'Hauntingly Beautiful': 2,977 Drones Recreate Twin Towers Over New York Harbor Ahead of 9/11 25th Anniversary - VIDEO

New York Harbor became the setting for a powerful memorial on Wednesday night as 2,977 illuminated drones filled the sky in honor of those killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The aerial installation, titled “2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor,” transformed the night sky into a moving tribute. Each light represented one of the 2,977 people who died in the attacks, while the formation eventually recreated the Twin Towers at their full architectural scale.

The display took place just two days before the 25th anniversary of 9/11 according to ABC7 and was presented as a free public artwork focused on remembrance, reflection and unity.

Twin Towers recreated in the night sky

The drone tribute began with thousands of individual lights rising above New York Harbor. Rather than immediately forming a recognizable image, the lights moved together before gradually taking the shape of the World Trade Center's iconic Twin Towers.

The large-scale formation offered a striking visual connection between the lives represented by the individual lights and the buildings that became one of the defining symbols of the September 11 attacks.

The installation was also designed in dialogue with New York's annual “Tribute in Light,” creating another layer of remembrance across the Lower Manhattan skyline.

2,977 lights, 2,977 lives

The number at the heart of the installation carries its own significance. The 2,977 lights correspond to the people killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

Tim Brown, who served as an FDNY first responder in 1993 and 2001 explained his personal connection to the project, saying: “I helped design 2,977 Lights to honor the innocent and our 343 FDNY heroes. I did it for my brothers Chris Blackwell of Rescue 3, Terry Hatton of Rescue 1, and Michael Lynch of Ladder 4. Three of the 2,977 lights are theirs.”

For families who lost loved ones, the tribute also represented the continuing importance of remembering individual lives rather than viewing the victims only as a number.

Terry Strada, president of 9/11 Families United and widow of Tom Strada said: “For my husband, Tom, and for all the beautiful souls we lost on September 11, may these lights carry their memory upward and remind the world that even in our darkest hour, their light still shines.”

New York prepares to mark 25 years since 9/11

The drone artwork formed part of a wider series of commemorations marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks.

The anniversary comes with the traditional ceremonies at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Ground Zero, as well as remembrance events in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

For many observers, the drone installation provided a new way to revisit a familiar symbol. Instead of rebuilding the Twin Towers physically, the artwork recreated their form temporarily through thousands of points of light.