Fleet of 2,977 drones recreates Twin Towers over New York for 25th anniversary of 9/11

Aerial tribute over New York Harbor

A fleet of 2,977 illuminated drones rose over New York Harbor on Wednesday evening to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Titled "2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor", the aerial installation assigned one light to each person killed in the 2001 tragedy. The aircraft initially gathered as a moving constellation before ascending in a spiral and locking into a full-scale architectural silhouette of the Twin Towers. The choreography referenced an unbuilt post-attack concept by the THINK architectural team, which had proposed two open cultural structures rather than standard office towers. Project organizers coordinated the display with survivors, bereaved families, and first responders, including pioneer firefighter Brenda Berkman and emergency services veteran Tim Brown. During the display, perspective angles briefly caused a distant passenger plane to appear as though it were flying into the illuminated structure.

Commemorations across New York and Pennsylvania

Memorial ceremonies marked the anniversary across the three attack sites, where 2,977 people died in 2001, comprising 2,606 casualties at the World Trade Center, 125 at the Pentagon, and 246 passengers and crew on four hijacked planes. In Lower Manhattan, relatives gathered on Friday morning at Ground Zero to read the names of the victims, maintaining the memorial tradition of placing a white flower on each victim's engraved name on their birthday. In Midtown Manhattan, 2,753 empty chairs were set up in Bryant Park, one for each victim from New York City, providing spaces for the public to leave flowers and notes. The New York City Fire Department arranged tributes across city stations for more than 300 firefighters who died in the collapse, alongside more than 400 members who succumbed to related illnesses in the years since. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, artists unveiled chalk portraits honoring the passengers of the fourth aircraft.

Diplomatic reactions and political disputes

Official statements and commemorative events reflected on the global scope of the tragedy, which affected citizens from more than 90 nations. Deputy United Nations spokesperson Farhan Haq issued a formal address marking the quarter-century milestone.

Twenty-five years ago, the heinous terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, an attack on humanity itself, claimed thousands of lives and left lasting marks on our world. On this sad anniversary, we remember the nearly 3,000 victims from the United States and more than 90 other countries and stand with their families and loved ones.

The commemorations also intersected with local and national political tensions. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on the Newsmax network to argue that current mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend the memorial events. Donald Trump arranged to speak at the Pentagon for the second consecutive year after a 2012 rule barring political speeches at Ground Zero altered his travel plans. For surviving responders and family members, the anniversary remained focused on shared remembrance. Retired NYPD officer James Smith, whose wife Moira Smith died during the rescue response in 2001, watched the drone formation above the harbor and reflected on the city's bond.

I want people to remember the victims. We are all part of this community. We are New Yorkers, we will always be New Yorkers, and we need to stick together.