MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Fireworks return for New Year’s Eve at Space Needle in 2021, but no crowds

Dec 15, 2021, 4:39 PM | Updated: Dec 31, 2021, 11:51 am

space needle...

A general view of the Seattle Space Needle and skyline lit up in blue in 2020 to honor essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (File photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

(File photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

Live fireworks will return to the Space Needle in Seattle to ring in 2022, but there will be additional special effects that can only be seen on TV or streaming online.

The Space Needle partnered with multimedia studios and digital artists to create the “first-ever live fireworks show to be augmented and broadcast live with exclusive special effects that can only be seen on TV or streaming online.”

People are encouraged to “stream in the new year” from home. While there will be fireworks, there will be no events and no public viewing at Seattle Center as crowds will not be permitted “in support of public health guidance.”

If you remember last year — though it certainly feels like more than a year has passed — the New Year’s Eve celebration to ring in 2021 was entirely virtual. The famous Seattle landmark was lit in T-Mobile’s signature magenta color but there were no fireworks. Further back, at the end of 2019, the New Year’s Eve show ended before it really began after strong winds forced the cancellation of the fireworks.

This year, to see the on-screen exclusive special effects for T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle in 2021, tune in to KING 5 on your TV, stream it online at king5.com, or through the KING 5 mobile app. A list of watch parties at local establishments will be updated between now and NYE here.

While there are no non-ticketed, public events planned at Seattle Center, the area will have a few live events on New Year’s Eve where proof of vaccination is required. Those events include Patton Oswalt at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Dave Chappelle at Climate Pledge Arena, and the INDULGENCE New Year’s Eve Bash at the Museum of Pop Culture.

The Seattle Center Armory will be open on Dec. 31, including the public restrooms. There will be an exclusion zone set up “for public safety purposes related to live fireworks.” Masks are required for everyone age 5 and up inside Seattle Center.

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