West Side Highway
Choose from one of the many entrances below 59th Street along Eleventh Avenue, and be sure to get there early to snag a good spot.
Pier 54 and Pier 84
West St. and 13th St./West St. and 44th St.
Macy’s recommends these two piers for the clearest view of the show.
Pier BBQ at Pier 81 and Pier 83
It might not be quite as close as 54 and 84, but here you can watch the show and party directly under the fireworks at an oh-so-American outdoor BBQ from 8 to 11 p.m. with burgers, hot dogs, beer, carnival games, and live D.J.’s (DJ Rafael at 81, DJ Jason Fioto at 83).
Price: $85. Snag a ticket here.
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
Pier 86, Twelfth Ave at 46th St; 877-957-7447
When: 7 p.m.
What: Show your stripes and celebrate your country on its legendary aircraft carrier. Tour the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and then head up to the VIP deck to watch the fireworks with a live simulcast of the musical score and DJ entertainment. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks will be sold at a cash bar.
Price: $100. Purchase tickets here
NEW JERSEY
Hoboken
The fireworks are launched just north of Hoboken, so Maxwell Place Park on the northern waterfront from 11th St. to 14th St. provides a spectacular view. It’s also a great spot to hang out with a small beach, playground and picnic tables, but be prepared for strict security checkpoints. Take the PATH to Hoboken, walk north along the waterfront to 11th St.
Weehawken
Get a birds-eye view of the show from the top of the cliff at Hamilton Park or watch from almost directly across on the water at Waterfront Park. Take NJ Transit Bus 165 to Weehawken Blvd. East, walk five minutes along the river.
Jersey City
Take the elevator off the 9th Street-Congress Street Light Rail Station in Hoboken for an up-top view from Jersey City Heights. Take the PATH or NY Waterway Ferry (Pier 79: 39th St. & Hudson River) to the Newport or Hoboken PATH stations, connect to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line.
World Yacht Dinner Cruise
Pier 81, W. 41st St.
When: 6 p.m.–11 p.m.
What: Enjoy the fireworks on the Duchess ship and an intimate five-course dinner with an open bar and live D.J.
Price: $350. For tickets, call 212-630-8100.
Rocks Off Concert Cruise
Skyport Marina, 23rd St and FDR Dr.; 646-397-7660
When: 6:30 p.m.–11 p.m.
What: Get your rocks off aboard the Half Moon on a four hour open bar cruise with DJ Buffalo Bill spinning indie, electro and rock ‘n roll beats.
Price: $125 in advance; $150 day of. Cop tickets here.
Frying Pan
Pier 66, at 26th St. and the West Side Hwy.; 212-362-4453
When: TBA
What: The best of both worlds—a perfect view directly under the show, with a bar, on a boat you can get on and off of. The three boats of Pier 66 are split into three tiers of tickets, with varying views and food and drink options.
Price: $100–$225 Buy tickets here.
IndepenDANCE Cruise
Skyport Marina, 23rd St and FDR Dr.; 646-397-7660
When: 6:15 p.m.–11 p.m.
What: Let loose on this 21+ booze cruise that suggests “trendy attire” for the four-hour tour, which includes a top-shelf open bar, complimentary appetizers like pigs-in-a-blanket and egg rolls, a tour of the city skyline, and a live D.J. spinning the eighties, nineties, and current pop.
Price: $130, purchase tickets here.
Hudson Sky Terrace
The Hudson Hotel, 356 W. 58th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-554-6303
When: 7 p.m.–11 p.m.
What: This fifteenth-floor guest-only roof deck should be view-tastic at their “Red, White & Blue with Rev Run BBQ,” where you can rock out to Rev Run (and Mel Debarge)’s live set with a three-hour open bar and barbeque snacks. Nondancers can snag a hammock to lie back and take in the lights.
Price: $125 for GA with VIP table options that range from $600 to $3000 for groups of four to twenty people. For tickets, call 212-554-6379 or e-mail SkyTerrace@morganshotelgroup.com.
The Sky Room
Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites–Times Square, 330 W. 40th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-380-1195
When: 6 p.m.–4 a.m.
What: All the way up on the 33rd and 34th floor you’ll have a completely clear view of the fireworks—potentially from above—on one of Sky Room’s five terraces that will be bumping with burlesque dancers, an open bar, and picnic-themed snacks like mini sliders, pigs in a blanket, and buffalo chicken tenders from 6 to 11 p.m. (though you can party on till 4).
Price: $100 GA, $150 VIP options on the north (which, we hear, should be the best view) and south terraces that add bottle service as well as mini apple pies and cupcakes to that picnic platter. You can buy tickets here or call 212-380-1195.
Press Lounge
Ink48, 653 Eleventh Ave., at 48th St.; 212-757-2224
When: 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
What: If you’re going all out for Uncle Sam, this is your spot. Right on Eleventh Avenue on the sixteenth floor, Press puts you right in the middle of the action with fireworks, we’re told, bursting both above and below you. This more expensive extravagant party boasts a spread complete with an oyster bar, passed hors d’oeuvre like lobster tacos and grilled lamb skewers, and a locally sourced barbeque-style buffet available until 10 p.m.
Price: $300 (Press Lounge only); $225 (if dining at Print before attending Press; price does not include dinner), reservations and advance payment required, call 212-757-2224 or e-mail reservations@printrestaurant.com.
XVI
251 W. 48th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-956-1300
When: 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
What: There’s already electric candles and fireplaces at the newly opened “Miami-meets-Versailles” rooftop, but on July 4, the space will be ablaze with fireworks brought to you from the live, unobstructed sixteenth-floor views of the action, as well as a huge gilded projection movie screen on their AstroTurf wall. Grab one of the house cocktails like the Airmail (rum, honey, lime, topped with Champagne) or the XVI Cooler (cane syrup, orgeat, lime, pineapple, rum) and claim a spot.
Price: No cover. Drinks and snacks à la carte.
Terrace at YOTEL
570 Tenth Ave., at 42nd St.; 646-449-7700
When: 8 p.m.–11 p.m.
What: Though only on the fourth floor, the west end of the massive, open-air lounge Terrace faces the Hudson for clear views of the fireworks and a (relatively cheap!) party will rage in the rest of the space with a D.J. and free-flowing house cocktails and passed Latin-Asian bites like halibut sliders and pork belly tacos.
Price: $44 for GA, $700 for a picnic table, $1,000 for a private cabana. Call 646-449-7790 for reservations.
The Empire State Building Observatory
350 Fifth Ave., nr. 34th St.; 212-736-3100
Hudson Terrace
621 W. 46th St., nr. Eleventh Ave.; 212-315-9400
When: 6:30 p.m.–4 a.m.
What: Hudson Terrace’s annual viewing party is the biggest and best-known of the bunch, with front-row seats to the fireworks, an authentic Independence Day BBQ, and a four-hour (top shelf) open bar from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Price: $100 for GA with VIP packages that go up to $300. You can buy tickets here.
STK
26 Little W. 12th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 646-624-2444
When: TBA
What: It’ll cost you, but it’s a sit-down dinner with a view of the fireworks!
Price: $100 food and beverage minimum per person, $500 minimum lounge tables for up to five people.
Rooftops with views but without special events Above 6 at Six Columbus
6 Columbus, 6 Columbus Cir., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-204-3000
The hotel guest- and members-only rooftop lounge on the fourteenth floor.
PH-D at the Dream Downtown
355 W. 16th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-229-2559
DJ Todd & DJ Dalton will be spinning July 4 at the brand-new twelfth-floor roof lounge atop the Dream Downtown.
Plunge
Hotel Gansevoort, 18 Ninth Ave., nr. 13th St.; 212-206-6700
All guests of the hotel are guaranteed entry to the roof to watch the fireworks, and bottle service will be available for purchase.
Jimmy
The James, 15 Thompson St., at Grand St.; 212-465-2000
Firecracker heaven with 360 degrees of rolling downtown topography.