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Lighting Schedule

Many people call during the year to inquire regarding the meaning of current tower lights as well as to understand past lighting patterns and special Upcoming Events using the lights to celebrate.

The beautiful lights that grace the top of The Empire State building are energy efficient as well as awe inspiring. In fact, as a Tourism attraction, the view from afar can be as exciting as the view from the top!

 


Special Lighting Requests:
The Empire State Building has developed an annual lighting schedule which honors National holidays, seasons, the myriad ethnic groups living in the New York City area and many worthy causes. We receive an extraordinary number of requests and unfortunately cannot accomodate them all. Our policy does not allow lighting for commercial (new products, corporate events, etc.) or personal / private (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) occasions. All special lighting requests must be presented in writing and must include as many details as possible.

During spring and fall bird migration seasons and particularly on cloudy, humid and/or foggy nights, when large numbers of birds are seen flying near the building, the tower lights are turned off. Observatory personnel on the 86th floor outdoor deck notify the engineers. The birds are attracted by the lights and there is a danger they will fly into the building and be killed.

The following is a list of the standard annual lighting schedule with the related events (between holidays and special events the tower is illuminated with white lighting). Please refer to the Upcoming Events page for changes to the lighting schedule due to current events.

 Lighting Schedule
Red, Black & Green: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Green: St. Patrick's Day
March of Dimes
Rainforest Awareness
Earth Day

Red, White & Blue: Presidents' Day
Armed Forces Day
Memorial Day
Flag Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veterans' Day

Red : St. Valentine's Day
Fire Department Memorial Day
Big Apple Circus

Red & Blue: Equal Parents Day /
Childrens Rights

Yellow & White: Spring / Easter Week

Blue, White & Blue: Israel Independence Day
First Night of Chanukah

Blue: Police Memorial Day
Child Abuse Prevention

Purple & White: Alzheimer's Awareness

Red, Yellow & Green: Portugal Day

Lavender & White: Stonewall Anniversary /
Gay Pride

Purple, Teal, White: National Osteoporosis Society

Red & White: Pulaski Day
Red Cross

Red, White & Green: Columbus Day

Blue & White: Greek Independence Day
United Nations Day

Red & Yellow: Autumn

Black, Yellow & Red: German Reunification Day

Pink & White: "Race for the Cure" /
Breast Cancer Awareness

Green, White & Orange: India Independence Day

Green & White: Pakistan Independence Day

Red & Green: Holiday Season

Dark / No Lights: "Day without Art / Night without Lights"  AIDS Awareness

Schedule is subject to change so please refer to the Upcoming Events page for changes to the lighting schedule due to current events.

 

 


Buy Your Tickets Online
Buy Your Tickets Online
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Take the ESB Tour
Take the ESB Tour
  COMING SOON! Can't make it to New York? See the Empire State Building inside and out through the ESB Launch Tour.

Famous Visitors
Famous Visitors
  The world's famous have come to admire the unmatched view from the Empire State Building's Observatory.

NY Sites
NY Sites
  Click here to learn about some of NY's other landmarks.

  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Central Park
  • Chrysler Building
  • Liberty Island
  • Ellis Island
  • Madison Square Garden
  • Shea Stadium
  • USS Intrepid


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