The past several years have resulted in creative New Year fireworks displays from Seattle’s most iconic landmark.
You may not recall, but the 2019 Space Needle fireworks show ushering in 2020 was scheduled for midnight on December 31. It was cancelled due to high winds.
Of course, the past two years circumstances have changed the plans again for the annual Seattle Space Needle New Year’s fireworks show. Here’s a recap of the past couple years, plus what coming up for 2021 to usher in 2020.

Seattle fireworks from Alki park – DepositPhotos.com
2019 New Years – the show that wasn’t
The NYE 2019 Space Needle fireworks show was a bit of a wait-and-see operation due to high winds. Plan A was to merely delay the fireworks until 2:00 Am, providing the winds died down. Plan B was to postpone the fireworks show for a day, but that plan did not develop. In the end, the fireworks show ushering in 2020 was a laser light show in the Seattle skies above the iconic Space Needle.
2020 Virtual New Years Space Needle Fireworks
The fireworks show to usher in 2021 was another light show, this time due to the global COVID pandemic. This T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle celebration was a never-before-seen virtual spectacular. The newly commissioned show was broadcast locally on KING 5 and streamed around the world.
To ring in 2021, the New Year celebration featured striking visuals in an innovative display of digital effects, engineered to bring viewers bigger thrills than ever before – all safely from the comfort of your living room! Using sky-mapping technology and real video footage, the Space Needle was layered with immersive, digital artistic expressions to create an illusion of color and wonder.

Virtual Sky Mapping image of NYE 2020 in Seattle, created by Maxin10sity in partnership with Global Illumination for the 2020 T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle light show
2021 Stream New Years Space Needle fireworks
In 2021, there are no events at the Space Needle and no public viewing at Seattle Center since crowds not permitted. HOWEVER, T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle will see the return of live fireworks to ring in 2022, which you can watch at home.
T-Mobile has partnered with multimedia studios and talented digital artists to create the first-ever live fireworks show to be augmented and broadcast live with exclusive special effects that can only be seen on TV or streaming online. Get all of the thrills of the West Coast’s biggest New Year’s fireworks celebration without any of the chills standing out in the cold!
To keep the community safe, everyone is encouraged to “stream in the new year” from home or at watch parties without gathering or creating crowds at Seattle Center in support of public health guidance.
With no public viewing events at Seattle Center and the area at the base of the Space Needle closed to crowds, your can tune in to T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle live on KING 5, streaming on king5.com, or on the KING 5 mobile app for all of the on-screen exclusive special effects.
More info: New Year’s at the Needle | Space Needle
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