Lights tonight:
In honor of The Rockefeller Foundation and its 100th Anniversary
full schedule

Tower Lights

Tower Lighting Schedule

Date Colors Occasion
2013
May 31 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the 90th Annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
May 30 White / White / White
May 29 Yellow / Yellow / Red In honor of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and its 30th Anniversary
May 28 White / White / White
May 24 - 27 Red / White / Blue In honor of Memorial Day
May 23 White / White / White
May 22 Blue / White / Blue In honor of Columbia University's Commencement
May 21 Purple / Purple / Purple In honor of New York University's 2013 Commencement
May 20 Yellow / White / Blue with Siren halo In honor of the Fire Department of New York City and National EMS Week
May 19 White / White / White
May 18 Blue / Blue / Blue In honor of USA Swimming Foundation and Make a Splash Tour
May 17 Green / Green / Green In honor of City Harvest and Skip Lunch Fight Hunger Campaign
May 16 Red / White / Blue Filming
May 15 White / White / White
May 14 Green / Blue / Purple (f) / Orange / Green (h) In honor of The Rockefeller Foundation and its 100th Anniversary
May 13 Green / Green / Green Private Lighting
May 11 - 12 White / White / White
May 10 Blue / Purple / Blue In honor of Police Memorial Week
May 9 Blue / Yellow / Blue with Yellow streak in halo In honor of E.U. Day
May 7 - 8 White / White / White
May 6 Blue / White / Red (F) / Blue / Blue (H) In honor of FORTUNE 500 and FORTUNE 500 Day
May 4 - 5 White / White / White
May 3 Red / Red / White (F) / Red / Red In honor of McGraw Hill Financial and its 125th Anniversary
May 2 Red / Red / Red(F) / White / White (H) In honor of Coty Inc. and the 7th annual DKMS Gala
May 1 Peach / Peach / Peach In honor of Financial Times and its 125th Anniversary
April 26 - 30 White / White / White
April 25 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of Project Sunshine and its 10th Annual Benefit Celebration
April 24 Red / Red / Red-and-White Siren In honor of the FDNY Foundation and the Fire Commissioner's Humanitarian Awards
April 23 White / White / White
April 22 Green / Green / Green In honor of Earth Day
April 17 - 21 White / White / White
April 16 White / White / White Lights on until sunrise due to special filming
April 12 - 15 White / White / White
April 11 Orange / Orange / Orange In honor of the ASPCA and its 16th Annual Bergh Ball
April 10 Green / Green / Green In honor of the Central Park Conservancy and its "Central to Spring" Celebration
April 9 White / White / White
April 8 Revolving colors of University of Louisville (red/white/red) and University of Michigan (blue/yellow/blue); Winner's Team Colors (TBD) In honor of the NCAA Championship
April 7 Blue / Yellow / Blue(H) / Yellow / Blue(F) In honor of the 2013 WrestleMania 29
April 6 North Side – Orange/Blue/Orange (Syracuse University)
East Side – Blue/Yellow/Blue (University of Michigan)
South Side – Red/White/Red (University of Louisville)
West Side – Yellow/Black/Yellow (Wichita State)
In honor of the NCAA Final Four
April 5 Blue / White / Red In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Soccer Federation
April 4 Blue / Blue / Red-White Siren In honor of the New York Police Department Foundation
April 3 White / White / White
April 2 Blue / Blue / Blue In honor of Autism Speaks and World Autism Awareness Day
April 1 White / White / White
March 30 - 31 Pastel fades In honor of Easter
March 24 - 29 White / White / White
March 23 Go Dark from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. In honor of the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour
March 18 - 22 White / White / White
March 16 - 17 Green sparkles and fades. Mast lit in orange/white/green In honor of St. Patrick's Day
March 12 - 15 White / White / White
March 11 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow / Yellow(F) / Yellow(H) In honor of the 10th Anniversary of New York City's 311 Call Center
March 9 - 10 White / White / White
March 7 - 8 Blue / Green / Red / Red(F) / Yellow(H) In honor of Major League Baseball and the World Baseball Classic
March 2 - 6 White / White / White
March 1 Orange / Orange / Orange In honor of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cycle for Survival
February 28 Blue / Yellow / Blue / Yellow(F) / Yellow(H) In honor of Swedish House Mafia's Black Tie Rave Charity Event Benefiting the Mayor’s Fund for NY, the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund, and Save the Children
February 27 White / White / White
February 26 Green / Blue / Green In honor of the National Eating Disorder Association and National Eating Disorder Week
February 25 Green / Blue / Green In honor of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and International Corporate Philanthropy Day
February 22 - 24 White / White / White
February 21 Private Lighting
February 19 - 20 White / White / White
February 16 - 18 Red / White / Blue In honor of President's Day
February 15 White / White / White
February 13 - 14 Red and pink sparkles and fades In honor of Valentine's Day
February 12 White / White / White
February 11 Purple / Purple / Yellow In honor of Westminster Kennel Club
February 8 - 10 "Fireworks-inspired" reds and golds In honor of Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival
February 7 White / White / White
February 6 Orange / Orange / White In honor of the 36th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up Powered by MMRF
February 5 White / White / White
February 4 Blue / Orange / Blue In honor of the American Cancer Society and World Cancer Day
February 3 Revolving team colors; winner's team colors In honor of Super Bowl XLVII
February 2 White / White / White
February 1 Red / Red / Red In honor of the American Heart Association and its "Go Red for Women" Movement
January 22 - 31 White / White / White
January 21 Red / Black / Green In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 20 Pink / Pink / Pink Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 19 Purple / Purple / Purple Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 18 Blue / Blue / Blue Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 17 Green / Green / Green Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 16 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 15 Orange / Orange / Orange Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 14 Red / Red / Red Facebook Color Selection Voting
January 7 - 13 White / White / White
January 1 - 6 Red / Green / Green In honor of Christmas
2012
December 31 Multi-color sparkles In honor of New Year's Eve
December 29 - 30 Red / Green / Green In honor of Christmas
December 28 North/South: Orange / Orange / Orange (Syracuse University)
East/West: Blue / Yellow / Yellow (West Virginia University)
In honor of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl
December 21 - 27 Red / Green / Green In honor of Christmas
December 17 - 20 White / White / White
December 14 - 16 Blue / White / Blue In honor of Chanukah
December 13 Red / White / Blue In honor of the PGA of America 2014 Ryder Cup
December 12 Green / Green / Red & White In honor of The Robin Hood Foundation Relief Fund's 121212 Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief
December 11 Blue / Yellow / Blue In honor of the European Union receiving the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize
December 10 Blue / Blue / Blue In honor of Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Day
December 8 - 9 Blue / White / Blue In honor of Chanukah
December 7 White / White / White
December 6 Green / Green / Green St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
December 5 White / White / White
December 4 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of the 15th Anniversary of Disney's THE LION KING
December 2 - 3 White / White / White
December 1 Red / Red / Red In honor of (RED) and World AIDS Day
November 30 White / White / White
November 29 Red / Red / Red In honor of Rutgers University and their Big East Championship game versus Louisville
November 26 - 28 White / White / White
November 21 - 25 Red / Orange / Yellow In honor of Thanksgiving
November 18 - 20 White / White / White
November 17 Purple / Purple / White In honor of March of Dimes and Prematurity Awareness Month
November 15 - 16 White / White / White
November 14 Blue / Blue / White In honor of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and World Diabetes Day
November 13 Green / White / Red In honor of Opening Night of the 2012 Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the 85th Anniversary
November 12 White / White / White
November 9 - 11 Red / White / Blue In honor of Veterans Day
November 8 Red / White / Blue In honor of the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival "Stand Up for Heroes" Event
November 7 White / White / White
November 6 Special Lighting In honor of Election Day
November 2 - 5 White / White / White
November 1 Orange / Orange / White In honor of the Food Bank For New York City's Go Orange Campaign
October 31 Orange / Black / White In honor of Halloween
October 27 - 30 White / White / White
October 26 Red / White / Red In honor of American Symphony Orchestra's 50th Anniversary Concert at Carnegie Hall
October 22 - 25 White / White / White
October 21 Purple / Purple / White In honor of the Alzheimer's Association and the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's
October 19 - 20 White / White / White
October 18 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of the Afterschool Alliance and Lights on Afterschool
October 17 White / White / White
October 16 Purple / Blue / Yellow In honor of Only Make Believe and the "Make Believe on Broadway" Gala
October 15 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of the 125th Anniversary of the Pratt Institute
October 11 - 14 White / White / White
October 10 Pink / Pink / White In honor of Plan International and the United Nations International Day of the Girl
October 9 White / White / White
October 8 Red / White / Green In honor of Columbus Day
October 2 - 7 White / White / White
October 1 Pink / Pink / Pink In honor of The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and Global Landmark Illumination Initiative
September 28 - 30 White / White / White
September 27 White / Red / White In honor of the New York Philharmonic’s 2012 – 2013 Season Opening Gala Concert
September 25 - 26 White / White / White
September 24 Blue / Red / Blue In honor of Family Day 2012
September 21 - 23 Red / White / Red In honor of the 25th Anniversary of Where’s Waldo?
September 17 - 20 White / White / White
September 16 Red / White / Green In honor of Mexico's Independence Day
September 15 Green / White / Green In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the FDNY's Emerald Society Pipes & Drums Band
September 14 Yellow / Red / Black In honor of the 55th Annual Steuben Day Parade
September 12 - 13 White / White / White
September 11 Red / White / Blue In memory of September 11
September 10 Green / Green / Yellow In honor of the Bryant Park Corporation and the 20th Anniversary of the Bryant Park Revival
September 7 - 9 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of Finals Weekend at the US Open
September 6 Red / Red / Red In honor of Fashion's Night Out
September 5 White / White / White
September 4 Blue / Yellow / Blue In honor of the 20th Anniversary of NY1 News
August 31 - September 3 Red / White / Blue In honor of Labor Day
August 28 - 30 White / White / White
August 27 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of Opening Day at the US Open
August 20 - 26 White / White / White
August 17 - 19 Green / Green / Green In honor of Eid-al-Fitr
August 16 White / White / White
August 15 Green / White / Orange In honor of India Day
August 14 Red / White / Blue In honor of Team USA
August 13 White / White / White
August 12 North side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
West side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
South side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
East side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 11 North side: Red, White, Red – Turkey
West side: Red, White, Green – Iran
South side: White, Red, White – Georgia
East side: Red, White, Blue – Norway
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 10 North side: Red, Green, Yellow – Lithuania
West side: Yellow, Red, Green – Cameroon
South side: White, Black, Blue – Estonia
East side: Red, White, Blue – Thailand
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 9 North side: Red, Green, Red - Morocco
West side: White, Blue, White - Finland
South side: Green, Red, Black - Kenya
East side: Red, White Blue – Malaysia
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 8 North side: Red, White, Red – Hong Kong
West side: Red, Blue, Yellow - Venezuela
South side: Green. Red, Blue - Azerbaijan
East side: Red, Yellow, Black – Belgium
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 7 North side: Red, White, Red - Latvia
West side: Red, Blue, Yellow - Colombia
South side: Green, White Blue - Uzbekistan
East side: Red, Yellow, Green – Ethiopia
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 6 North side: Black, Green, Yellow - Jamaica
West side: Red, Blue, White – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
South side: Blue, White, Blue - Israel
East side: Orange, White, Green – Ireland
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 5 North side: Red, White, Red - Switzerland
West side: Red, Blue, White - Slovakia
South side: Blue, White, Blue - Argentina
East side: White, Green, Red – Algeria
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 4 North side: Red, White, Red - Canada
West side: Red, Green, White - Bulgaria
South side: Blue, White, Blue - Greece
East side: White, Blue, Red – Serbia
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 3 North side: Red, White, Red - Austria
West side: Red, Green, White - Belarus
South side: Blue, Yellow, Blue - Sweden
East side: White, Blue, Red – Republic of Korea
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 2 North side: Red, White, Red - Denmark
West side: Blue, Red, White - Australia
South side: Blue, Yellow, Blue - Kazakhstan
East side: Yellow, Red, Black – Germany
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
August 1 North side: Blue, White, Red - Cuba
West side: Red, Blue, White - Slovenia
South side: Yellow, Yellow, Blue - Ukraine
East side: Red, Yellow, Red – Spain
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 31 North side: Blue, White, Red - Netherlands
West side: Blue, Red, White – New Zealand
South side: Green, Yellow, Blue – Brazil
East side: Red, Yellow, Blue – Romania
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 30 North side: Blue, White, Red - Croatia
West side: White, Red, White - Japan
South side: Green, Yellow, Green – South Africa
East side: Black, White, Red – Egypt
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 29 North side: Red, White, Blue – Chinese Taipei
West side: Red, Red, White - Poland
South side: Red, White, Green - Mexico
East side: Green, White, Red – Hungary
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 28 North side: Red, White, Blue – Czech Republic
West side: Red, Blue, White - Russia
South side: Red, White, Green - Italy
East side: Green, White, Green – Nigeria
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 27 North side: Red, White, Blue - France
West side: Red, Yellow, Red - China
South side: Red, Red, Green - Portugal
East side: Green, White, Orange – India
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 26 North side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
West side: Red, Blue, White – Great Britain
South side: Red, White, Blue – United States of America
East side: Red, Blue, White – Great Britain
Celebration of 2012 London Olympics
July 5 - 25 White / White / White
July 3 - 4 Red / White / Blue In honor of Independence Day
July 2 White / White / White
June 29 - July 1 Red / White / Red In honor of Canada Day
June 26 - 28 White / White / White
June 25 Red / Blue / Red In honor of Stand Up to Cancer and The Amazing Spider-Man’s BE AMAZING, STAND UP AND VOLUNTEER Initiative
June 22 - 24 North/South Sides: Red/Orange/Yellow
East/West Sides: Purple/Blue/Green
In honor of New York City Pride Week
June 21 Blue / Blue / Blue In honor of the 125th Anniversary of the United Way and the United Way Day of Action
June 20 Blue / Blue / Blue In honor of the United Nations World Refugee Day
June 19 Red / White / Blue Filming
June 12 - 18 White / White / White
June 11 Blue / White / Blue Mets and Yankees “Subway Series,”
Team colors of the New York Yankees, Subway Series winner
June 9 - 10 North/South Sides: Blue/White/Blue
East/West Sides: Blue/Orange/Blue
Mets and Yankees “Subway Series” lighting*
Yankees colors

Mets colors
June 8 Purple / Blue / White In honor of World Oceans Day
June 7 North/South Sides:
I'll Have Another colors (Purple/Purple/White)

East/West Sides: Belmont Stakes colors (Green/Green/White)
Split Lights: In honor of the 2012 Belmont Stakes & Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, I’ll Have Another, seeking to become the 12th Triple Crown Champion
June 6 Blue / Green / Yellow In honor of Caribbean Week
June 4 - 5 White / White / White
June 1 - 3 Blue / White / Blue In honor of the 2012 Celebrate Israel Parade
May 31 Yellow / Yellow / Yellow In honor of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
May 29 - 30 White / White / White
May 26 - 28 Red / White / Blue In honor of Fleet Week and Memorial Day
May 25 Red / Blue / Blue In honor of the New York Rangers, Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference Championship Against the New Jersey Devils
May 24 Red / White / Blue In honor of Fleet Week and Memorial Day
May 22 - 23 White / White / White
May 21 Yellow / White / Blue In honor of the Fire Department of New York City and National EMS Week
May 18 - 20 Green / Green / Green In honor of City Harvest and Skip Lunch Fight Hunger Campaign
May 17 White / White / White
May 16 Blue / White / Blue In honor of Columbia University’s 2012 Commencement
May 15 Purple / Purple / White In honor of New York University's 2012 Commencement
May 14 Green / Green / Green In honor of the Robin Hood Foundation

Note: Colors are listed from bottom to top as they appear from the street. (H) denotes halo, (F) denotes fins.

How to Become a Lighting Partner

The Empire State Building (ESB) celebrates many cultures and causes in the world community with iconic lightings. Its tower lights recognize key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries and holidays throughout the world, not political or religion-related events. Outside of its tradition of lightings for the religious holidays of Easter, Eid al-Fitr, Hanukah and Christmas, ESB has a specific policy against lighting for religious figures, religious organizations, and additional religious holidays.

ESB is privately owned by Empire State Building Company, L.L.C. (ESBC); it is not owned or run by the City or State of New York. Its official Lighting Partner program was established after the prior managing agent was replaced in August 2006. Its policies and practices are subject to change in accord with ownership's preferences.

Guidelines and Terms:

  • Selection as an ESB Lighting Partner is a privilege, not an entitlement.
  • The official organization must apply for the lighting itself; ESB will not consider the applications of individuals who are not on the Board or staff of the official organization. Thus, personal requests on behalf of an organization or event will not be considered.
  • ESB does not grant lightings for:
    • Personal requests such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.
    • Commercial events or campaigns such as product launches and company logos.
    • Religious figures, religious organizations and additional religious holidays.
    • Political campaigns or political figures.
  • ESB is under no obligation to provide specific feedback to any individual or organization regarding the status, merit and/or denial of its application.
  • Only the applicants on the original submitted application will receive written notification on official ESB Lighting Partner letterhead, stating whether your application has been approved or denied. Follow-up calls, e-mails and/or faxes are not necessary; please assume that the written notification you receive is the final response from ESB.
  • Applying to become an ESB Lighting Partner does not guarantee approval. Moreover, past Lighting Partners must apply each year to be considered and are not automatically guaranteed to be selected again.

If you do not agree to the above terms, your application will not be considered nor submitted through the review process.

Please download and complete the application and return it via e-mail to lightingpartner@esbnyc.com, or fax it to (212) 760-1418.

Become a Lighting Partner

Download the application to become a lighting partner and fax back to us at (212) 760-1418 or e-mail us at: lightingpartner@esbnyc.com.

Tower Lights Post Card

Send a postcard

Create your own unique Empire State Building Tower Lights postcard for any occasion and send to a friend! You can customize the tower lights to be any combination of colors.
Try it now!

ESB After Dark

Join us every Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for city views and a live saxophonist on the 86th Floor Observatory.

Lighting Ceremonies

More videos

Special Lightings

More videos

ESB's First-Ever LED Tower Light Show Featuring Alicia Keys

What Twitter is Saying

The world-famous Empire State Building (ESB), in collaboration with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and 14 time Grammy® Award winner, Alicia Keys, gave a gift to New York City and the world by revealing ESB's new, one-of-a-kind LED tower lights with a first-ever light show on the Landmark.

ESB's LED Tower Lights

In November 2012, the Empire State Building (ESB) replaced its traditional light fixtures as part of its 21st century renovation and unveiled its new, state-of-the-art dynamic LED lighting system, designed by Philips Color Kinetics (PCK).

This system, which is unique to ESB, allows customized light capabilities from a palette of over 16 million colors in limitless combinations along with effects previously not possible such as ripples, cross-fades, sparkles, chasers, sweeps, strobes and bursts. In addition to greater control and management of the lighting, the new computerized system delivers superior light and vibrancy levels in real-time, unlike the previous floodlights.

Moreover, the new lighting system minimizes light spill, ensuring that light is focused on the façade and mast, while providing enough light to allow the building to be seen from anywhere in New York City. This feature not only respects the night sky, but the building's neighbors as well.

The ESB's LED tower lights have forever changed the New York skyline. For more information about the LEDs, click this link: Empire State Building LED Tower Light Shows