Like most other cities Seattle discouraged people from going out in public on New Year's Eve to ring in 2021 due to the pandemic. Instead of an elaborate outdoor fireworks display or ball drop, at-home viewers were treated to T-Mobile New Year's at the Needle.
Organizers at the Space Needle said the virtual show was made possible by "using sky-mapping technology and real video footage" layered with immersive, digital artistic expressions to create an illusion of color and wonder. In reality, the tower was lit in T-Mobile's distinctive magenta color, but on screens, viewers were dazzled by the virtual show surrounding the Space Needle and skies above.
