On Valentine’s Day, New Yorkers and visitors looking for romance in New York City will find it at the Crossroads of the World. Real life love stories will unfold as lovers surprise their partners with proposals of marriage on Times Square’s iconic signage, couples will tie the knot on Duffy Square, and hundreds of people will renew their vows on the Red Steps.
For those who are looking to watch or join in on the festivities, the day will include:
• Three lucky lovers will be surprised with a Valentine’s Day gift that they – and everyone else in Times Square – won’t see coming and won’t soon forget: a surprise marriage proposal on Times Square’s iconic American Eagle screen.
• Three couples will get hitched on Valentine’s Day right in the heart of Times Square. Conducted by licensed NYS officiant, Hollis Kam, ceremonies will take place at 11:00am, 12:00pm, and 1:00pm.
• And for those who have already said their vows, there will be a celebration of love and romance during a large vow renewal ceremony on the iconic Red Steps in Times Square. The ceremony is free and open to people of all ages, genders, religions, races and backgrounds. As the vow renewal concludes official Times Square confetti will flutter around the participants.
On the day of love, T-Mobile Signature Store will be on-site celebrating its one year anniversary in Times Square with a DJ playing music and with giveaways throughout the day.
All of the festivities will take place next to the winner of this year’s annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition We Were Strangers Once Too by The Office for Creative Research – a public data sculpture highlighting the role that immigrants have played in the founding, development, and continued vibrancy of New York City.
Data from the 2015 American Community Survey takes visual, sculptural form in 33 metal poles, inscribed and hued to represent the national origins and shifting populations of foreign-born NYC residents. Sprout, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment’s 24-hour preschool network, will be onsite on February 7 to show attendees that “Kindness Counts” by sharing hot chocolate and random acts of kindness.
Alex Da Corte’s Blue Moon will be featured on Times Square’s electronic billboards from 11:57 p.m. to midnight every night in February as part of Midnight Moment, a monthly presentation by the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. Blue Moon splashes a surreal, theatrical portrait across Times Square, featuring a man holding a crescent moon and crooning along to the classic Rodgers and Hart song “Blue Moon” as the loving and lonely lyrics appear karaoke-style at the bottom of the screen. The work features pop-art colors to brighten the winter sky, and a wry perspective on the dreams in our hearts and our prospects for finding a love of our own. Presented in partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art on the occasion of their exhibition “Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016.”
