July 4, 2026 lands on a Saturday, and the rooftop calendar is already full: sunset parties in Williamsburg, day parties above Chinatown, DJ sets in Midtown. Before you buy anything, get one thing straight. A rooftop party and a fireworks view are two different purchases. NYC311 lists Macy's fireworks around 9:25 PM on Saturday, July 4, over the lower Hudson River and lower East River. A lot of the best parties that night face the wrong way, sell a general night out, and never promise a sightline. That is fine if you came for the party. It is a problem if you paid a premium expecting the show.
Below are five rooftop parties on the July 4 weekend calendar, outdoor-bar plans that skip the ticket entirely, and the specific things to confirm before you pay. Details were checked on July 1, 2026. Ticket pages and inventory move fast around the holiday, so recheck before buying.
The short version
| If you want... | Start with... | Check before you pay |
|---|---|---|
| A Williamsburg sunset party | Amber Sunset Party at LilliStar, atop Moxy Williamsburg | Ticket tier, rain policy, and whether the view is from the actual guest area |
| A Lower Manhattan rooftop | Mercer Day Party at 50 Bowery Hotel | Entry time, crowd control, and how painful the exit is after fireworks |
| A Midtown party under the Empire State Building | Lyra Rooftop Party at Magic Hour | 21+ rule, GA vs. table entry, and whether the fireworks angle matters to you |
| A late-night Chelsea rooftop | Revision Rooftop Party at PHD Rooftop | Start time, dress code, and table minimums |
| A Sunday recovery rooftop | Paraiso Sunset NYC at Westlight | It runs July 5, not July 4. Treat it as the day-after plan |
| Outdoor drinks without a party ticket | Grand Banks, The Manner, Maison Premiere, Public Hotel | Holiday hours, reservations, cover charges, and weather |
5 rooftop parties for July 4, 2026
Open the full roundup on Stasht: /stash/ce9a111b-8948-4c1b-a320-4468731451d4.
Amber Sunset Party — Williamsburg
This is the Brooklyn option, and the most fireworks-friendly on paper. It runs Saturday, July 4 at LilliStar, the rooftop bar on top of Moxy Williamsburg at 353 Bedford Avenue. The space is indoor-outdoor and faces the Williamsburg Bridge, the East River, and the Lower Manhattan skyline, so the raw ingredients for a good July 4 night are all there: sunset, house music, a river in front of you.
The event page uses fireworks-viewing language. Take that seriously but verify it. Confirm the ticket tier, the refund and rain-or-shine policy, and whether your ticket actually reaches the part of the roof with the water view. A rooftop with a view is not the same as a spot on the rail.
Mercer Day Party — Lower Manhattan
Mercer runs weekly Saturday parties at 50 Bowery Hotel, and the July 4 date is the one to check if you want Chinatown or the Lower East Side within walking distance for dinner before or drinks after. The hotel's open-air rooftop, The Crown, sits on the 21st floor with a wide skyline view.
This is also the plan where getting home matters most. After the fireworks, the streets, bridges, rideshare surge, and subway platforms downtown all get worse at the same time. Before you buy, confirm the arrival cutoff and re-entry rules, whether the party is at The Crown or another 50 Bowery space, and whether the ticket is describing a fireworks view or a general rooftop night.
Lyra Rooftop Party — Midtown
Lyra is a day party at Magic Hour, the large indoor-outdoor rooftop at Moxy Times Square with a straight-on Empire State Building view. The listing has it Saturday, July 4, 2026 starting at 12:00 PM, with entry by general admission or table reservation, 21+, valid physical ID required.
Because it starts at noon and sits in Midtown rather than on the water, treat this as a rooftop scene, not a fireworks post. If you care more about a big afternoon-into-evening party with a skyline behind it than about standing in an official viewing zone, it fits. If you specifically want the show, confirm whether the event runs through the fireworks window at all.
Revision Rooftop Party — Chelsea
This is the nightlife pick. Revision runs Saturday, July 4 at PHD Rooftop, the lounge on top of Dream Downtown in Chelsea, on the Rose Gold Presents calendar. Expect music, a dress-up crowd, and a later start rather than an early-evening river view.
If your group wants a party more than a sightline, this is a cleaner bet than holding a spot near the water for three hours. Before you buy, check the start time, table pricing, dress code, and 21+ ID rules.
Paraiso Sunset NYC — Williamsburg (Sunday, July 5)
Worth flagging clearly: this one is not the July 4 night. Paraiso Sunset runs Sunday, July 5 at Westlight, the rooftop at The William Vale in Williamsburg, with a Brooklyn skyline view. It is the day-after plan, good if your group wants one more sunset and a lighter Sunday after the fireworks are done. Check the Sunday timing, the lineup, and table vs. general admission before you commit to a second big night.
What to confirm before you buy a rooftop party ticket
- Sightline. Ask whether the fireworks are visible from the ticketed guest area, not just from somewhere in the building.
- Ticket type. General admission, priority entry, open bar, table minimum, and VIP terrace access buy very different nights.
- Timing. Let Macy's and NYC311 be the final word on when the fireworks start. A noon day party and a 10 p.m. rooftop are both fine, but they are not the same plan.
- Age and ID. Most of these rooftops are 21+ and want a valid physical ID. Magic Hour, for one, lists 21+ except brunch.
- Rain plan. Indoor-outdoor does not mean the outdoor part stays open in a storm. Read the rain-or-shine and refund language.
- Getting out. Do not assume a rideshare will be easy right after the show. Pick your nearest subway line before you go.
- Food. A ticketed rooftop party is often not dinner. Eat first, or confirm food is part of the ticket.
Most July 4 headaches trace back to one of these going unchecked: a ticket that turned out to be general admission, an outdoor section closed for weather, or a group that never ate.
Skip the ticket: outdoor bars and waterfront drinks
You do not need a party ticket for the night to be good. If the parties are sold out, overpriced, or more than you want, build around outdoor drinks and a neighborhood you can actually get to.
| Plan | Good candidates to check | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront drinks | Grand Banks (the wooden schooner bar on the Hudson at Pier 25), Time Out Market Rooftop | Water in front of you, though capacity and lines fill up on a holiday |
| Williamsburg rooftop | Westlight, LilliStar, Maison Premiere nearby | Brooklyn skyline plus a second stop within walking distance |
| Downtown patio or hotel bar | The Manner, Public Hotel, Bar Pisellino | Atmosphere and drinks over fireworks certainty |
| Midtown rooftop, low commitment | Magic Hour, 230 Fifth, Dear Irving on Hudson, Beast & Butterflies | Skyline energy with easier subway access |
The outdoor-bar version is more forgiving. You can eat nearby, move if the room is packed, and keep the whole night from riding on one expensive ticket. The trade is straightforward: you may get a better night, but do not expect a guaranteed fireworks view unless the venue says so directly.
Where the fireworks actually are
The clean rule: if a ticket page does not clearly say fireworks viewing, ask before you buy. If it does say fireworks viewing, still ask where the viewing happens.
Macy's fireworks light up on the night of Saturday, July 4, 2026. The confirmed start time, the barge location, and the free public viewing zones are set each year by Macy's and NYC311, so check those pages before you build the night around a sightline. Recent shows have run in the 9 p.m. hour over the East River, but the launch site and public access points can change from year to year.
A rooftop only counts as a fireworks rooftop if the ticketed area faces the launch site with a clear line. Worth asking the organizer:
- Is the view from the roof, a terrace, or a separate section?
- Is access first-come once you are inside, or do only tables get a guaranteed spot?
- Can general-admission guests see the same view?
- What happens to outdoor access if the weather turns?
- Are there refunds or credits if the fireworks are delayed or the view is blocked?
Buy the party because you want the party. Buy a fireworks ticket only when the view, the access, and the timing are actually spelled out.
Neighborhood notes
Williamsburg and Brooklyn waterfront. Best for skyline views and East River mood, and a crowd that wants to stay out. Harder if everyone is coming from different boroughs and expects an easy ride home.
Lower Manhattan and Chinatown. Good if you want dinner first, a rooftop after, and real subway options. Watch the bridge and waterfront crowds once the show ends.
Midtown and Times Square. Best for a big rooftop scene, hotels, and transit. Not automatically better for seeing the fireworks themselves.
Chelsea and Meatpacking. Best for a late, club-style night. Do not sell this to your group as a calm fireworks-viewing plan unless the event page proves it.
DUMBO and the Brooklyn waterfront. Gorgeous when it works and jammed when everyone has the same idea. Sort out food, a bathroom, and an exit before you get pinned near the water.
Rain, crowds, and getting home
- Weather. Have a covered or indoor fallback for every outdoor plan, and know the venue's rain-or-shine and refund terms before you pay.
- Reservations and hours. Holiday hours are not normal hours. Confirm the day-of schedule and book anything that takes a reservation.
- The exit. Pick your subway line before the first drink. Fireworks crowds hit the platforms and rideshare prices at the same moment.
Whatever you land on, put the address and start time somewhere you will actually see it that night, and keep one backup bar within walking distance in case the line, the weather, or the price changes your mind.
Creators and sources
- Rooftop party roundup: @nysummerguide on Instagram and the saved Stasht card.
- Outdoor drinking spots: @nycfoodhurtmywallet on Instagram and the saved Stasht card.
- More outdoor spots: @nycfoodfaves on Instagram and the saved Stasht card.
- Rooftop bar ideas: @jetset.feast.repeat on Instagram and the saved Stasht card.
- Fireworks and venue checks: NYC311 Fireworks Displays, Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks, Amber Sunset Party, LilliStar, Mercer Day Party, Rose Gold Presents, Lyra at Magic Hour (Tao Group), Magic Hour, Hotel 50 Bowery and The Crown, PHD Rooftop Lounge, and Westlight.
Related Stasht guides
- 5 saves for a better 4th of July weekend
- How to stop missing events you saved on Instagram and TikTok
- A Lower East Side date night from saved Reels
- How to turn Instagram and TikTok travel saves into an actual trip plan
- The best apps to save places from TikTok and Instagram
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