2,977 Drones Recreate The Twin Towers In Stunning Tribute To Lives Lost On 9/11
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A special art installation was unveiled in New York to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attack on 9/11 and honor the lives lost.
On the evening of Wednesday, September 9th, the New York skyline was lit up in a way that had never been seen before. A synchronized drone art installation titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” debuted in a stunning display of remembrance.
2,977 individual lighted drones rose above New York Harbor to reconstruct the Twin Towers at their full architectural scale; one light for every life lost.
According to Designboom, the installation was crafted through conversations with the families of victims, survivors, and first responders. The lights began as a moving constellation, before “forming into “circling upward through the night before gradually locking into the recognizable geometry of the towers.”
Watch The Beautiful Tribute To The Victims Of 9/11
Sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, the project was led by creative director and executive producer Addison Mehr. It was produced with Sky Elements Drones, with Yan Paul Dubbelman as designer and artistic advice from Studio Drift, Shigeru Ban, and Dean Maltz.
The music which accompanied the installation included John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” written in response to September 11, and Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight.” Addison Mehr, Creative Director and Executive Producer of the project, shared:
“The purpose of 2,977 Lights is to acknowledge individual loss within the collective history and memory of September 11th. We light the exact number to hold witness for each individual life.”
See the breathtaking display as “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor” illuminates the night sky in memory of those lost on 9/11 below.
Additional Tributes Planned For The 25th Anniversary
On September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the attacks, ABC News and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum will present “9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan.”
The broadcast will be part of the annual lighting of the commemorative public art installation, which has lit up the New York skyline since 2002. Lainey Wilson is set to perform in addition to Cyndi Lauper and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting.
The event will be streamed live for the first time. Tune in to watch at 8 pm Eastern on ABC, Hulu, Disney+, National Geographic, and ABC-owned television stations.
