The Empire State Building has been a staple of the New York skyline for nearly a century, and it’s never been one to shy away from its flamboyant side. Indeed, the ESB has been bringing the eye candy since King Kong turned that glorious Art Deco facade into a bona fide matinee idol nearly a century ago. The landmark received its first significant glow-up in the mid-70s, when red, white and blue lights were installed in its spire to mark the bicentennial, and again in 2012 when the old floodlights were retired in favor of 1,200 LED lights, increasing the illumination potential from a frankly old-fashioned nine color options to a space-age 16 million! From seasonal events and holidays to move release tie-ins and awareness-raising campaigns, we’ve got the lowdown on the best of the ESB illuminations over the years. Let there be lights!
Red, white and blue
Red, white and blue
Red, white and blue is the spire’s most enduring and frequently used color combination, for reasons that should be immediately obvious to anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of the U.S. flag. The spire first went full color back in 1976, when 204 metal-halide lights were installed to replace the old floodlights, just in time to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial in –yep, you guessed it – red, white and blue.
Since then, the spire has become a leading light in the city, glowing red, white and blue on countless other patriotic occasions. We’re talking Labor Day Weekend, Veterans Day, Memorial Day Weekend, the 4th of July and – on Bastille Day – a slightly tweaked configuration of blue, white and red. The spire stayed lit in the colors of the U.S flag for many weeks following the events of September 11, 2001, and continues to be lit blue, in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, every September 11.
But it’s not just national memorial events that see the ol’ red, white and blue being wheeled out for the ESB illuminations. Not even close. This beloved colour combo has also been seen lighting up the New York skyline for sporting events as diverse as the Ryder Cup, the Four Nations hockey finals, New York Rangers games and election day.
The Empire (State Building) strikes back
The Empire (State Building) strikes back
In 2024, in a galaxy far, far away (well, Midtown Manhattan anyway), a Star Wars takeover saw the Empire State Building go full Jedi mode, with projections and light displays that celebrated the franchise’s chief villains. We’re talking great, luminous laser beams in lightsaber colors that seemed to slice through the night sky, plus spine-chilling, skyscraper-sized projections of iconic baddies including Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Prequels trilogy actor Haydn Christiansen was on hand to kick off proceedings and visitors to the ESB observation deck also got access to a galactic exhibition that included a life-sized Lego Luke Skywalker, a giant Darth Vader Funko Pop figure and a complete collection of hundreds of Lego Star Wars mini-figures. Absolutely loved it, Yoda would have.
Other notable TV and movie takeovers
Other notable TV and movie takeovers
- Stranger Things: the nostalgic sci-fi smash has been a feature of several ESB takeovers, perhaps most notably for the launch of season four in 2022, when light shows turned the whole building into a portal to the Upside Down (pictured) while, upstairs in the observatory cast members (and a life-sized Demogorgon) pitched up for photo ops.
- House of the Dragon: to coincide with the season two premiere, the dragon Vhagar could be spotted coiling her massive, scaly frame around the building’s mast.
- KPop Demon Hunters: the runaway Netflix hit of 2025 paid the Empire State Building a visit in August with a light-and-music spire spectacular showcasing the film’s greatest hits. All together now: 🎶 We’re going up, up, up 🎶
D-Day for Deadheads
Jerry Garcia was – and remains – one of America’s most enduring musical icons, and the lighting of the ESB spire on (or around) his birthday (August 1) has become something of an annual pilgrimage for devotees of The Grateful Dead. Or Deadheads, as they seem more than happy to be described. But Garcia was no ordinary man, so this is no ordinary illumination. In tribute, the Empire State Building unleashes its full arsenal of LEDs to create a swirling, tie-dye effect that nods to the, shall we say, very kaleidoscopic world of The Grateful Dead. Like, groovy maaaan.
Bag yourself a decent vantage point and watch the colors ripple, sway and merge dreamily together like a particularly hallucinatory improvised Garcia guitar jam.
Other notable tributes for cultural icons
Other notable tributes for cultural icons
- Following Frank Sinatra’s death in 1998, the building was lit up in blue by way of tribute. Because ‘Ol Blue Eyes’, you see.
- Kobe Bryant’s untimely death in 2020 saw the ESB glow purple and gold, a nod to the colors of his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
- When actor James Earl Jones died in 2024, the silhouette of his best-known character (Darth Vader, obvs) appeared on the side of the building.
- Blue with a rotating white peace symbol was an apt celebration for what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, in 2020.
Somewhere over the rainbow
NYC Pride is the largest festival of its kind in North America, so it stands to reason that the Big Apple’s most iconic building would want to lend a hand or, more accurately, a spire to proceedings. On the last Sunday of June each year, when the Pride March and PrideFest party is in full swing in the streets and parks far below, the Empire State Building joins right on in with an epic rainbow of colors that wraps majestically around its summit – a celebration of the love, acceptance and inclusivity for which NYC is renowned.
Other notable festivals and their colors
Other notable festivals and their colors
- Lunar New Year (February): red.
- Valentine’s Day (February): pink heartbeat effect.
- St Patrick’s Day (March): green with the Irish flag rotating in the mast.
- Halloween (October): goblin green and pumpkin orange.
- Christmas (December): usually a stripy gift-wrap effect with something festive – a Christmas tree, a candy cane, a trapped elf – rotating in the mast.
Thank USA for the music
The Empire State Building has also been known to turn its spire and mast into an all-singing, all-dancing light-and-music extravaganza. Lights are meticulously choreographed to dance in time to the music. All you need to do is find yourself a good vantage point then tune in to one of the local radio stations that simultaneously broadcast the accompanying music. You don’t even have to be local to enjoy it: these events are often streamed live via the ESB’s Earthcam. The first of these took place shortly after the new lights were installed in 2012 when Alicia Keys gave the LEDs a solid workout with (what else?) Empire State of Mind. Subsequent light shows have showcased new music by Eminem and P!NK, while December’s annual Holiday Music to Lights spectacular has seen the likes of Backstreet Boys and Meghan Trainor warble Christmassy classics accompanied by a super-sparkly choreographed light show that’s all festive greens and reds. Now that’s what we call Christmas.
Animal magic
Animal magic
The Empire State Building has long had an association with endangered animals. After all, King Kong was pretty endangered, am I right? Seriously though, the ESB’s Projecting Change campaign in summer 2015 saw large-scale images prowl, crawl and swarm across the tower’s walls; huge projections that spotlighted some of the planet’s most threatened – and beautiful – critters. Whales, leopards, tigers, chameleons, owls… all put in an appearance in crisp, luminous technicolor. This was a free public art installation that also acted as a wake-up call for curious passers-by. Although sadly, all a little late in the day for our doomed pal Kong.
Did you know?
You can visit the Empire State Building Observatory and its many cool exhibits with the New York Pass, which can save you $$$ when visiting multiple Big Apple bucket-listers – hello, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, MoMA, Top of The Rock and the American Museum of Natural History. As well as access to all those skyscraping views across Manhattan and beyond, visitors to the ESB also get to access exhibitions on the building’s record-breaking 1930s construction, a massive 72-screen montage of 600+ ESB appearances on the big and small screen, and the chance to touch King Kong’s massive hands – just be careful you don’t make him lose his temper. There’s also a fine ‘Artistry in Light’ exhibition, which explores the role of the tower’s LED lights and includes a short film narrated by renowned lighting designer (and ESB choreographer-in-chief) Marc Brickman.
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