The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special has dazzled viewers for nearly five decades. The holiday tradition is back for its 48th year to showcase a collection of mind-blowing fireworks, colorful pyrotechnics and memorable musical performances.
The New York staple will light up the city's iconic skyline and feature "more than 60,000 shells,"according to the press release. Viewers should expect "more than 30 colors and never-before-seen effects," including a custom-made effect that will debut during the 2-hour celebration.
Special segments throughout the show will spotlight people throughout the country who champion issues like sustainability, accessibility, visibility and artistic expression.
The Hudson River will serve as the central locale for the extravaganza, with viewing points in Manhattan and New Jersey for locals. Whether you're in the area or not, you can still be part of the celebration. Read on for details on how to watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special from anywhere.
What time does the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special start?
The two-hour special will air live onThursday, July 4, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on NBC.An encore presentation will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Access Hollywood's Zuri Hall and Grammy-nominated recording artist Mickey Guyton will host the special. A 25-minute musical medley produced by Grammy and Emmy Award winner Jason Howland will accompany the holiday spectacle. Amber Mark, Brandy Clark, Guyton, Lainey Wilson, Luis Fonsi and The War and Treaty will be on hand to perform an array of American songs -- contemporary hits and patriotic classics -- to help commemorate Independence Day.
Stream the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special on Peaco*ck
For those looking for a viewing alternative to NBC, the event will simultaneously stream live on Peaco*ck.
A Peaco*ck Premium subscription costs $6 a month for the ad-based version, or $12 a month for Peaco*ck Premium Plus, which removes most commercial interruptions as well as giving you the option to download select content to watch offline. Note there are some ads on the Premium Plus subscription due to content licensing agreements.
Students may qualify for a discount. Peaco*ck comes free with an Instacart+ account. You may qualify to get a Peaco*ck Premium account for free if you're a Spectrum or Xfinity Internet customer. Comcast's new StreamSaver bundle, which brings together Netflix, Peaco*ck and Apple TV+for $15 a month, is available for certain Xfinity customers.
Watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special on a live TV streaming service
If you've ditched cable, you can still catch this year's event with a subscription to a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV,Fubo or Sling. Take note that NBC is available only in select cities on Sling Blue or Sling Blue + Orange subscriptions.
The live TV streaming service carries NBCand you can watch content live or on-demand. The platform costs $73 per month, and you can type in your ZIP code to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.
How to watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Special using a VPN
Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream the fireworks spectacular on Peaco*ck while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the parade from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that'spassed our testsand security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from ourbest listsuch as Surfshark or NordVPN.
If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors' Choice is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 a month, but you can get 15 months for $6.67 a month by opting for ExpressVPN's annual planthat includes three months free.
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.Read our review of ExpressVPN.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where the parade will be streaming on Peaco*ck (i.e. the US).Beforeyou open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the event on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Peaco*ck to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.
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