Where to Watch July 4 Fireworks Around New York City

Macy’s Fourth of July celebration will return to the Hudson River for the first time in more than a decade, and millions of spectators are expected to flock to Manhattan’s West Side for the 25-minute fireworks show.

The show will start at around 9:25 p.m. on Thursday. Members of the public can watch free of charge from spots along Hudson River and areas of New Jersey. Other fireworks shows will take place on Staten Island, in Coney Island, in Westchester County and at Jones Beach on Long Island.

Where can I watch?

The Macy’s fireworks will be launched from barges positioned on the river between West 14th and West 34th Streets. The best spots to watch from will be in Manhattan along the West Side Highway between those streets, or across the river near the New Jersey waterfront in Hoboken, Weehawken and Jersey City.

There are five places where the public can enter the West Side Highway to watch the show. Three are on Washington Street, at Christopher, West 11th and West 12th Streets. Two are on 11th Avenue, at West 29th and West 40th Streets. Police will let people into the viewing area on a first-come-first-served basis until it reaches capacity.

The Hudson River Park has changed significantly since the fireworks show was last hosted there in 2013, said Robert Atterbury, a vice president of the Hudson River Park Trust.

“Our long, skinny configuration, sandwiched between the water and the roadway, poses extra challenges particularly when there is crowding,” Mr. Atterbury said in a statement.