Highwire Live in Times Square with Nik Wallenda is a live television event that aired on ABC on June 23, 2019. The show featured highwire artist Nik Wallenda and his sister, Lijana, attempting a historic walk over Times Square. The walk was approximately 1,300 feet long and 25 stories above street level.
The event marked Lijana Wallenda's first public highwire performance since suffering a near-fatal accident during a practice session in 2017. The siblings were tethered for safety reasons, but the walk still required incredible skill and focus to complete.
The event was hosted by Michael Strahan and featured commentary from ABC News anchor Tom Llamas and Wallenda family member, Tino Wallenda. The event also included interviews with the Wallenda family, who have been performing highwire acts for over 200 years.
Highwire Live in Times Square with Nik Wallenda attracted over 6.5 million viewers and became the highest-rated summer non-sports program on network TV in three years. The highwire walk was hailed as a historic achievement and a testament to the incredible skill and bravery of Nik and Lijana Wallenda.