Thousands of fireworks lit up the city skyline Thursday night, as the Macy's Fourth of July show went off with a bang.
Macy's said more than 60,000 shells featuring more than 30 colors were launched from barges set up in the Hudson River along 14th to 34th streets in Manhattan. This year marked the first time since 2013 the show moved back to the Hudson from the East River.
"The west side also affords us an opportunity to build out a bigger show. The river is a bit wider, it gives us an opportunity to use larger pyrotechnics so we'll have shells going upwards of 1,000 feet in the sky," Will Coss, executive producer of Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks, said Thursday.
Coss said a new product called the "All-American" was created and designed specifically for Thursday night's show. He described it as a red, white and blue ghost shell with a variety of animations.
Grammy- and Emmy Award-winner Jason Howland produced and arranged the 25-minute score accompanying the display. Macy's said the drone light show, which returned for its second year, featured new and additional effects.
The show is the nation's largest Independence Day celebration, according to Macy's. Coss said the prep work for the show takes a full year.