The Empire State Building Unveils ‘KPOP DEMON HUNTERS’ Music-To-Light Spectacular and Cast Visit, in Partnership with Netflix, CAPE USA, and iHeartMedia
Stars Arden Cho, May Hong, and singer REI AMI flipped the switch in a special lighting ceremony for the show, that featured the film’s hit song “Golden”
New York (Aug. 25, 2025) – The Empire State Building (ESB) announced today that it premiered a Music-to-Light Spectacular to kick off “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS” Golden Weekend on Aug. 22, in partnership with Netflix and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and with support from iHeartMedia. Earlier that day, the film’s stars Arden Cho, May Hong, and singer REI AMI visited the Empire State Building for a special tower lighting ceremony where they flipped the famous light switch and toured the top NYC attraction.
"Our 'KPOP DEMON HUNTERS’ Music-to-Light Spectacular is a celebration of global culture and creativity right in the heart of New York City,” said Dan Rogoski, senior vice president, observatory general manager at the Empire State Building. “We are so pleased to connect our fans in New York City and around the world with the artists that they love – both real and fictional.”
The music-to-light show debuted that evening at 9 p.m., set to a broadcast of the film’s historic hit and song of the summer, “Golden,” on iHeartMedia New York’s Z100. After the show, the building shined its world-famous tower lights in gold to represent the song.
“KPOP DEMON HUNTERS” is the most-watched Netflix animated original film of all time and second on the Netflix Most Popular Movies list. The song “Golden” – performed by the film’s fictional band Huntr/x, that features vocalists EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, and REI AMI – made history as the first single by a female K-pop artist to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Empire State Building Music-to-Light Spectacular features thousands of LED lights choreographed by famed lighting designer Marc Brickman and his Tactical Manouevre team.
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Hi-res imagery and video of the Music-to-Light Spectacular and cast visit can be downloaded here.
More information about the Empire State Building can be found online.
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About the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building, the “World's Most Famous Building," owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT: NYSE), soars 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan from base to antenna. The $165 million reimagination of the Empire State Building Observatory Experience created an all-new experience with a dedicated guest entrance, an interactive museum with nine galleries, and a redesigned 102nd Floor Observatory with floor-to-ceiling windows. The journey to the world-famous 86th Floor Observatory, the only 360-degree, open-air observatory with views of New York and beyond, orients visitors for their entire New York City experience and covers everything from the building's iconic history to its current place in pop culture. The Empire State Building Observatory Experience welcomes millions of visitors each year and is ranked the #1 Top Attraction in New York City for the fourth consecutive year in Tripadvisor’s 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do, "America's Favorite Building" by the American Institute of Architects, the world's most popular travel destination by Uber, and the #1 New York City attraction in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List.
Since 2011, the building has been fully powered by renewable wind electricity, and its many floors house a diverse array of office tenants such as LinkedIn and Shutterstock, as well as retail options like STATE Grill and Bar, Tacombi, and Starbucks. For more information and Observatory Experience tickets visit esbnyc.com or follow the building's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Weibo, YouTube, or TikTok.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Empire State Realty Trust
Jamie Steinberg
212-400-3339
jsteinberg@esrtreit.com
Source: Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Category: Observatory
