Contact: Edelman Public Relations
Stephanie Tannenholtz, 212.704.4555
stephanie.tannenholtz@edelman.com
Viet N’Guyen, 212.704.4535
viet.nguyen@edelman.com
Empire State Building Displays Flags of the World With Its Iconic Tower Lights
World-Famous Icon Celebrates Countries Competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
New York City – August 05, 2008 – The Empire State Building (ESB) announced it will celebrate
the countries competing in this year’s Olympics by lighting each of the four sides of its famed
tower—north, south, east and west—the colors of participating countries’ flags each night throughout
the summer games. This marks the first time ESB has split the tower’s sides with four separate
country’s lights in its history.
For the 17 nights of the games, the monumental lightings will honor
the top 66 countries participating in the Olympics, based on the
number of athletes attending from each country.
“The Empire State Building is honoring the athletes that have trained
and worked their entire lives to make it to this international stage of
competition where unity, athleticism and sportsmanship are revered,”
said James Connors, General Manager for the Empire State
Building. “We are proud that the Empire State Building can be a part
of this international celebration and hope that its tower lights are
another source of pride for the athletes and their countries taking
part in the summer games.”
For 17 straight nights, the ESB electricians will be working around
the clock to change the 182 floodlights that will make the worldfamous ESB tower glow in each country’s colors. A typical color
change takes six electricians, six hours; the country lightings will
require a team of electricians, each dedicated to one side of the building – north, south, east or west
- to change the lights. Each team will manually fit the colored plastic gels over the floodlights to
create the appropriate color combination for that day’s four countries being honored.
In the spirit of unity and teamwork, the ESB is also working with each country’s Consulate to spread
the news, and giving citizens from each respected country a chance to experience the national pride
that goes along with having their national colors lit up prominently on the Empire State Building and
in the New York City skyline.
Empire State Building Country Lighting Schedule:
*Colors are listed from bottom to top.
August 8, 2008 (Friday)
North:
Red, White, Blue – France
West:
Red, Blue, White – Great Britain
South:
Red, Red, Green – Portugal
East:
Green, White, Orange – India
August 9, 2008 (Saturday)
North:
Red, White, Blue – Czech Republic
West:
Red, Blue, White – Russia
South:
Red, White, Green – Italy
East:
Green, White, Green – Nigeria
August 10, 2008 (Sunday)
North:
Red, White, Blue –Chinese Taipei
West:
Red, Red, White – Poland
South:
Red, White, Green – Mexico
East:
Green, White, Red – Hungary
August 11, 2008 (Monday)
North:
Blue, White, Red – Croatia
West:
White, Red, White – Japan
South:
Green, Yellow, Green – South Africa
East:
Black, White, Red – Egypt
August 12, 2008 (Tuesday)
North:
Blue, White, Red – Netherlands
West:
Blue, Red, White – New Zealand
South:
Green, Yellow, Blue – Brazil
East:
Red, Yellow, Blue - Romania
August 13, 2008 (Wednesday)
North:
Blue, White, Red – Cuba
West:
Blue, Red, White – Slovenia
South:
Yellow, Yellow, Blue – Ukraine
East:
Red, Yellow, Red – Spain
August 14, 2008 (Thursday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Denmark
West:
Blue, Red, White – Australia
South:
Blue, Yellow, Blue – Kazakhstan
East:
Yellow, Red, Black – Germany
August 15, 2008 (Friday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Austria
West:
Red, Green, White – Belarus
South:
Blue, Yellow, Blue – Sweden
East:
White, Blue, Red – South Korea
August 16, 2008 (Saturday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Canada
West:
Red, Green, White – Bulgaria
South:
Blue, White, Blue – Greece
East:
White, Blue, Red – Serbia
August 17, 2008 (Sunday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Switzerland
West:
Red, Blue, White – Slovakia
South:
Blue, White, Blue – Argentina
East:
White, Green, Red – Algeria
August 18, 2008 (Monday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Turkey
West:
Red, Blue, White – Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
South:
Blue, White, Blue – Israel
East:
Orange, White, Green – Ireland
August 19, 2008 (Tuesday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Latvia
West:
Red, Blue, Yellow – Colombia
South:
Green, White, Blue – Uzbekistan
East:
Orange, Yellow, Green – Ethiopia
August 20, 2008 (Wednesday)
North:
Red, White, Red – Hong Kong
West:
Red, Blue, Yellow – Venezuela
South:
Green, Red, Blue – Azerbaijan
East:
Red, Yellow, Black – Belgium
August 21, 2008 (Thursday)
North:
Red, Green, Red – Morocco
West:
White, Blue, White – Finland
South:
Green, Red, Black – Kenya
East:
Red, White, Blue – Malaysia
August 22, 2008 (Friday)
North:
Red, Green, Yellow – Lithuania
West:
Yellow, Red, Green – Cameroon
South:
White, Black, Blue – Estonia
East:
Red, White, Blue – Thailand
August 23, 2008 (Saturday)
North:
Black, Green, Yellow – Jamaica
West:
Red, White, Green – Iran
South:
White, Red, White – Georgia
East:
Red, White, Blue – Norway
August 24, 2008 (Sunday)
North:
Red, White Blue – USA
South:
Red, White Blue – USA
West:
Red, White Blue – USA
East:
Red, White Blue – USA
Brief History of the Empire State Building Lighting
In 1932, a searchlight beacon alerting people for 50 miles that Franklin D. Roosevelt had been
elected president of the United States was the first light to shine on top of the Empire State Building,
and in 1976, colored lighting was first introduced as the tower was lit in red, white and blue to
celebrate the American Bicentennial. The Empire State Building’s tower lights are internationally
recognized and are illuminated to commemorate holidays, events and causes that are of importance
to New Yorkers, Americans and citizens of the world. An ESB lighting celebrates remarkable
events, iconic traditions or significant anniversaries, such as E.U. Day, Lunar New Year, Earth Day,
Veteran’s Day and many more.
About the Empire State Building
Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the “World’s Most
Famous Office Building.” With new investments in 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 skyscraper’s robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM radio
stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire State Building was named America’s
favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. The Empire State
Building Observatory is one of the world’s most beloved attractions and is the region’s #1 tourist
destination. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.esbnyc.com.
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