The Empire State Building Lights

When you see the Empire State Building at night, blazing in its glory, you may wonder why the lights change colors every night.

Simple: the lighting schemes celebrate different holidays and events. Here at Mr NYC, we will perform a public service. Thanks to reference book New York City: City Secrets, here are the various lights that shine from the Empire State Building and what they symbolize:

Red, Black, Green: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Green: St. Patrick's Day, March of Dimes, Rainforest Awareness, Earth Day

Red, White, Blue: Presidents' Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day

Red: Valentine's Day, Fire Department Memorial Day, Big Apple Circus

Red, Blue: Equal Parents Day/Children's Rights

Yellow, White: Spring/Easter Week

Blue, White, Blue: Israel Independence Day, First Night of Hanukkah

Blue: Police Memorial Day, Child Abuse Prevention

Purple, White: Alzheimer's Awareness

Red, Yellow, Green: Portugal Day

Lavender and White: Stonewall Anniversary/Gay Pride

Purple, Teal, White: National Osteoporosis Society

Red, White: Pulaski Day, Red Cross

Red, White, Green: Columbus Day

Blue, White: Greek Independence Day, United Nations Day

Red, Yellow: Autumn

Black, Yellow, Red: German Reunification Day

Pink, White: "Race for the Cure"/Breast Cancer Awareness

Green, White, Orange: India Independence Day

Green, White: Pakistan Independence Day

Red, Green: Holiday Season

Dark/No Lights: "Day Without Art/Night Without Lights", AIDS Awareness

Magenta: Mr NYC Day (ok, I made that one up)