Empire State Building Live Cam Highlights
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Empire State Building Flex Ticket
Access to 86th Floor Observation Deck
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NYC Skyline Views
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#1 Top Attraction in the U.S. in Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do.
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More than 60,000 five-star reviews from visitors around the world.
FAQ: Empire State Building Live Cam
Yes. Visit our Live Cam page for real-time views of the Empire State Building Observation Deck and the New York City skyline.
The Live Cam offers a front-and-center view of the building, while the South View Cam provides sweeping views of downtown Manhattan. Guests can explore the cameras before their visit, check current conditions, or enjoy the New York City skyline from anywhere in the world.
Yes, the Empire State Building live cam that faces the tower shows the lights every night, including the signature hourly sparkle. The colors change for holidays, causes and milestones, and the Upcoming Special Lights list further up this page says which ones are scheduled next.
Yes, you can capture a still from the Empire State Building live cam. We publish a selection of them in Live Cam Highlights further up this page, each one a single moment somebody caught and shared — a storm front, a sunrise, the tower in a particular color.
Yes, the Empire State Building live cam is free to watch. No ticket, account or app is needed — the feed runs on this page for anyone who opens it. A ticket is only for coming up to the Observation Deck in person.
Yes, the Empire State Building's south-facing camera runs around the clock. What you see is New York right now: live camera views south across the heart of Midtown Manhattan toward Lower Manhattan. You can enjoy the New York City skyline from anywhere in the world, at sunrise, at rush hour, or after the lights come on.
The Empire State Building's two live cams sit in different places. One is mounted on the rooftop of One Grand Central Place, a few blocks north, and points back at the tower so you see the building and its lights from the outside. The other sits on the south corner of the 103rd floor, with sweeping views over downtown.
EarthCam runs both webcams in partnership with the Empire State Building. Plenty of other sites carry a New York feed pointed this way, but this is the official one, and it is the same feed our Live Cam Highlights are captured from.