【2015 Archives】

2025-06-26 07:06:42 [Shopping] Source: Exploration Information Network

015 Archivespeople of New York City got quite the surprise on Saturday night as the Empire State Building put on a wild light show.

The top of the building began lighting up in various colors at around 11:00 p.m. ET, and it continued for about two hours. In addition to the effect, two helicopters were seen the circling the top.

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Perplexed citizens took to Twitter. Theories ranged from aliens coming in for a landing to the light operator being on drugs. Many were asking for clarification from other users or anyone who might know the real reason behind it.

The "Tower Lights" section on the building's website said it would be in orange and blue for the New York Islanders home opener, but that wasn't the case. In 2012, the Empire State Building upgraded to an LED light system that can cycle through 16 million colors. However, this is normally for special occasions like holidays.

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A normal Saturday in October doesn't necessarily call for this wild show, but it was a nice surprise. The leading theory as of Sunday morning was that Eminem was filming a music video. We've tried reaching out to his team but have not heard back.

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Josh Namdar, an Art Director at Ogilvy, posted two stories on his Instagram account about Eminem filming his next music video, and showing the Empire State Building various colors. Speaking to Mashable in an email, Namdar said that he is not associated with Eminem or the video. He was walking by the building and asked the doorman, who said they were filming a rap music video for (or possibly just featuring) Eminem.

It appears that Guillermo (from Jimmy Kimmel Live!) might also be making an appearance in the video as well. Namdar spotted him recording something "downstairs."

For now, we can speculate and hope that more spectacular light shows will arrive as we get closer to the holidays. In the meantime check out some of our favorite theories about the lights below.