Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of our Declaration of Independence
(with revisions by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin), 1776:
pic.twitter.com/1VaUmeNgI6
Roosevelt Island was quiet and peaceful today. For the last 10 years, large
crowds would come to Roosevelt Island to view the Macy's July 4 East River Fireworks
celebration. This year the Fireworks moved to the Hudson River reducing greatly
the number of Roosevelt Island visitors today.
Here's what the Macy's July 4 East River Fireworks looked like from Roosevelt
Island FDR 4 Freedoms Park in 2022.
On Thursday, July 4th, Macy’s will launch the annual Macy’s 4th of July
Fireworks spectacle across the Hudson River, illuminating the New York City
skyline through dazzling displays and pyrotechnics. Live spectators and
viewers across the nation will be treated to a one-of-a-kind show featuring
vibrant colors, shapes, light and sound. This year’s display will feature
thousands of shells and an array of effects from barges positioned along the
Hudson River with multiple viewing opportunities in Manhattan between West
14th and West 34th Streets and in New Jersey.
“This year’s Macy’s 4th of Fireworks display will launch an inspiring
spectacle of patriotic color, light and sound from the Hudson River for
the first time in more than a decade....
The East River Macy's July 4 Fireworks gave Roosevelt Island residents
fantastic
views of the fireworks
>
but also brought large crowds of visitors.
In recent years, after the fireworks ended it took about 40 minutes for the large crowds
to safely leave Roosevelt Island by Tram or subway under the watchful eye of
the NYPD and Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department.
It was announced last week that this year’s Macy’s Fourth of July
Fireworks Show will be returning to the Hudson River for the first time
since 2013.
Due to this change, Four Freedoms State Park will NOT be hosting their
regular ticketed fireworks event this year, as the fireworks will not be
visible from this location. RIOC will therefore not be running a ticket
lottery or sending out any communications regarding a ticketed July 4th
event to the community.
While we still expect higher than average traffic to the island on July
4th, we do not anticipate the numbers to reach what we typically see when
the fireworks celebration is hosted on the East River.
Thank you and enjoy the warm spring/summer months!
-RIOC Executive Team
A long time Roosevelt Island resident reacted to the news of Macy's
Fireworks moving this year from the East River to the Hudson this way:
Happy Friday!
And,
Yipee!!
I, for one, will not miss this one bit. But I’m sure many others will.
there are plenty of great spots on Roosevelt Island to watch anywhere on the east side south of
the Queensboro Bridge, including the Cornell Tech hilltops.
Another great spot is the Roosevelt Island Bridge.
Q102 Bus - The Q102 will not serve any stops on Roosevelt Island during
preparation and viewing for the Macys 4th of July Fireworks. Buses will
operate in both directions between 27th Ave at 2nd St. and Vernon Blvd. at
36th Ave., the last stop.
Roosevelt Island Red Bus
Will run on its weekday schedule from The Octagon to the Tram.
There will be no Octagon express bus
Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) Shuttle
Will run from 6 PM to 10 PM from Good Shepherd, Tram Plaza to the west
entry gate in Southpoint Park
Citi Bike
There will be no Citi Bike stations available from Monday, July 3rd
until Wednesday morning, July 5th.
Parking
Will be restricted in the following areas:
From the Meditation Lawn to 250 Main Street on the West side.
Around the entire Cornell Tech campus (North, South, East, and West Loop
Roads).
The area in the vicinity of 250-281 Main Street.
Residents who need to park in Motorgate Garage should do so by 3:00PM.
Monthly pass holders will have access to their reserved spots with proper
ID beyond 3:00PM.
IMPORTANT TIMES
Between 12 PM – 3 PM residents will only be permitted to travel
North bound from the helix and into the Motorgate.
The lawns at Cornell Tech open at 12 PM
Residents looking to park in Motorgate Garage should do so before
3 PM. Monthly pass holders will have access to their reserved spots with proper
ID beyond 3 PM.
From 3 PM – 12 AM there will be no vehicular traffic onto the
island EXCEPT emergency vehicles.
FDR Four Freedoms State Park opens at 6 PM
The Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) shuttle will operate
from 6 PM to 10 PM from Tram Plaza to the West entry gate in
Southpoint Park
No one will be admitted to either viewing area (lawns at Cornell Tech,
Southpoint Park/FDR Four Freedoms State Park) after 9 PM
The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular is
anticipated to start at approximately 9:25PM
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) announced today:
It’s almost time to reserve your tickets!
Registration for the Roosevelt Island Fourth of July Family Fireworks Celebration will be opening WEDNESDAY JUNE 28TH at 12 PM for residents. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to register for advanced tickets as TICKET QUANTITIES ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED. If any tickets remain, they will be released to the public on Friday, June 30TH 12 PM.
How do I get resident access to tickets?
Residents must sign up for RIOC Advisories.
The resident access code and link to register for tickets will be sent out via the Advisory system on WEDNESDAY JUNE 28TH just as the ticket registration period goes live.
Unable to sign up? Stop into PSD Headquarters, valid island resident I.D. required, to get the resident code.
Event Information
FDR Four Freedoms State Park will host a limited-ticket viewing from 6 PM-10:30 PM:
Registration is required and will open to island residents on WEDNESDAY JUNE 28TH at 12 PM.
1,500 tickets are available for Four Freedoms Park.
You can register for up to FOUR (4) free tickets PER HOUSEHOLD using your name, address, and email address.
Only attendees with tickets will be allowed to enter Four Freedoms Park; no tickets will be available at the door.
Ticket holders MUST bring a digital or printed ticket with barcode to gain access to FFP.
Household ticket holders must arrive together for the event.
No entry is permitted after 9 PM. Latecomers will not be admitted.
Southpoint Park will be closed for the day.
For an alternative way of viewing the fireworks celebration on Roosevelt Island, see details below:
The Cornell Tech campus lawn will be open and available to the public as a viewing location, starting at 12 PM:
No ticket is needed for access.
Entrance is first-come, first-serve.
All visitors will be subject to bag checks and security wanding.
No entry is permitted after 9 PM. Latecomers will not be admitted.
Please
be aware that upon any potential safety concerns or overcrowding, we
reserve the right to limit access to Roosevelt Island and the fireworks
viewing locations.
The view of the July 4 Macy's Independence Day Fireworks celebration from Roosevelt Island was spectacular whether you were among the 1500 with tickets to the free event at FDR Four Freedoms Park (watch this 4 minute finale),
on the East River waterfront promenade facing Queens just outside of the Southpoint Park entrance (thank you Eva Bosbach for the video),
Before the Fireworks started people were picnicking and relaxing on the Cornell Tech campus hilltop, playing soccer and enjoying the treats from a variety of Food Trucks.
Great job tonight at Four Freedoms Park for the fireworks RIOC. Plenty of toilets. Cold water. Full ADA accessibility. Even mist. Job very well done. 👏👏👏👏@Rooseveltisland
— Paul Krikler (he/him) 🚲🛴🦽🚠🚂 (@PaulKrikler) July 5, 2022
What an amazing team!! Thank you so very much for making the Roosevelt Island Fourth of July celebration a successful event!! The planning, execution, enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile were all key components in creating a wonderful experience for all to enjoy. 👏🏿👏🏿 pic.twitter.com/wV8xVNntyf
— Shelton J Haynes, RIOC President/CEO (@RiocCeo) July 5, 2022
July 4th Celebration Recap! We wanted to sincerely thank our RIOC team, our partners and stakeholders for your commitment and assistance. A special thank you to the RIOC planning committee: Altheria Jackson, Mary Cunneen, Kevin Brown, Anthony Amoroso and Wanda Coleman pic.twitter.com/o8uQAsfgTs
After the fireworks were over, it took only about 40 minutes for the crowds to safely and quickly leave Roosevelt Island by Tram and Subway.
Excellent job by the folks at RIOC, NYPD and MTA organizing a safe and enjoyable Roosevelt Island July 4 Fireworks celebration.
UPDATE 7/8 - According to a RIOC spokesperson, approximately 6800 people attended the Roosevelt Island July 4 Fireworks celebration in the Cornell Tech area and Four Freedoms Park.
Or you can watch for free almost anywhere on the Queens side of Roosevelt Island particularly south of the Queensboro Bridge or on the Roosevelt Island Bridge.
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.
