all staff, security personnel and vendors.
The safety concerns are due to what the FDR Park says is the large number of chairs and blankets
Last year, 2500 tickets were available for viewing the July 4 Fireworks at FDR 4 Freedoms and Southpoint Park. Advanced online registration was available for Roosevelt Island residents. But many residents were upset that tickets were sold out within a few minutes of becoming available or that they did not know about the advanced online ticket registration. Also, remaining unexplained by RIOC was why were there standby tickets available on July 4 when the advanced tickets were reportedly sold out.
Will RIOC's July 4 ticketing process work better this year than in the past?
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council discussed the July 4 Fireworks distribution system during their June 6 meeting urging RIOC to make known to residents as early as possible the process to get tickets.
Here's the RIRA discussion.
Today, I asked RIOC Public Information Officer Alonza Robertson about the July 4 ticket distribution:
How and when will tickets be distributed. Will RI residents again be given early preference for obtaining tickets?
Mr. Robertson replied:
The plan for the fireworks, tickets for the viewing area etc., will be available online. It is going to be released next week, once we get through RI Day.
said about the Roosevelt Island July 4 Fireworks celebration:
.... It's pretty clear that the Cornell Campus will remain open. Of course it's always subject to change if all of a sudden we have too many people and there is a public safety risk but the plan is to keep it open and most likely ticketing for Southpoint Park and 4 Freedoms Park as it has been in the past.
This is all in the planning stage and when we have something more definitive, I will share it with you.
The Roosevelt Island Parents Network Coordinator shared this message last year regarding difficulties some residents had in obtaining July 4 Fireworks tickets:
Dear Community,
Last Thursday I emailed president of RIOC Ms. Susan Rosenthal the responses I collected about families' frustration and requests about fireworks viewing, and on Friday I got to speak with her over the phone.
She explained that they had to set up such procedure and number limit because Four Freedom Park is a state park, and they even tried to remove some waterside structures to maximize the number of people allowed in the park. She is sympathetic that not all who wished to go could, however they have to ensure the safety of all those who did get tickets, e.g. if any emergency happens, emergency vehicles should be able to move around easily, and/or people should be able to evacuate quickly enough.
As to the online ticket claiming, they had an outside contributor to manage the process and she thinks that it is likely that a lot of people were getting it all at the same time in the first few minutes.
I also asked about how many standby tickets are, and whether they can have a separate area for family with small children, and she replied that the number will depend on the number of ticketed folks who actually come to the event. Also because of that it's not easy to set up separate spots for standby tickets. (We can however still submit it for their consideration for future events.)
She also invites all residents to continue submitting requests and suggestions and they will do their best to accommodate next year and beyond....
Hope those Roosevelt Island residents who want July 4 Celebration Tickets are able to get them.
3- Says receiving wonderful reports of RIOC Youth Center doing well.
Future plans for Roosevelt Island Youth Center. Planning summer basketball league, gardening program and Saturday teen nights. Beacon Summer Camp.
RIOC Closing Youth Center during summer for renovations of building. 2nd floor of Sportspark to be used by older youth when Youth Center building is closed during summer.
4 - Here's the complete RIOC President's Report from Ms Rosenthal including info on June 16 Roosevelt Island Day, which RIOC will be producing by themselves for first time, Tram Platform Repair work, Motorgate painting and repair and more.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
