From dusk until 11 p.m. on September 11, Boston’s skyline will glow blue. What began in 2024 with just nine buildings has grown into one of the city’s most visible annual tributes to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 attacks — and this year, close to 40 locations are expected to take part.
The initiative is spearheaded by Gogi Gupta, founder of Boston-based advertising firm Gupta Media, working in conjunction with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Now in its third consecutive year, the effort rallies property owners, landmarks, and institutions across the city to participate in the coordinated lighting display. Twenty-five locations are already confirmed for 2026.
This year’s tribute expands beyond building facades for the first time. Outfront Media and Orange Barrel Media are donating out-of-home billboard inventory, meaning digital displays across Boston will also switch to blue — extending the reach of the memorial into the city’s streets and transit corridors.
The driving idea behind the project is straightforward: keep 9/11 visible in cities beyond New York, where the attacks occurred but whose impact rippled nationally. By mobilizing Boston’s business and advertising communities around a shared act of remembrance, the initiative treats the anniversary as a civic moment, not just a media one.
The blue lights go on at dusk on September 11 and stay lit until 11 p.m.
