While audiences in Seattle, WA weren’t able to ring in the New Year the traditional way, T-Mobile brought the show to them with a stunning light display atop the city’s famous Space Needle. The annual T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle celebration had even more to prove this year as residents were encouraged to stay home, and the display came through with full bars.
For New Year’s on the West Coast, viewers instead looked to the Space Needle rather than New York’s iconic Times Square. While both locations were forced to welcome 2021 without thousands of onlookers, Seattle’s display proved just as dazzling even without mobs of screaming fanatics.
Local TV station KING-TV hosted the countdown to New Year’s sponsored by the cellphone provider which saw segments on the year in review and performances from local musicians. Some notable Seattle natives even stopped by to wish their city a Happy New Year including Nancy Wilson (Heart), Sir Mix-A-Lot, Sean Kinney (Alice In Chains), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden/Pearl Jam), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), and Reggie Watts.
According to KING-TV, the display was made possible by the people at BOREALIS – A Festival Of Light who employed “sky-mapping technology and real video footage” that was layered with new digital artist expressions. The festivities were only viewable online and on TV as no attendees were allowed in the vicinity. If people did show up, they were likely disappointed to see that the tower was lit only in T-Mobile’s iconic magenta color—all of the breathtaking effects were added digitally upon transmission to screens around the country.
Watch the 2020 New Year’s display at the Seattle Space Needle presented by T-Mobile below.
T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle
[H/T KING-TV]