BP MARKOWITZ TO LIGHT HISTORIC CONEY ISLAND PARACHUTE JUMP

**MEDIA ADVISORY & EVENT LISTING**
9:00 P.M.
FRIDAY, JULY 7
PARACHUTE JUMP TOWER
BOARDWALK & WEST 15TH STREET
CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN

On Friday, July 7, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will open a new chapter in the colorful history of a Brooklyn icon when he flips the switch to illuminate the Parachute Jump on the legendary Coney Island boardwalk. After standing sentinel over America’s Favorite Playground for more than six decades, Coney Island’s beacon of the boardwalk will twinkle to life when 17 lamps and 150 lighting fixtures featuring 450 LEDs are flipped on. The 277-foot-tall tower’s dazzling lights, designed by artist Leni Schwendinger, will shine for all to see for the first time, from Staten Island and New Jersey to Long Island and beyond.

Although the last parachute dropped long before the Parachute Jump was declared a city landmark in 1977, Borough President Markowitz had the bright idea to transform it into a symbol of the revitalization of Coney Island as a year-round 24/7 live-work community that attracts families and visitors from across America and beyond. Through a partnership with the Borough President’s Office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, artist Leni Schwendinger, and engineering firm STV, the project took two years from inception to completion.

Throughout the year the tower will be lit in one of six different lighting schemes that reflect the seasons, holidays, and even the lunar cycles. The Parachute Jump will be illuminated from dusk until midnight May through October, and dusk until 11 p.m. other times.

On July 7, the electrifying evening will feature a preview of all six lighting sequences, followed by the weekly Coney Island Friday night fireworks on the beach, sponsored by Astroland and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park. It will be a de-light-ful celebration of summer in Brooklyn and a shimmering example that Brooklyn’s Eiffel Tower and Coney Island USA remain the twinkle in New York City’s eye.

This event is free and open to the public and is ideal for family and weekend event listings.