Two 48-foot squares of light will rise four miles into the Lower Manhattan sky Friday night, and viewers nationwide will be able to watch it happen live. Disney is airing “9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan” at 8 p.m. ET on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, with Cyndi Lauper, Lainey Wilson and John Ondrasik set to perform as the annual installation's 88 searchlights click on above the Battery Parking Garage roof.
The hour-long special will be hosted by Robin Roberts, David Muir and Diane Sawyer, and will stream across ABC, Hulu, Disney+, National Geographic, ABC News Live and ABC-owned television station livestreams, according to Time Out. The special will stream across those platforms, even though the memorial itself has illuminated the skyline every September 11 since 2002. The installation is put together annually in partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which notes the two light squares mirror the footprint of the original Twin Towers and are visible from as far as 60 miles away.
A Brooklyn Native Comes Home to Sing
Lauper, a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter born in Brooklyn, was outside the city the morning of the attacks and said she wanted to return to her family once they happened, according to Time Out's reporting. Twenty-five years later, the “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” singer said she is grateful to take part in the tribute and will sing for the people who died, their families and friends, and for New York City itself, per the same account.
Wilson, who joins Lauper and Ondrasik as a featured performer, said in an official release for the special that the bravery shown during 9/11 remains a reminder of American strength and compassion, and that she is honored to recognize first responders and families a quarter-century later, according to American Songwriter. Ondrasik's presence carries its own history: his song “Superman (It's Not Easy)” became a defining post-9/11 anthem after he performed it at the Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, honoring first responders and victims' families, as CBS News has reported.
Ondrasik's Busy Week of Tributes
Ahead of Friday's broadcast, Ondrasik performed “Superman” at an FDNY remembrance ceremony at Staten Island Baseball Stadium on September 9, 2026, according to Five for Fighting. The same source also lists the Grammy-nominated artist's other 2026 performances.
The Origins of the Beams Above Battery Park
The Tribute in Light was first presented on March 11, 2002, six months after the attacks, conceived by artists John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian LaVerdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz, according to Untapped New York. It was originally called “Towers of Light” before victims' families advocated changing the name so the focus centered on people rather than buildings, the outlet notes.
Behind the visual spectacle, the installation runs on considerable behind-the-scenes coordination. Since 2008, the heavy-duty generators that power the 88 xenon searchlights have been fueled using biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil collected from local New York City restaurants, according to We Are The Mighty. The installation's operation also requires coordination throughout the night.
A Full Day of Remembrance Across the City
Friday's evening special follows a full day of commemoration in Lower Manhattan. The official ceremony at Ground Zero features family members reading the names of 2,983 victims from the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, observed with seven moments of silence, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which notes the seventh moment specifically honors those lost to 9/11-related health effects.
Ahead of the national broadcast, local station WABC-TV is airing its own 30-minute precursor special, “Paying Tribute: Live from Lower Manhattan,” at 7:30 p.m. EDT, hosted by Linsey Davis, Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza. Elsewhere in Manhattan, local memorial efforts for the 25th anniversary have also included placing 2,753 vacant chairs across Bryant Park, one for each victim lost in New York City during the 2001 attacks, according to Secret NYC. Elsewhere beyond New York, 25th-anniversary tributes have included nightly light displays at Yorba Linda's Nixon Library.
