Annual lighting schedule of the Empire State Building

A guide to the different colors and what they mean. Tower lights go off at 2 am.

Red, black & green: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Green: St. Patrick's Day, March of Dimes, Rainforest Awareness, Earth Day

Red, white & blue: Presidents' Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day

Red: St. Valentine's Day, Fire Department Memorial Day, Big Apple Circus

Red & blue: Equal Parents Day/ Children's Rights

Yellow & white: Spring/ Easter Week

Blue, white & blue: Israel Independence Day, First night of Hanukkah

Blue: Police Memorial Day, Child Abuse Prevention

Purple & white: Alzheimer's Awareness

Red, yellow & green: Portugal Day

Lavender & white: Stonewall Anniversary/ Gay Pride

Purple, teal & white: National Osteoperosis Society

Red & white: Pulaski Day, Red Cross

Red, white & green: Columbus Day

Blue & white: Greek Independence Day, United Nations Day

Red & yellow: Autumn

Black, yellow & red: German Reunification Day

Pink & white: "Race for the Cure"/ Breast Cancer Awareness

Green, white & orange: India Independence Day

Red & green: Holiday Season

Dark/No Lights: "Day Without Art/ Night Without Lights" AIDS Awareness

Also this fact from the official website: During spring and fall bird migration seasons and particularly on cloudy, humid and/or foggy nights, when large numbers of birds are seen flying near the building, the tower lights are turned off. Observatory personnel on the 86th floor outdoor deck notify the engineers. The birds are attracted by the lights and there is a danger they will fly into the building and be killed.