Empire State Building to Celebrate Lunar New Year with Virtual Lighting Ceremony & Fifth Avenue Window Display
New York (Feb. 8, 2021) – The Empire State Building (ESB) today announced that it will celebrate Lunar New Year in partnership with China’s Consulate General in New York with a Feb. 10 lighting of its world-famous tower lights, and the unveiling of a new Spring Festival window display in its Fifth Avenue lobby that celebrates the Year of the Ox.
On Feb. 10, 2021 just before sunset at 5 p.m. EST, guests from around the world can join the virtual lighting ceremony on the Empire State Building’s YouTube page and witness the “flip of the switch” that will turn the building’s famous tower red in advance of the first new moon of the lunar calendar on Feb. 12. Anthony E. Malkin, CEO, president, and chairman of Empire State Realty Trust, will provide remarks along with Ambassador Huang Ping, the Consul General of China’s Consulate General in New York. The ceremony will be available on the Consulate General’s website, WeChat, and Instagram after the event.
The Empire State Building will also celebrate Lunar New Year with a museum-quality Fifth Avenue lobby window display entitled “Back to Order,” on view from Feb. 10, 2021, through Mar. 10, 2021. Designed by United Design Lab in collaboration with China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd, the display tells the story of the Ox as a return to normalcy in 2021 after an unprecedented year. In four scenes, the Ox welcomes spring, is represented as a symbol of peace, stands as a protector from floods to bring good weather, and ushers in a prosperous harvest. With traditional elements such as gourds, auspicious clouds, lotus flowers, pomegranates, and flying lanterns, the windows respect the importance of these historical Chinese symbols. The Fifth Avenue lobby windows are only accessible to ESB tenants and ESB Observatory visitors.
“Lunar New Year is such a significant event for Chinese and people of Chinese descent all around the world. Families travel to celebrate together. In a world disrupted by COVID, we honor this celebration with our special and meaningful tower lighting and fantastical window display,” said Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory Experience. “The Empire State Building expresses its best wishes to our friends who celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Ox for a rich and fortunate new year. The Empire State Building is open and ready to welcome everyone back to New York City.”
For more information about the Empire State Building and its special lightings and events, visit https://www.esbnyc.com/.
About the Empire State Building
Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna top), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT: NYSE), is the “World’s Most Famous Building.” 2021 marks the building’s 90th anniversary as an iconic landmark in the heart of New York City.
With new investments in energy efficiency, infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The Empire State Building is part of ESRT’s 10.1 million square feet portfolio. ESRT is a leader in energy efficiency in the built environment and sustainability, and is the first commercial real estate portfolio in the U.S. to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types, focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education to address a COVID-19 environment now and broader health and safety-related issues into the future.
ESRT has earned the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition, and score of 88, in the 2020 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, an achievement that places ESRT in the top 20% of all respondents. GRESB is recognized globally as a rigorous standard widely recognized as one of the best measures of sustainability performance of real estate companies and funds.
The Building was named the world’s most popular travel destination in a study conducted by Uber and was named America’s favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. Empire State Building was ranked the #1 New York City Attraction on Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List 2nd edition. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.empirestatebuilding.com, www.facebook.com/empirestatebuilding, https://twitter.com/empirestatebldg, www.instagram.com/empirestatebldg, http://weibo.com/empirestatebuilding, www.youtube.com/esbnyc, https://www.tiktok.com/@empirestatebldg or www.pinterest.com/empirestatebldg
About Empire State Realty Trust
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the “World's Most Famous Building.” The company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of Sept. 30, 2020, which consists of 9.4 million rentable square feet across 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; as well as approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.
Empire State Realty Trust is a leader in energy efficiency in the built environment and sustainability, with 76 percent of the eligible portfolio ENERGY STAR certified and 100 percent fully powered by renewable wind electricity. As the first commercial real estate portfolio in the U.S. to achieve the evidence-based, third-party verified WELL Health-Safety Rating for health and safety, ESRT additionally earned the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition for sustainability performance in real estate and was named a Fitwel Champion for healthy, high-performance buildings. To learn more about Empire State Realty Trust, visit empirestaterealtytrust.com and follow ESRT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Brock Talbot
212-736-3100