Claim : Times Square is planning to unveil The Cross of Light, a giant glowing golden cross created using powerful lasers.
Conclusion : The claim is false. There are no reports that support this claim and no official notice from Times Square. The visuals seem to be AI generated and are not real.
Rating : Totally False 
Several users have claimed that Times Square, in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City is planning to unveil “The Cross of Light”, a giant glowing cross created using powerful lasers. Verified X user ‘usanewshq’ shared such a claim, accompanied by a 10-second video depicting a dramatic, ethereal cross illuminating Times Square amid a cheering crowd. The post garnered over 119,000 likes and 3 million views which can be seen below –
Other users have made similar claims which can be found here and here.
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and discovered that it is false. No evidence supports an actual plan or unveiling by Times Square authorities. The video in all its capacity seems to be an AI generated content.
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “Times Square Cross of Light” to learn more about the issue. The Times Square Alliance’s official website lists no events, installations, or announcements involving a “Cross of Light,” lasers, or religious symbols for November 2025 or beyond.
One of the recent events was on November 2, 2025 with the NYC Department of Transportation and Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs hosted the second annual Día De Muertos event in Times Square. This cultural celebration included live performances, public art installations of large Catrinas (skeleton statues honoring the deceased), and roaming costumed performers for public photo opportunities. View it here.
Following this, we searched for any credible news reports by media outlets but found none. A reverse image search led us to a same claim that has been posted 7 weeks ago, on September 18, 2025 accompanied without any solid evidence. No coverage appears in mainstream outlets like The New York Times that usually covers such large scale events.
Upon further investigation, we learned that laser installations in NYC require FAA approvals for visibility and NYPD permits for crowds. When we searched public databases on the NYC government website, we were unable to find any links or permissions to such an event. Furthermore, Times Square holds a reputation of hosting events that are secular and a permanent religious figure (like the cross in the claim) would be quite unlikely.
Lastly, we put various screenshots of the clip in an AI detector tool to check if it is fabricated. The results proved that a significant part of this clip, if not full, was generated using AI. View the results below:
Thus, the claim is false.
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