New Year’s fireworks Downtown

New York City, as always, plans to ring in 2006 with a barrage of colorful events—and not just the usual Times Square mayhem.

The famed fireworks family, the Gruccis, will light the sky over New York Harbor for the 4th year in a row.

The “New Year’s Eve @ The Lady” show will cap off a year of 12 Grucci events Downtown, including a Valentine’s Day display at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park City, and of course, July 4th.

The New Year’s display will be visible from anywhere with a view of the Statue of Liberty, and the sky above. “The view is especially spectacular from Battery Park,” suggests M. Philip Butler, the event’s producer.

Battery Park City’s Wagner Park is another good place to watch the display.

The fireworks display will rings in the New Year at midnight, and typically last for 10 to 15 minutes. “New Year’s Eve definitely has more of a fun vibe than any other show we put on,” said Butler, “Of course 4th of July is fun too, but that’s a different style, and much more family oriented.”

Fireworks by Grucci will also decorate the skies in Myrtle Beach, Palm Beach, Lake Charles and Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve, but Butler says there is no place like New York. “I’ve been all over the world and I’ve never seen anything prettier than fireworks set alongside the Statue of Liberty,” he said. “It really is second to none.”

—Frank Farina