America celebrated its 250th birthday with grand celebrations all over the city, including the Sail4th 250 Parade of Tall Ships right here in Brooklyn.
On July 3rd, Class B tall ships from all over the world made their way from Hell Gate Bridge in Queens, along the East River to Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn, where they anchored overnight.
On July 4th, the International Parade of Tall Ships thrilled spectators who viewed the event from the beginning of the bike path near Caesar’s Bay, stretching along the shoreline all the way to Bay Ridge, where viewers got a front row seat of the ships sailing underneath the majestic Verrazzano Bridge on their way to the Hudson River. The show included a flyover by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Later that night, the spectacular Macy’s fireworks show celebrated its 50th anniversary with the largest display in the show’s history, launched from three locations – the lower Hudson and East Rivers (near the South Street Seaport) and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. The dazzling display featured 85,000 shells, along with a laser light show at the iconic bridge, synchronized with the fireworks.
A lottery provided 100,000 lucky winners with free tickets to viewing areas at various locations along the Brooklyn and Manhattan waterfronts.
The tall ships and fireworks are truly beautiful, but let’s not forget what this holiday, Independence Day, is all about – freedom and liberty. We are so fortunate to live in this great country. Let’s also pause to reflect on our military heroes who fought for our freedom, many of those who lost their lives fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today.
God Bless America! Happy 250th Anniversary and Happy 4th of July!
